National Stretch Mark Day, celebrated on March 19 every year, is dedicated to honoring, embracing, and celebrating our stretch marks. Did you know that stretch marks do not cause any kind of medical harm?
Yes, before we dive into the history, facts, and other interesting things, we want to make it absolutely clear that stretch marks don’t cause any medical harm, nor are they something that we should be ashamed of. This is exactly what National Stretch Mark Day aims to achieve. This special day is a self-esteem-boosting holiday where you embrace and normalize your stretch marks!
For some people, stretch marks can be a sign of shame and something to wrap and cover. But there is nothing to be ashamed of about stretch marks! This is why Anya Harris founded this day in 2019.
Stretch marks are usually caused due to significant, rapid weight gain. The science behind this is that our skin has only a certain level of stretchability thanks to a protein called collagen in our skin that keeps it healthy.
So, when you gain weight rapidly, your skin pulls apart quickly to match your growth. This disrupts the collagen production in the skin and this is the process that causes stretch marks. So, in essence, a stretch mark is a type of scar that is caused when stretching breaks down collagen and your skin then tries to heal itself. The appearance of the stretch marks can vary from person to person.
For some, it might be a long thin line, it might be short thick lines, and for others stretch marks might mean a bunch of purple lines. They can be thick, thin, or angry-looking and can usually be reddish-purple at first and fade with time until they are silver or white.
Now, coming to the million-dollar question, can we cure or prevent stretch marks? There is no definite cure for stretch marks. But there are a few ways in which we can reduce the appearance of stretch marks.
A few of the remedies include drinking lots of water, eating a nutrient-rich diet, moisturizing your skin regularly, and consulting your dermatologist.
