Stretch Marks

[jax]

Stone, also got these. Just above the knees and arms, close to the biceps.

J
x

[parent]

Winona we had a letter yesterday from the dermatology dept at the hosp saying they can't help and have sent the letter back to GP goodness knows what Gp put in original letter will have to go back as daughters strecth marks are increasing in number & location and she is getting upset as her clothes no longer cover them up.
Teresa

[SAMMY]

Wow! A strange subject! I never thought about my stretch marks being part of HMS. I have always hated my legs, a number of reasons, distorted, hurt and stretch marks. I have never got my legs out in public! How is HMS linked with stretch marks? Does someone have the technical answer?? SAMMY

[parent]

Hi Sammy

I think it is to do with the collagen and general weakness of the skin i'm not sure this is a technical answer but it is the best i can do.
Teresa

[WinonaLemonade]

i hope you have some luck with it all soon and for your daughter

[Sarah-Mary]

As far as I know, stretch marks make their unwelcome appearence when the skin stretches too fast for your body to keep up with it, ie with weight or muscle gain or pregnancy. They also turn up a lot in puberty, because of growth spurts.

The skin has three layers, the middle layer is the dermis which is a fibrous tissue. When the skin stretches too much, the growth of the dermis can't keep up and the fibres stretch and break. When they break, the blood vessels show through from underneath and this is what you see when you get stretch marks and why they show up red to begin with. Eventually the vessels move back and the fat which is underneath your skin shows through, and they show up as a silvery-white colour.

Hormones affect the production of stretch marks, some produced during pregnancy (sorry don't know which ones) apparently increase in order to make you more flexible in preperation for birth. Perhaps these hormones are the same as the ones partly responsible for the stretchyness in hypermobility? Just a thought.
Dosen't Marfans affect the skin's elasticity, so people with this could arguably be more prone to stretch marks too? Afraid I don't know enough about it to comment.

I have them all over my thighs and oddly over the back of my knees too. My boyfriend has massive stretch marks all over his back which we call 'tiger stripes', because he grew so fast as a child. No hms in his case though. I've never really found anything that helps them unfortunately, now I have a much thicker skin and am less concerned about wether people think my legs look good It's not specific to hms and my wee explanation is just my guess as to how it could be related.

Sorry for the essay

[Rosie]

Hi Sarah-Mary

It's not specific to hms

. But it is more prevalent in peeps with HMS/EDS. Many of us have stretch marks that do not seem to have been caused by any paticular grwoth spurt. It makes sense though, as if you have dodgy connective tissue it would be likely to effect stretch marks. It can be a big issue for some, young girls in particular, and sometimes they appear in bazaar places, like behind the knees

Rosie

[tireesix]

Unfortunately it is related to HMS, I have stretch marks from calf to shoulder. The ones I got on my bum, thighs and hips all started during puberty, made my life hell, I stopped swimming (haven't swum since), until I was comfortable with my DH. no one else had seen me naked in the light, it really knocked my confidence and still does. I never wear skirts or shorts, I always wear jeans, I always make sure I wear long t-shirts. I kinda look a bit butch pmsl........ It doesn't help that I gained s much during my first pregnancy (big gainer I be in pregnancy), even though I am now within my normal weight range again, I don't have to deal with just stretch marks but saggier skin as well.

Life sux.

Apparently, and I haven't asked for it yet, you can get a cream that thickens the skin, its a vitamin A cream I think and you have to be careful with it. I remember looking into it but because I was and am still breast feeding, its not a good idea because it is a ridiculously high dose. It is used to treat stretch marks.

The other thing is you can have laser stuff done, now this might seem a bit snarky of me, but I lost 7 stone, I have had friends who have had weight loss surgery on the NHS and then the plastic surgery after woulds on the NHS, why can't I have laser things done to my stretch marks on the NHS, they aren't my fault and they do really impact my life......... And it might sound stupid, but I have been dealing with these d**n things for longer than the average person (and similar to you guys) and its not fair. I am tired of hiding away and always being way too hot and they are noticeable, my DH used to nick name me 'tiger' because I do have tiger stripes, I just wish I was actually furry.........

Anyhoo, going to try this new GP and maybe if they are ok I might broach the subject of the cream with them.........

[sheppeyescapee]

I have quite a lot of stretch marks. On the back of my arms, legs, hips, stomach some purple but mostly white/silvery.

[mcbeauty]

I know this thread is an old one but found it interesting!
I have stretch marks across my lower back that arrived with puberty. I always thought they were just due to a growth spurt but apparently they are common in that area in boys going through puberty but not in girls (they usually get them on hips, boobs, thighs but not lower back) so may be HMS related as that is a sign of HMS/EDS. They are very faint now (I'm 36), you can only really see them if you look closely or if the light is falling on them in such a way as you can see the slight dips in the skin.
I was very skinny as a teenager and still fairly slim now so didn't get many on hips etc., some slight ones on thighs and very slight on boobs (despite the fact they're very small!).
I also have a couple of varicose veins, one starting behind my knee, a purple patch of thread veins on one thigh and another patch on calf so need lots of fake tan before I get my legs out (I'm very pale anyway).
I have horrendous stretch marks from pregnancy, along with saggy skin. There are so many of them on my stomach they all join up and it looks like saggy crepe paper! I find it quite upsetting as the rest of me is in quite good shape and when I go on holiday I don't want to wear a one-piece as they seem so frumpy but trying to find a bikini that covers them enough is a nightmare, tankinis don't work as I'm tall so big gap between bottoms and top and I don't really like shorts style bottoms. Managed to find a couple of nice bikinis in Primark that cover most of my lower belly without looking grannyish so happy with them as long as they last!
I take after my mother (I suspect she had HMS or certainly HM anyway, and was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome) and she did get some stretch marks in pregnancy, though don't know if she had any on lower back. My sister got none when pregnant, my other sister is pregnant now and none showing up yet, not fair!