25. Will I have stretch marks? How can I keep this from happening?
An individual's elasticity varies. Some patients develop stretch marks from growth spurts during puberty, muscle tissue gain from weight lifting and pregnancy. Some individuals never develop stretch marks and still others are very prone to them. There is still no successful treatment for the removal of stretch marks. Some swear by Shea nut butter, others, olive oil. Some swear by Retin A as a solution to the red lines that may develop in the early stages of stretch mark formation. It must be said that applying topical Vitamin E may have been the advice of yesteryear but according to new dermatological studies, topical Vitamin E can cause contact dermatitis and exacerbate scar appearance in some patients. Incidentally, Vitamin E oil is sometimes instructed not to be taken orally 3 weeks prior to any surgery nor 3 weeks afterwards. Then again some surgeons advise it a week to 2 weeks post op with the addition of manual compression exercises beginning immediately to prohibit capsular contracture (CC). And still others advise against over 140 i.u of vitamin E a day. As I have said before different surgeons will have different ideas.
The stretch marks are caused by an abrupt expansion of the tissues. When the expansion is very gradual stretch marks are practically non existent. I can only suggest massaging Shea Nut butter (if you are not allergic to nut oils) and lotions into the tissue beforehand and after until your skin is no longer tight feeling. But still ask your surgeon before doing anything other than what he or she instructs. There is no guarantee that stretch marks will not develop but medical science has faith that a proven method of removal will be discovered, eventually.
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