Stretch marks are the damage marks or lesions that appear mostly on the areas with a greater muscle size or high-fat content. So, the areas like hips, abdomen, thighs, buttocks, and shoulders are more prone to getting stretch marks.
So, Is it normal to get stretch marks on shoulder from lifting weights?
Yes, getting stretch marks on the shoulders while lifting heavy weights and performing high-intensity exercises is very common. Especially, the athletes and bodybuilders are more prone to getting such type of stretch marks on their shoulders. Initially, these marks are red or pink, and later they become white.
In this article, you will get to know about all the possible causes of stretch marks. Also, here are some effective treatments and preventive measures to get rid of these marks.
Retin is a chemical that improves the cosmetic appearance of your skin. In case you get stretch marks on your shoulder from lifting, the application of retin can be very effective in treating these shoulder scars.
Table of Content
Why Do I Get Stretch Marks From Lifting?
Shoulder marks or shoulder scars from lifting weights are very common among athletes and bodybuilders. Also, people other than athletes, especially those performing weight training exercises get stretch marks after working out.
The most possible cause of getting these shoulder scars is that due to lifting weights, gradually the size of your muscles increases. You probably have noticed that you start getting stretch marks on your shoulders by the time you observe an increase in your muscle size.
The science behind getting these scars due to increased muscular size is that when the muscles grow bigger, they stretch the skin covering those particular muscle groups. That’s the reason you get scars on the dermis. For your information, the dermis is the outermost layer of the skin, where you see those stretch marks.
Are Stretch Marks Normal When Lifting Weights?
This is a common question among people who are highly concerned about getting stretch marks before and after exercise. So, yes, it is very common to get stretch marks when you lift heavy weights.
Athletes or bodybuilders, especially those who perform muscle strengthening exercises for shoulder muscles are most likely to get these stretch marks. The increase in mass of the biceps, triceps, and deltoid, that are particularly the shoulder muscles, can cause the formation of those stretch marks.
How to Get Rid of Stretch Marks From Working Out?
There are a lot of medical treatments as well as home remedies to get rid of stretch marks on the shoulders from lifting weights. The type of treatment you need depends on the stage of the stretch marks. Home remedies are best to treat stretch lesions in the initial stages. However, the older stretch marks mostly require medical treatments.
Following are some effective techniques to get rid of bodybuilding stretch marks.
DIY Treatment
If you have got stretch marks on your shoulders a few days after lifting weights, this remedy will work wonders. For this, you have to mix half a cup of sugar with coconut oil to make a paste. Gently rub the paste on your stretch marks for 15 minutes and then wash it away. For best results, repeat the process 2 to 3 times a week.
Laser Treatment
Stretch marks on shoulders from lifting occur due to a decrease in the amount of collagen and elastin fibers in the dermis. The laser works very effectively on the dermis or outermost skin layer to increase the production of collagen. Hence after a few laser sessions, the stretch marks disappear.
Microdermabrasion Treatment
It is a cosmetic procedure that is minimally invasive. This method is very effective in treating wrinkles, sun damage, and stretch marks on the skin. It also works on the principle of an increase in the amount of collagen that reduces scar appearance and ultimately renews the skin.
Application of Retin
Retin is a chemical that improves the cosmetic appearance of your skin. In case you get stretch marks on your shoulder from lifting, the application of retin can be very effective in treating these shoulder scars. Retin reduces the redness of the stretch marks and promotes the growth of collagen that is necessary to heal the scar.
How to Prevent Stretch Marks From Lifting?
There are a lot of ways to prevent stretch marks before and after exercise. It is important to first educate yourself about the protocols you have to follow to avoid getting stretch marks from lifting weights. The following precautionary measures can be helpful in this regard.
Follow a Proper Workout Routine
If you want to do a workout for weight loss or muscle gain, go with a slow pace initially. You have to start with the low-intensity exercises and gradually move towards high-intensity workouts. Along With this, a proper warm-up and cool-down are also necessary to avoid stretch marks and fatigue.
Prevent Sudden Weight Gain
A sudden gain in your weight can increase the percentage of fats in your body. And stretch marks mostly occur on the areas of the body, where there is high-fat accumulation. Shoulders are one of those areas. So, if you perform lifting exercises after sudden weight gain, you are most likely to get shoulder marks.
Follow a Healthy Balanced Diet
Diet plays an important role in maintaining your skin texture. If you want to grow your shoulder muscles by lifting weights, you also have to take a proper diet. A diet high in collagen and elastin is especially important to maintain the proper texture of the skin over your shoulders.
Moisturize the Skin Over Your Shoulders
Dry skin is more prone to getting stretch marks as compared to the skin that has an oily texture. For that, it is important to moisturize the skin over your shoulders to avoid stretch marks from lifting weights. An oil massage works better for this purpose. It not only relaxes your muscles but also avoids scar formation on the skin.
How to Hide Stretch Marks on Shoulder From Lifting?
A lot of people don’t like to show their stretch marks as it affects their cosmetic appearance. If you want to hide the stretch marks on the shoulders temporarily, there are a lot of tips and tricks. The most effective techniques to conceal the stretch marks on your skin are as follows.
Makeup
Hiding a scar with the help of applying proper makeup over it is an art. You can also hide your stretch marks with a similar method. For this, all you need is a high coverage foundation that matches the skin tone of your shoulder. Just apply a lot of foundation over the area and conceal the stretch marks artistically.
Tattoo
Tatto formation is another way to hide a larger area of stretch marks on the shoulders from lifting. For this, you have to ask the tattoo maker to make a tattoo big enough to cover the area of your stretch marks. This method works more effectively if you want to hide your stretch marks permanently.
A tattoo over the stretch marks will completely hide them. Hardly anyone will be able to see the stretch marks under your favorite tattoo.
FAQs
Question: Can Old stretch marks be removed?
Yes, it is possible to remove old stretch marks. But for this purpose, medical treatment will work effectively. This is because the home remedies only work when the stretch marks are in the initial stages. Laser or microdermabrasion can work effectively on an old scar.
Question: How long do stretch marks take to fade?
It entirely depends on how old a stretch mark is. If you just got stretch marks, and it is the initial stage, they can fade away within a few days. However, the older stretch marks can get three to four weeks or even months to disappear.
Question: Can Vaseline remove stretch marks?
Vaseline can not remove stretch marks especially if the stretch marks are too old. However, Vaseline can help prevent stretch marks as it acts as a moisturizer. So, it is better to apply Vaseline before starting a weight-lifting workout.
Bottom Line
Getting stretch marks on the shoulders from lifting is very common among athletes and bodybuilders. Especially, the people who perform weight training exercises without a proper warmup and cool-down sessions are most likely to get these marks. However, there are a lot of ways you can treat these stretch marks.
As these are the issues that most people deal with, instead of worrying about these marks, it is important to educate yourself about preventive measures. Once you understand the science behind getting these stretch marks, you will be able to prevent and treat them permanently.
