Messoessence, a biotech approach to the problem of stretch marks.
Bodifix ® is based on high concentrations of Copper peptides and is used in promoting skin regeneration.

Introduction.
The problem of stretch marks is a common pathology that does not have much medical importance. It occurs in linear scars that are normally produced by epidermal atrophy. If the person is very affected and has large number of stretch marks, this ends up generating, often, stress.

Pathological physiology.
The Striae distensae pathology occurs when the skin, in different parts of the body, is subjected to continuous stretching. It usually occurs in the abdomen and breasts of pregnant women and also, and especially, in overweight people.
The connective tissue breaks with distension resulting in degranulation of mast cells with subsequent damage of collagen and elastin.

Epidemiology.
Frequency: 9 of 10 pregnant women, 7 of 10 adolescent females and 1 of 4 adolescent males.

Race and sex.
It is a skin pathology that affects all races and it is more common in women than in men.

Age.
It is very common in adolescents, pregnant women, women with conditions related to the production of corticosteroids and women undergoing treatment with corticosteroids.

Processes and physical changes.
In the initial stages, there is a deformation in the epidermis, flat and thin deformation with pink appearance and episodes with pruritus production. In addition, the surface of the stria may be slightly wrinkled.
The old striae are whitish and sunken with irregular bands and have a longitudinal arrangement parallel to the lines of tension in the skin. The evolution of stretch marks is the same as the followed by the scars.

The most common locations are: in pregnant, abdomen and breasts, in teenage thighs and sacral lower back and in girls, in hips and breasts.

Histology.
Inflammatory processes are initially produced with edema, then the stria becomes flat, more linear. The dermis appears with thin bands of pseudo-clustered collagen and the elastic fibers show rupture and retraction in the dermis.

Diagnostic considerations.
Histological data: In the initial stages, inflammatory changes predominates , edema is present in the dermis. In the advanced ones, the epidermis becomes thin and flat. The dermis presents collagen agglomerations. The elastin chains show rupture and retraction. The broken elastic fibers are shrunk and folded forming a characteristic arrangement of the grooves.

Current medical care of relevance.
In practice, it is very difficult to tackle and cure these ailments. Striae distensae is the most responsive to treatments but once it turns white (Striae alba) it becomes difficult to treat.
The intense hydration of the lesions with vitamin C or retinoids, has results and the topical application of treitonina produces a significant improvement.

Complications.
Stretch marks do not usually present complications except for the cosmetic aspects. If the striae are very widespread and in great quantity , it could, in some case, break by accident.

Current Treatments.
The chosen treatments have, externally, to improve the skin texture and color at the level of the stria and internally, to reshape the collagen in the dermis and to increase the synthesis of elastin.
Until now, topical retinoids have shown the most conclusive effects, remodeling hypertrophic scars and improving clinical appearance, including surface texture and color.

Bio-technological approach by Messoessence.
Messoessence goes a step beyond the usual treatments, formulating a mixture of peptides with great generating power of elastin and collagen. The main component is Cu peptides, which have an optimized concentration for the application.
Bodifix ® bases its effectiveness on a high concentration of these actives that are demonstrating, in vitro, a great regenerating power.