The answer may very well appear from understanding that the skin matrix is in charge of the skin's mechanical properties, including firmness, strength, suppleness, and elasticity. Stretch marks are tears in a skin matrix affected by atrophy, a condition characterized by exactly the contrary of those just mentioned. Yes, skin affected by stretch marks is identified by thinning, weakness, roughness, sagging, stiffness and decrease in the size of tissues, impaired cellular proliferation, and loss of functions, also called atrophia.

The skin matrix is a precious resource which is produced and consumed quite often during our lives. On one side, skin matrix is regularly synthesized by fibroblasts. On the other side, whenever it is damaged, malformed or worn out, skin matrix -particularly the structural proteins collagen and elastin- is broken down into fragments by gelattinase and collagenase enzymes, also named matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) and then recycled. By digesting key matrix proteins, such as collagen and elastin, MMP enzymes play an underappreciated yet critical role in skin physiology.

In healthy or youthful skin, the degradation and biological synthesis of the matrix are in balance: damaged or redundant matrix is degraded while the deficit is replenished by the progressing synthesis. Unfortunately, this intricate balance gets disrupted because of hormonal imbalances, malnutrition, or and as we age, too little of the matrix is synthesized and too much is degraded. As with any supply-demand imbalance, it can be bettered by either augmenting supply (boosting synthesis of the matrix) or reducing demand (inhibiting the breakdown).

In particular, the synthesis of elastin is physiologically essential, although elastin is only 2% of the total protein in the dermis. These skin fibers supply the flexibility of skin. Elastin synthesis and the regulation of the quantity of cross-linked insoluble collagen and elastin fibers depends on the interaction between 3 factors. The first is the presence of active fibroblasts, which emanate the soluble precursor of elastin, tropoelastin. The second is the relative quantity of several skin matrix components within the dermis also secreted by fibroblasts. The third are enzymes that are in charge of both cell degradation processes that allows the breakdown of dead cells into their component amino-acids and their re-use for the synthesis of new proteins (amino-acid chains).

So be careful of creams that contain soluble collagen and/or elastin, they will NOT have any effect.

What is necessary is the biosynthesis and proper self-assembly of complex skin structures from inside out your body. The first step in elastic fiber formation is the manifestation of small cell surface-associated elastin globules (soluble tropoelastin) that augment in size with time (microassembly). The elastin globules are afterwards transferred to pre-existing elastic fibers in the extracellular matrix where, through an intricate and orchestrated biological process, they coalesce into bigger structures (macroassembly) and become crosslinked funtional fiber-like polymers with changeable deformation and high resilience.

Collagen and Elastin Synthesis Boosters May Fail or Fall Short in People Affected by Atrophic Skin.

The most recent stretch mark treatments and prevention products are focused on restoring skin matrix by stimulating the synthesis of collagen or elastin (e.g. ascorbic acid, copper peptides, palmitoyl pentapeptide, oligopeptides and other|synthetic copper peptides, ascorbic acid, oligopeptides, palmitoyl pentapeptide, and other). Unfortunately, this approach fails or falls short in most people affected by atrophic skin, presumably due to the particular chemistry of skin affected by such condition and an inability to answer to matrix synthesis boosters.

Their failure to affect existing stretch marks is most possibly due to something essential ingredient missing in those products; an element that can help your body to get rid of scar tissues . In fact, your body needs two things to accomplish this.

One, your body needs to be able to differentiate or identify scar tissue from the adjacent functional tissues in the skin matrix. Second, it must be able to process the proteins that those scar tissues are made off and separate their component amino-acids to then afterward use them to generate new skin matrix elements.

This can only be achieved by the action of two types of ingredients that act in concert. One is messenger molecules able to connect communication between cells and allow them to differentiate scar tissues from functional and/ or healthy tissues and trigger fibroblast proliferation. The other crucial ingredient is enzymes that dissolve the non functional, worn out, or damaged tissues that were identified by the messenger molecules.

Combined methods that include some form of abrading to physically break down some of the more superficial scarring, and a topical product that includes not just hydrating enhancers or collagen synthesis boosters, but also cell communicating ingredients, enzymes that 'dissolve' damaged cells and scar proteins and skin regenerating activators can provide significant improvements.

Such product can also effectively prevent stretch marks.