You can help prevent stretch marks by trying not to gain too much weight too fast. When you are pregnant you should talk to your doctor about the possibility of limiting your weight gain to 25-35 pounds. This will require eating healthy and exercise.

Ironically it is too much exercise that can cause stretch marks to occur as well. Bodybuilders that bulk up quickly in size and weight have stretch marks that they have to deal with.

However, it is exercise and eating healthy and nutritious meals which can keep one from getting stretch marks as well. Becoming obese is a sure way of getting stretch marks.

When most people think of stretch marks they think of pregnancy. However, stretch marks are also common with bodybuilders, puberty and obesity. Stretch marks are considered to be a scarring on the skin appearing as a silvery white hue. The reason stretch marks occur is the result of the skin being overstretched. It tends to cause an interference with normal production of collagen which leaves a scar behind on the skin. It may first become visible as reddish or purple lines, and later as it fades in color, appears lighter. The areas affected seem to be empty as well as soft to the touch.

There is no particular part of the body that predominantly shows stretch marks. They can occur anywhere on the body, but are most likely to appear in places that store fat or areas that are more likely to stretch the most. Typically those areas include the abdomen, breasts, upper arms, underarms, thighs, hips, as well as the buttocks. Stretch marks pose no risk to the person's health and they also do not compromise the ability of the body to function normally.

There are numerous creams and lotions available for stretch mark removal. And frankly none of them have been clinically shown to completely remove stretch marks. They may help fade the scarring and soften the skin where the line and marks are located, but creams will not remove stretch marks.

Physician's argue time is what will ultimately help with stretch mark removal. There is much debate from medical professionals that do not believe that the creams have much affect on the stretch mark removal as indicated. The lotions and creams do soften and moisturize the area but the time element is what is really helping with reducing the scarring.

However, stretch mark cream can penetrate the skin and work its inside to the deeper layers which will increase the suppleness of the skin from within. This will so allow the skin to more effectively be able to cope with with strains put on it during pregnancy and other weight gaining activities. It is debatable whether cream can help with stretch mark removal but it certainly cannot hurt with stretch mark prevention.

There are a number of medical stretch mark removal methods purported to get rid of the scarring. These include laser treatments, dermabrasion as well as topical applications. No clinical study has indicated that these methods will fully work. There is nothing that will completely get rid of the scarring but cosmetic surgery. The skin has to be removed where the scarring occurred.

In short, the most reliable treatment to remove existing stretch marks is surgery, since other means are usually only capable of fading the stretch marks, and not completely removing them.