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

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

In healthy and youthful skin, the synthesis and degradation of the matrix are in balance: damaged or redundant matrix is degraded while the deficit is restored by the continuous biosynthesis. Unfortunately, this complicated 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 biosynthesis of the matrix) or reducing demand (inhibiting the breakdown).

In particular, the synthesis of elastin is physiologically important, although elastin is only 2% of the total protein in the epidermis. These skin fibers provide the resiliency of skin. Elastin synthesis and the regulation of the quantity of cross-linked insoluble collagen and elastin fibers depend on the interaction between 3 factors. The first is the presence of active fibroblasts, which secrete the soluble precursor of elastin, tropoelastin. The second is the relative amount of several skin matrix components within the skin also secreted by fibroblasts. The third are enzymes that are in charge of both the 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 beware 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 appearance of small cell surface-associated elastin globules (soluble tropoelastin) that augment in size with time (microassembly). The elastin globules are eventually transferred to pre-existing elastic fibers in the extracellular matrix where, through an intricate and orchestrated biological process, they integrate into larger structures (macroassembly) and become crosslinked funtional fiber-like polymers with reversible 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 treatment and prevention products are focused on restoring skin matrix by stimulating the biosynthesis 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 mode fails or falls short in most people affected by atrophic skin, apparently due to the particular chemistry of skin affected by such condition and an incapacity to answer to matrix synthesis boosters.

Their failure to affect existing stretch marks is most likely due to something crucial ingredient missing in those products; an element that can help your skin to get rid of scar tissues and stretch marks. 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 neighboring functional and healthy tissues in the skin matrix. Second, it must be able to degrade the proteins that those scar tissues are made off and divide their component amino-acids to then afterward use them to generate new skin matrix components.

This can only be accomplished by the action of two types of ingredients that act together. One is messenger molecules that are able to link communication between cells and allow them to differentiate scar tissues from functional and/ or healthy tissues and trigger fibroblast development. The other main ingredient is enzymes that dissolve the non functional, worn out, or damaged tissues that were recognized 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 moist enhancers or collagen biosynthesis boosters, but also cell communicating ingredients, enzymes that 'dissolve' injured cells and scar proteins and skin regenerating activators can produce substantial improvements.

Such product can also effectively prevent stretch marks.