Stretch Marks Getting Under Your Skin?

(CBS)  Roughly 80 percent of Americans have stretch marks.

They aren't dangerous, but they can be unsightly, and many people want to get rid of them -- especially with summer not far off.

Dr. Jeanine Downie, a dermatologist, visited The Early Show to talk about what we can do to prevent and treat stretch marks.

She says that, with some precautions and interventions -- some topical and some by laser -- stretch marks can be minimized. The treatments include creams and lotions -- some over-the-counter, some by prescription -- and, if those don't work, the laser procedures.

WHY DO WE GET STRETCH MARKS?

It's really scar tissue in the second layer of skin. It happens because of sudden weight gain, hormonal changes in teens or in pregnancy, and sometimes because of topical steroid use for things such as psoriasis and excema.

CAUSES
Adolescent growth spurt
Pregnancy
Obesity
Rapid muscle growth
Topical steroids used to treat such conditions as exema and psorias
Men can get them from muscle growth.

HOW CAN STRETCH MARKS BE PREVENTED?
Avoid rapid weight gain
Use topical steroids as directed
Moisturize three times a day. Consider using Keri Renewal stretch mark cream, Retinol Complex (OTC), Belli elasticity (OTC), or a Middle Eastern root plant
Could also try cocoa butter and shea butter, Gycoloic Acid, retinoids (can't use them when you're pregnant)

TREATMENT
Moisturize three-to-four times a day when pregnant
Use retinol or glycolic creams
Laser

WHAT DO LASER TREATMENTS ENTAIL?
Different types of lasers are used, depending on how old the stretch marks are
Red stretch marks are newer and may respond better to creams and lotions. Once they turn white or silvery, you may want to try lasers.
How expensive?
$300 to $1,500, depending on how many treatments.

IS ONE TYPE OF SKIN MORE PRONE THAN OTHERS?
No, they run in families.

[paulaqqq]

I was given the Made from Earth "Aloe & Jojoba Nut Therapy" first by a friend from England as she had had lots of success with her stretch marks. At the time I didn't use it but then I got pregnant and of course those stretch marks started to arrive.

I loved the feel of the lotion on my skin and found that it really helped in reducing the itching while my body was stretch into forms I knew not. I do have minor stretch marks but I feel the lotion kept them down and also helped my skin deal with the pregnancy.

I have also found that when I have a cold it was a great product to dab on my nose and stopped it from drying out. I love this product and now always have a bottle near by.

It is 4 months since I gave birth to my son and I have been using the Aloe & jojoba therapy (from the MADE FROM EARTH skincare line) on my stretch marks almost every day. I have found my stretch marks look a lot better. I used to have some on my side - but those are now gone! I see a difference between that one that has not received any Made from Earth Aloe Jojoba in the sense it is a lot redder than the others.

Very recommended for women looking for a treatment to use while pregnant - plus is 100% chemical free and tested.

[brainteaser2]

Please. stretch marks happen during pregnancy and to one degree or another everyone gets them. Potions, creams, oils etc. have been around forever and most of them don't work. It seems to me that it is the individual person's skin type (genetics) that decide the extent of stretch marks. Some people literally never get them (e.g. black don't crack) and some people get them just by thinking about it. There was a time when they were called mother's badge and doctors didn't make big $$ of them.