Generally, stretch marks occur as a result of rapid physical growth, often from a sudden weight gain. Sudden weight loss can also cause stretch marks.

Stretch marks are the scars that appear after your skin stretches (or adjusts) to the rapid mass gain of either your muscles or fat. The scarring is due to the collagen not being able to keep up with the stretching. Collagen helps maintain your skin’s elasticity.

Specifically, shoulder stretch marks appear when you regularly lift something heavy or follow an intense workout routine.

Men develop shoulder stretch marks more easily than women. The amount of testosterone in their bodies helps them gain muscle mass more rapidly, especially on the shoulders, biceps, and chest area.

Women can also build muscle mass. But it’s the rapid weight gain from pregnancy, obesity, or puberty that often causes stretch marks in women.

Can stretch marks go away?

No. Stretch marks are similar to scars and so they are permanent. Nevertheless, they can fade over time, or there are treatments that can help hide stretch marks on your shoulders.

What do stretch marks colors mean?

Stretch mark colors tell us how old they are. Red stretch marks, or purple in some people, are actually newer stretch marks. If not treated, red stretch marks will fade to become silver or glossy white over time.

When do stretch marks turn white?

Newer stretch marks are red due to the presence of blood vessels under the affected skin. Red stretch marks gradually become white over time. This transition often takes 6 to 12 months.

How to Prevent Stretch Marks on the Shoulders

If you’re into intense workouts or regularly lifting weights, chances are you will be more likely to get stretch marks on your shoulders and other parts of your body. Specifically, the stretch marks that appear on your shoulders are caused by the rapid increase of muscle mass.

Fortunately, there are many ways to prevent stretch marks, especially those on your shoulders. To make sure your stretch marks fade over time, here are things you can do at home:

Go slow

A lot of today’s workout regimens are designed to give you fast results in the shortest period whether that’s through gaining or losing weight. However, such regimens are the ones that often contribute to the appearance of stretch marks.

And so, to decrease your chances of developing rippled, streaky lines on your skin, you need to do the opposite. Switch to a workout regimen that builds your shoulder muscles at a slow and steady pace.

Follow a well-balanced diet

Follow a well-balanced diet to keep your skin healthy. Make sure to include foods rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, especially Zinc. Additionally, your diet should also consist of nutritious fruits and healthy proteins from chicken or nuts.

Avoid sudden weight gain

Increase muscle growth at a slow and steady pace. Avoid resorting to bad practices such as taking steroids to rapidly build muscle mass. Taking muscle-building drugs can promote rapid mass gain. However, your skin might not keep up with the rapid muscle growth, resulting in white stretch marks on your shoulders.

Use moisturizers for the skin

Keep your skin moisturized with body lotions, shea butter, cocoa butter, and products with vitamins A and E. These organic topical creams can make your skin feel softer and younger, which may help in preventing stretch marks from appearing on your shoulders.

How to Hide Your Shoulder Stretch Marks

Over time, stretch marks can fade on their own. And while they may never disappear completely, we can make them less noticeable through cosmetic treatments and home remedies.

But note that the results of the treatment will depend on your skin type and its capacity in terms of collagen production. And so, it is best to consult a dermatologist. It’s essential that your skin is evaluated to determine which treatment methods will work for your skin type.

Exfoliate

Exfoliation is an easy method to treat white stretch marks. It is a simple yet effective topical treatment that can remove excess dead skin cells as well as new skin from stretch marks.

Topical treatments

Applying topical creams and ointments on the affected area is an inexpensive method to make shoulder stretch marks less noticeable. However, make sure to consult your doctor before applying them on your skin. Some creams and ointments can be a bit strong or may trigger an allergic reaction.

Laser therapy

Laser therapy has been one of the options you will read about stretch mark or scar treatment, but even the American Academy of Dermatology Association has mentioned that for one, laser cannot really get rid of a scar. It can only make it less noticeable. Even so, you may need several sessions for the laser treatment to be effective.

The same resource said that there are certain precautions before considering laster treatment. You need medical consultation before considering the procedure and a few more precautions prior to it, such as stopping smoking at least 2 weeks prior, stop taking vitamin E and other medications and supplements that can slow down healing. You also need to stop using peeling solutions/creams like glycolic acid/retinoid.

Also, you need to take care of the treated area after the procedure – no sun, nor tanning of any kind.

Lastly, laser may also cause scarring.

There are, however, alternative options available.

Microdermabrasion

Microdermabrasion is a less invasive procedure that can make stretch marks less noticeable. This painless procedure targets the epidermis or the skin’s top layer to tighten the collagen and elastin fibers.

Microdermabrasion involves using a wand-like device that removes dead skin cells from the epidermis. This minimally invasive cosmetic treatment needs to be repeated several times to obtain the desired results.

Microneedling

In comparison the microdermabrasion, microneedling targets the dermis or the middle layer of the skin. This procedure involves poking tiny needles into the skin to stimulate collagen production.

Microneedling increases collagen and elastin to promote skin regeneration, thereby reducing stretch marks. This is another one of those treatment options that may need more than one session to get the best results.

Cosmetic surgery

Although not directly related to shoulder stretch marks, a tummy tuck is an example of cosmetic surgery that can remove stretch marks from your belly along with excess skin and fat. It is a good option when other treatments have failed.

Cosmetic surgery can permanently remove white stretch marks. However, it is a painful surgical procedure that can leave you with scars. And so, you may still need a scar camouflage tattoo to hide the scars from a tummy tuck.

Permanent makeup

Permanent makeup works well for facial scars. But they can also be used to treat white stretch marks on the shoulders, too.

Matching skin tone with scar camouflage to hide shoulder stretch marks

shoulder stretch marks tattoo before and after

Scar camouflage or scar tattoo is a non-surgical cosmetic treatment that uses skin-toned ink pigments to mask or hide scars as well as stretch marks. This procedure involves filling target areas that are missing in color with ink pigments that match the patient’s natural skin color.

What are the scar tattoos called?

A scar tattoo is sometimes called camouflage tattooing, scar concealment, or corrective pigment concealment.

Can you cover scar tissue with a skin-colored tattoo?

A skin-colored tattoo can potentially cover scar tissue. But there are crucial things to consider if this is the right option.

Scar textures vary. Scar tissues with different textures may or may not need treatment to address and smooth out the texture before performing a skin-colored tattoo.

Are scar tattoos safe?

Generally, scar tattoos are safe. But since the scars are often discolored or don’t match your skin tone, you’ll need an experienced tattoo artist that can help hide your scar.

Let Us Help You Get Rid of Those Unwanted Shoulder Stretch Marks

Don’t let stretch marks stop you from baring your shoulders when you want to, let Studio Conceal help rebuild your confidence and image.

Schedule a free virtual consultation today.

How to Get Rid of Shoulder Stretch Marks