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Original poster

hypermobility and stretchmarks?

18 replies

tabulahrasa · 12/05/2011 18:27

I'm right in thinking they're linked eh? I'm sure I've read about it before, but I can't find anything now...not that it really matters why I suppose, lol

Anyway, DS has loads of them, chest, stomach, back...he doesn't seem aware of them at all, but I notice them - I don't think he hasn't noticed them as much as he's not bothered by them.

Do I try and treat them with bio-oil? I want to give him it, to try and at least minimize them in case it will bother him when he's older (He's 15) but I'm loathe to bring them to his attention if he hasn't noticed them...

Do I mention it or not do you think?

OP posts:

growlybear · 12/05/2011 19:04

Hi there my nt son has stretch markes.I took him to the gp as i was confirmed they did do blood tests but they all came back negative.The gp said they were strech marks due to all the growth spurts they have around this age.DS is 15.I did talk to him obviously but he is not bothered about them he is more concerned about the acne but thats another story.Bio oil would be good to try.HTH

anonandlikeit · 12/05/2011 19:15

does your ds have a dx'd hypermobility disorder? The only reason I ask is that there are hypermobility & connective tissue disorders that should be dx'd properly.
If he already has a dx'd condition it may be worth mentioning it to his consultant..

Original poster

tabulahrasa · 12/05/2011 19:23

not diagnosed in itself, it's been noted in his OT assessments, his diagnosis is for Asperger's - the hypermobility is just an added extra, lol

oh it's definitely because he's grown growlybear - he's shot up over the past year, but there's loads of them, I mean, really loads

I've bought it, just not decided whether to say anything or not...figured I'd put it to a bit of a vote because I can't make up my mind whether it's better to try and do something about it or whether that will make him self-conscious where he isn't now

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growlybear · 12/05/2011 19:34

Sorry don,t have any experiance with Aspergers and so don,t know how he would be with the bio oil etc.My son looks like he has been attacked by a tiger or something.He has them all over his back.

cheeryface · 12/05/2011 22:48

are you meaning stretch marks could be something to worry about ? Lordy my 15 year olds back is covered in em , has been for ages !

Original poster

tabulahrasa · 12/05/2011 23:33

Um, well mine bother me, lol...

He's not particularly bothered about appearances, so he might just think I'm being silly and choose to do nothing - I know that, lm just worried that he hasn't noticed them, that I bring then to his attention and then he feels self-conscious

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SparkleRainbow · 17/05/2011 10:42

Sorry tabulahrasa, only just saw your post. Stretchmarks and EDS or Benign joinmt hypermobility are linked, they are a recognised symptom used in clinical dx. I use bio oil on mine, not sure it really helps, but made me feel slightly better. Good moisturising of the skin particularly during growth spurts might help too and can't hurt surely.

nightcat · 17/05/2011 21:46

I pinpointed my ds stretchmarks to zinc deficiency, which is also seen in hypermobility. He was vegeterian for a number of years and when tests showed Zn deficient, we went slowly back on red meat, also added (infrequently) Zn/B supplement and I make jelly regularly to add collagen proteins to his diet.
His strechmarks have now disappeared (after a couple of years this) to the extent that I can't see where they were anymore (he wasn't hypermobile).
I have a dr friend abroad who has been giving his dd Zn supplement to improve hypermobility symptoms and he says it is helping.
Research zinc in this context and/or ask for tests?

SparkleRainbow · 19/05/2011 17:46

Nightcat your post is interesting however, with the greatest of respect, stretchmarks can fade but they canm not disappear, they are permenant damage to the skin, that can never be repaired. Bio oil helps with the moisturising the skin, which can enable marks to fade as any scar does, but not disappear.

Hypermobility is a genetic connecvtive tissue disorder, I have done extensive research and never come across the idea that zinc supplements will ease symptoms of hypermobility. I would be very grateful to have links to zinc research.

SparkleRainbow · 19/05/2011 18:00

I have just been onto the national foundations for eds, in both usa and here, both of them refer to there being abolutely no evidence into any nutritional supplements, including zinc, having any benefits at all.

I would be really grateful to know from where you have got your research you refer to. Thank you nightcat.

Original poster

tabulahrasa · 19/05/2011 18:08

ooh I'd forgotten about this, lol

like I said, I remember reading before about a link between hypermobility and stretchmarks - which made sense, because it's about collagen...

I don't think he's zinc deficient, it's hard to say as some of the symptoms if you google it are a bit random, but he doesn't have any of the major ones and he's not on any kind of restricted diet - well other than me restricting portions because he's a teenage boy and a bottomless pit, lol

I'm still humming and hawing about it , - I'm not worried about it in any medical way at all, I just want to at least try to minimize them as much as is possible (and I know that's limited anyway) in case they bother him in later life, but I'm also loathe to bring something to his attention that he hasn't noticed in case that then bothers him now.

So really it's more, do I risk upsetting him so he might benefit later, or leave it and hope that it never bothers him?

OP posts:

SparkleRainbow · 19/05/2011 18:58

That is a hard one, to be honest I would be tempted to just leave it, as topical cream/oil will probably not make much if any difference anyway. Stretchmarks will fade over time. There is a recognised link between hypermobility and stretchmarks, they are a clinical symptom.

rabbitstew · 19/05/2011 19:45

I wouldn't bother to do anything. If he's not bothered about it now, when they are at their most obvious, why would it bother him in the future when they've faded to silvery lines?

elliejjtiny · 19/05/2011 19:46

So that would explain why I got stretchmarks with my baby who I miscarried at 12 weeks and DH looks like he's been pregnant a few times. We are both a bit hypermobile. DS's 2 and 3 have HMJS/ehlers danlos but not a stretchmark in sight though. (they are 3 yrs and 4 months though so maybe they just haven't reached that age yet.

nightcat · 19/05/2011 20:55

one of many

SparkleRainbow · 19/05/2011 22:04

hi Ellie, my ds doesn't have any stretchmarks yet at 8, and he is very much affected by EDS, think it will come later, it did for me, when I grew. Some stretch marks are just natural when growth spurts occur, think it is the extent which is sometimes symptomatic of eds/hypermobility.

Nightcat thanks for the link, interesting, although only talks about zinc possibly helping in growth spurts to limit stretch marks. EDS and hypermobility involve genetic abnormality in collagen, no medical solution or cure been identified for this genetic abnormality.

nightcat · 19/05/2011 22:50

Well, as we all have mostly unique gene combinations, a lot can be put down to genetics (easy scapegoat imo) and then you accept that there is nothing you can do.

My ds was also given a dire genetic dx and it took me years to recover from that frame of mind and look for solutions close to home.
No matter what is in the genes there are always things you can do to help and having researched stuff in wide breadth and depth I found that you can't go wrong with nutrition as you can do it at home w/o drs intervention and only simple supplements.
I know nowt about EDS, however I found this paper and if it was me, the first thing I would do would be to have some tests on nutritional status, becuase zn deficiency is very common but most drs only ever bother with iron.
The reason why I was concerned about stretchmarks in my ds was that they can also affect internal organs and I wasn't happy to do nothing.

Original poster

tabulahrasa · 19/05/2011 23:35

'If he's not bothered about it now, when they are at their most obvious, why would it bother him in the future when they've faded to silvery lines?'

He might suddenly notice that they are there? lol Thinking about it, he still doesn't even see the point of brushing his hair, nevermind anything else, lol

ellie, they've appeared as he's grown recently - he's grown about a foot in the last year, he's now taller than me or his dad and he was only 15 at the beginning of this month

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