Last week, super-skinny songstress Amy Winehouse was snapped flashing her cleavage - complete with unsightly stretch marks. At age 24, weighing a mere 7st and yet to have children, she is hardly a prime candidate for
striae as they are known.
But, in today's climate where celebs wear 23in waist jeans and slip into size zero clothes, these angry-looking scars are no longer solely the badge of the overweight or pregnant.
"Traditionally, society has always associated stretch marks with excessive weight gain, be it through diet or pregnancy," says Dr Russo, a cosmetic surgeon and Medical Director of London's Rejuvenation Clinic.
"But the growing and frightening trend for extreme skinniness is revealing a whole new category of stretch mark sufferers."
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Despite her skinny frame, Amy Winehouse still has stretch marks
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Look at any gossip mag and you'll see unforgiving paparazzi shots showing that size zero starlets Mischa Barton, Kate Beckinsale and a pre-pregnancy Nicole Ritchie also join Winehouse as part of the skinny, but stretchmarked set.
The science is simple - put your body under too much trauma, too quickly, and it will manifest the stress and strain as a stretch mark - a gap deep below the skin's surface in the dermis, caused by the stretching or tearing of collagen and elastin fibres that form the support network responsible for tone and firmness.
While weight gain forces the skin's supportive fibres to bursting point, rapid and extreme weight loss sends the body into starvation mode, meaning it can no longer rejuvenate itself efficiently.
As it loses its natural elasticity, skin eventually becomes slack - and stretched.
"The body simply can't keep up with the dramatic changes that this kind of dieting triggers," says Dr Helena Fox, a consultant at the eating disorders unit of Capio Nightingale private hospital.
These marks can appear almost overnight.
"Once the skin reaches its elastic threshold, stretch marks quickly manifest themselves as red and purple welts, fading to pale, silvery streaks over time," says Dr Russo.
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The English rose, Kate Beckinsdale, has some unsightly marks peeping out from her glamourous dress
But whatever their cause, and whatever your size, help is at hand.
While few over-thecounter creams and professional therapies can completely eradicate or prevent the formation of stretch marks, they can certainly help to improve their appearance dramatically. Here are the tips and treatments you need to tackle them:
Diet
Increase your protein intake to help feed and nourish the skin from the inside out. Lean protein forms the building blocks of collagen and elastin, and is vital for cell regeneration, so be sure to eat plenty of white meat, fish and soya.
The stretch mark super mineral is zinc, found in yogurt, shellfish and brown rice.
A diet high in zinc, has been proven to prevent stretch marks from forming, as a collagen-dense dermis keeps skin supple and elastic.
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Scarlett Johansson is known for her curves - but not for her stretch marks
Cream
Amyone aiming for prevention rather than cure (especially during pregnancy) should try Mama Mio
Tummy Rub Stretch Mark Cream, £22 (08456 049 049). For those not in the family way, but hoping to erase existing scars, Rodial Stretch Mark Eraser, £78 (rodial.co.uk), is ideal.
Promising a visible improvement in eight weeks, it helps smooth and fade stretch marks by harnessing the regenerative and antioxidant properties of Vitamin C and pomegranate extract.
Camouflage
Should supermodels suddenly start sporting the odd stretch mark, Mac Face & Body Foundation, £23 (maccosmetics.co.uk), is the makeup artist's first port of call.
A lightweight, but opaque finish foundation, it's the reason so many celebrities hit the runway and red carpet looking flawless from top to toe.
Therapy
Shenaz Shariff's Eporex programme at the Face & Body Clinic (£80 per session, tel 020 7436 3936) is painless and uses electrical waves to push a solution of nutrients deep into the skin to trigger collagen tightening and skin rejuvenation, reversing the physiological effects of stretch marks. Cellulite is also tackled and smoothed.
Depending on the severity of the stretch marks, expect to see results after a single session.
Stateside celebs including Sharon Stone and Demi Moore, tackle stubborn stretch marks with the Pharmagel Slender Shaper, £18.75. It contains alpha lipoic acid and active biological ingredients to help restore tone and texture. For your nearest salon, visit pharmagel.co.uk
For stubborn stretch marks that refuse to respond to less invasive treatment, it's worth seeking professional help from a cosmetic surgeon or dermatologist.
The latest state-of-the-art treatments involve Fraxel and Thermage technology used for facial rejuvenation and skin-tightening, available at The Rejuvenation Clinic in London (0870 243 2230).
Fraxel, from £900, sends a laser deeper into the dermis to help the body eliminate old, defunct collagen while stimulating the production of fresh new tissue fibres, making it perfect for newer red and purple marks.
Thermage (from £2,400) uses radio frequency to tighten slack, stretched skin fibres, helping to knit the tear back together, making it best for eradicating older, fine, silvery scars.
The future
In the US everyone is excited about TriLASTIN-SR, a topical body cream that can be used before, after and during pregnancy to prevent and treat stretch marks.
Bodybuilders who are suffering from super-stretched skin as a result of their training regimes are using it.
Clinical trials have shown that the cream permanently reduces the appearance of stretch mark scars in just 30 days.
Using two technologies, Virtual Patch to seal in healing, hydrating agents over the treated area, and Filling Spheres deposited in the scar furrows to infuse the surrounding tissue with collagen-rich moisture, TriLASTIN tackles uneven skin tone and texture fast. This cream is not yet available here, visit
Trilastin Advanced Stretch Marks Removal Cream for mail order details, or pick it up for $79.95 (£38) next time you pop over the pond.
Even super skinny stars suffer from every girl's worst nightmare: stretch marks | the Daily Mail
Even super skinny stars suffer from every girl's worst nightmare: stretch marks
It was depressing. 
. I have several friends who got them during growth spurts in childhood/teenage hood & these people were never fat!
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