Stretch marks can be a horrible side effect of having steroid therapy. Many people find them very upsetting because they make you self conscious of your body.
normal skin
The skin is made up of 3 layers.
- Epidermis – this is the tough, waterproof layer that you can see on the surface.
- Dermis – this layer contains the nerves, blood vessels, sweat glands and hair roots.
- Fatty layer –a layer of fat which helps to keep you warm. This is the layer that your nurses might sometimes inject some medicines into.
The middle layer of skin (dermis) is made up of special proteins called collagen and elastin. They give the skin its support structure – a bit like scaffolding or the foundations of a building. These proteins help to keep the skin firm and allow it to stretch.
how do stretch marks happen?
Stretch marks happen when the skin is overstretched until it loses its stretchability – a bit like when an elastic band is stretched until it loses its elasticity. Usually it happens when people grow quickly, like pregnant women or when teenagers have a growth spurt. They can also be caused by hormone imbalances or by some types of medicines like steroids.
The most common place for people to get stretch marks are the tummy, hips, thighs, bottom, upper arms and breasts. This overstretching of the skin breaks down the collagen and elastin and causes tears in the dermis. The tears are what you can see as stretch marks. Depending on the colour of your skin, they can look reddish, purplish or dark brown when they first start to show. Gradually, over several months, they start to fade until eventually they look like silvery streaks on your skin. They are lighter in colour from the rest of your skin because the cells that make your skin colour were destroyed by the tearing.
how do steroids cause stretch marks?
If you have leukaemia or lymphoma, you may be taking high doses of steroids for a few months as part of your treatment. One of the side effects of taking high doses of steroids for a long time is that it weakens the skin’s supporting structure. They stop the skin from making enough collagen and elastin which makes it thinner and less stretchy. This means that even if you put on small amounts of weight, you are likely to get stretch marks. It’s likely that you may put on some weight because steroids give you a bigger appetite and make you want to eat more. If you want some tips on how to stop yourself from putting on too much weight, check out the eating section.
how to prevent or treat them
If you’re taking steroids it’s very difficult to prevent stretch marks. Once you have stretch marks, they can’t be cured but they can be faded a little bit. There has been no proper research done to say what works to prevent or cure stretch marks. The best suggestion is for you to follow these 3 steps to help prevent or reduce them.
- Massage your skin daily with a massage glove or brush to increase blood circulation.
- Massage your skin daily with a rich moisturizing cream or body oil that contains vitamin E to keep it supple.
- Eat well to keep your skin healthy.
Some private clinics offer laser therapy or skin peels to treat stretch marks but these are very expensive and still will not cure them completely. They are also not a good idea for teenagers as you are still growing and your stretch marks are likely to fade with time anyway.
Using fake tan may also help if your stretch marks are pale because the colour will cover them up. Using a sun bed or tanning in the sun won’t help because the pigment cells have been destroyed so you’ll only tan on the good skin and the marks will stay light.
