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Stretch marks can appear anywhere across the body, but stretch marks on calves can be harder to hide! In this article we will explore why we get stretch marks, how we can help fade stretch marks and how to find stretch marks on the calves.
Why Do I Have Stretch Marks On My Calves
Can you get stretch marks on calves? Yes, getting stretch marks on your legs and calves is the most common place for them to occur!
A stretch mark is a scar and will develop when the skin over stretches or shrinks suddenly. This dramatic shift can cause disruption to collagen and elastin levels in the skin, causing a scar. Often when the stretch mark is a red shade it means that it has occurred recently. If the stretch mark is white or silver, it is an older scar.
What causes stretch marks on calves? Why do I get stretch marks on my calves?
Many many factors can come into play when investigating what causes stretch marks on calves. Here are a list of those most common reasons of how you get stretch marks on your calves:
- Pregnancy: When you’re pregnant your stomach will begin to expand as the baby grows but you may also gain weight too. This will cause the skin to be overstretched which is a very common cause of stretch marks. As you will weigh more, your calves will feel the effect and it’s common for the skin to be stretched around the calves.
- Weight changes: Weight fluctuation is one of the most common reasons for causes of stretch marks. If you gain weight quickly, it can stretch any part of your body, including your calves. Horizontal stretch marks often occur from height growth whereas vertical stretch marks often occur from weight gain.
- Build up of muscles: Over exercising your calves could cause you to gain muscles, but also stretch marks! This is due to a quick increase in muscle growth meaning the skin is stretched just like it would be with weight gain.
- Genetics or medical conditions: Everybody is different and genetics play a large amount into our skin. You may naturally be low at producing collagen causing stretch marks to appear easier than if you produced more collagen in the skin. Medical conditions such as Marfan syndrome and Cushing’s syndrome can also cause stretch marks to occur.
- The wrong products: Any lotions or body moisturizers that contain corticosteroids can also hinder the skin’s elasticity and ability to stretch. This can often result in stretch marks. If you’re prone to stretch marks, avoid using any products containing corticosteroids .
How To Hide Stretch Marks On My Calves
How can I reduce the appearance of the stretch marks on my calves? Sometimes we need an instant solution. There are plenty of ways to help reduce the appearance of stretch marks over the course of a few weeks but sometimes hiding them for the day will do the trick.
Here are some methods to try if you want to hide the appearance of the stretch marks on your calves:
- Apply body makeup: Applying body make up is a quick way of hiding your stretch marks on your calves. The best products to use are concealer and translucent powder. It is best to pick a concealer that matches your skin tone. The translucent powder will help set the concealer for the day. When using a translucent powder, make sure to not over use the powder on the area as it can create a cakey effect. This will make the area you are trying to hide more obvious. Tinted lotions are also an excellent option if you are wanting to lightly cover your stretch marks whilst also hydrating your skin. You can still use a translucent powder to set the tinted lotion.
- Wearing longer clothing: It is not an ideal solution to wear longer clothes to cover stretch marks as we should always wear clothes that bring us joy and that we like and ideally not wear clothes just to cover our flaws. If you need a very quick fix, this is the perfect way that can provide a quick cover for your stretch marks.
- Self tanning: Using a self tanning lotion can be the ideal way to cover your stretch marks. Unlike body make up that you need to remove at the end of the night, using self tan to cover stretch marks can last up to 10 days. Using a light or medium tan can cover your stretch marks on your calves, especially if they appear to be white or silver. You can hide stretch marks using a self tanner by either using a tanning mousse, tanning spray, tanning lotion or book in for professional tan. If you want to know how to use tan to cover stretch marks, check out our article on does spray tan cover stretch marks.
How To Get Rid Of Stretch Marks On Calves
There are many ways to help fade stretch marks on your calves, with many including natural ingredients and physical remedies.
Here is a list of methods you can try at home to help fade stretch marks on the calves:
- Microneedling: Microneedling is a method used for many skin conditions including acne, uneven skin and stretch marks. Microneedling is a method that uses small needles to lightly puncture the first layer of the skin. The needles are extremely small that it shouldn’t be painful. The needle punctures help stimulate new collagen production allowing the skin to heal faster and become smoother over time. Microneedling is also a very popular method to heal scars, which is what essential stretch marks are. You can either try microneedling at home or you can book an appointment in a salon. If you do try microneedling at home, make sure to always sterilize your microneedling tool to avoid infection.
Want to try microneedling at home? Try this Microneedling Pen Electric Wireless Derma Pen . This microneedling pen is excellent for beginners and includes replacement cartridges.
- Microdermabrasion: Microdermabrasion, just like microneedling, is another method that lightly punctures the skin. This method is known to be painless and works similarly to microneedling. Microdermabrasion uses small crystals to exfoliate the skin and stimulate collagen production and elastic fibers to help heal scars and smooth the skin. Neither microdermabrasion or microneedling will have a guaranteed chance of removing stretch marks completely, but if used over time can help fade them.
Want to try microdermabrasion for yourself at home? Try the Neutrogena Microdermabrasion Starter Kit . This home microdermabrasion machine provides a one month supply of skin exfoliator with glycerin to help you fade your stretch marks. During a dermatologist clinical study, 91% of users had smoother skin instantly while 88% of users had visible improvements in the look of fine lines after 1 week and reduced appearance of wrinkles or age spots after 4 weeks. Microdermabrasion may be worth a trial if you are struggling with stretch marks around your calves.
- Laser treatments: A series of laser treatments can help stretch marks to face quickly. The laser treatment will remove the outer layer of the skin which will give a smoothing effect to the skin. This is painless and a subtle, built up treatment process. The laser removes the first layer of skin using concentrated light which will help promote collagen production. You can either book a series of appointments at a salon that can offer a fully professional and guaranteed working laser light or you can try to use lasers at home, but this may come with a big price tag.
Want to try laser treatments for removing stretch marks ? We recommend trying out this Strialite The Stretch Mark Solution Device. This home stretch mark remover machine is clinically proven to help reduce the appearance of stretch marks in as little as four weeks. If stretch marks are a big insecurity and you’re looking for an easy solution, this may be the answer.
- Creams designed to target stretch marks: Using a cream designed to help reduce the appearance of stretch marks can be one of the better, more affordable options. Creams that are hydrating can promote collagen production which will help reduce the appearance of stretch marks. Topical creams can also help shrink the size of the stretch marks.
Wanting to try a hydrating moisturizer for your stretch marks? We recommend you try this Bio-Oil Skincare Oil for Scars and Stretch Marks. This moisturizing oil is suitable for all skin types and includes vitamin A and E, which will help scars heal.
We have found an informative video by Glamrs demonstrating some of the ways you can help fade stretch marks on your calves.
FAQs
Stretch marks can occur across your body and are most commonly caused by sudden weight gain or weight loss. This weight loss can stretch the skin quickly, causing the scars. When the skin is overstretched, the natural production of collagen in the body is disturbed, often lowering the level of collagen in the skin.
Stretch marks will fade over time and doing frequent treatments can help them fade faster. A stretch mark is essentially a scar that develops when the skin starts to stretch quickly. Scars will fade but it can take longer to heal than other skin issues.
You Can Fade Stretch Marks On Your Calves
The stomach isn’t the only place you can get stretch marks, your calves can get them too. There a varied amount of methods you can do to fade your stretch marks that will take a few weeks to start working. If you’re after a quick cover up, spray tan or body make up may be the best solution.
