Health Reasons for Male Stretch Marks
It make sense that stretch marks are more frequently associated with women than men, as nine out of 10 pregnant women and seven out of 10 adolescent females have them. However, a significant portion of the male population gets stretch marks too: Four out of 10 male adolescents and many older males have them. Here is a look at some of the reasons why this phenomenon occurs.
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Puberty
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Stretch marks often form during puberty, when rapid growth stretches the skin faster than it can grow and creates tears in its lower layer, the dermis. While adolescent females are more likely to get stretch marks on their their thighs, buttocks and breast during this time, adolescent males usually experience them on the outsides of their thighs and the lumbosacral region of their lower backs. As adolescents grow in a diverse number of ways, however, there is great variation in where stretch marks form, with some males developing them in other places, such as the outside of the upper arms.
Bodybuilding
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The growth of muscles from bodybuilding can cause stretch marks similar to those associated with growth from adolescence, when muscles size is also likely to increase. These stretch marks are particularly common around the shoulders and biceps, where muscles can grow more rapidly, though intense bodybuilding in other areas can cause them there as well.
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Obesity
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In addition, rapid weight gain can cause stretch marks that are similar to those from puberty, bodybuilding and pregnancy in women.
Cortisol
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Stretch marks can also develop when an individual has too much cortisol or other steroid hormones in his body. Cortisol can be created in the body or introduced from outside, either ingested orally or absorbed through a cream used on the skin. Excessive production of this hormone can be caused by Cushing's disease, in which the pituitary gland produces too much ACTH, a hormone that causes the adrenal glands to make cortisol.
Diseases
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Stretch marks can also be caused occasionally by diabetes and by Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes weakened connective tissue throughout the body, including in the skin.
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