Question

Medical Terminology Course:

Which component of the skin is responsible for the stretch marks that pregnant women get when their bellies become very large?

Answer 1

Stretch marks appear to be caused by stretching of the skin.This is especially true when there is an increase in cortisone.In other words,an increases in cortisone levels can increase the probability or severity of stretch marks by reducing the skins's pliability,more specifically it affects the dermis by preventing the fibroblasts from forming collagen and elastin fibers,necessary to keep rapidly growing skin.This can create a lack of supportive material as the skin is stretched,and lead to dermal and epidermal tearing,which in turn can produce scarring in form of stretch marks.