The Correlation between Serum Cortisol Levels with Stretch Marks in Gymnastic Male

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Stretch marks are skin scar tissue that appears in the form of purplish linear atrophy, erythematous or hypopigmented which is often caused by excessive stretching of the skin. Increased cortisol levels can cause an increase in collagen degradation which results in disruption of the extracellular matrix in the dermis, resulting in stretch marks. Physical stress can trigger activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which will induce activation of stress hormones, including cortisol in the adrenal cortex. AIM: The objective of the study is to determine the correlation between serum cortisol levels and stretch marks in male at a gymnastics training site. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Observational analytic study with a cross-sectional approach to 50 stretch marks subjects. RESULTS: Serum cortisol levels of subjects with stretch marks averaged 9.72 g/dL with the lowest level of 4.45 g/dL and the highest level of 49.25 g/dL (p < 0.001). The highest age with stretch marks was 26–30 years 18 (36%) subjects and the lowest age was aged 36–40 years 5 (10%) subjects. The majority of stretch marks are located in the axillary region (30.9%), brachii (23.6%), and abdomen (18.4%). The average cortisol level in subjects with aerobic exercise was 6.52 g/dL, muscle training 11.18 g/dL, mixed aerobic and muscle training 7.5 g/dL. The highest average cortisol levels were at exercise duration of 31–60 min of 12.88 g/dL, 61–90 min of 6.63 g/dL, and 91–120 min of 6.2 g/dL. The highest frequency of exercise in a week was 3–4 times as many as 30 subjects (60%) with an average serum cortisol level of 11.1879 g/dL. CONCLUSION: There is a significant correlation between serum cortisol levels and stretch marks in male at gymnastics training.