A 57-year-old woman presented with progressive severe edema that affected her limbs and trunk and a one-week history of nonbloody diarrhea. On examination, she also had numerous linear, lobulated, fluid-filled skin lesions ( Figure 1) that flattened with transient pressure. These were a result of fluid gathering within pre-existing stretch marks. Investigations were consistent with hypoalbuminemia (serum albumin < 15 [normal 35-50] g/L; urine protein 0.12 g per 24 hours), secondary to protein-losing enteropathy associated with Clostridium difficile infection. Liver enzymes were normal. The lesions resolved following treatment with antibiotics and diuresis.Striae distensae, also known as stretch marks, are a form of dermal scarring that present initially as reddish-purple linear plaques (striae rubrae) before fading into hypopigmented, atrophic lesions (striae albae). 1 Striae distensae are associated with pregnancy, rapid weight gain, and systemic or topical corticosteroid use; they most frequently develop in women and teenagers. 1,2 In conditions characterized by severe edema, such as various causes of hypoalbuminemia and heart failure, interstitial fluid can collect preferentially within pre-existing striae distensae, where the tissue's tensile strength is reduced because of an atrophic epidermis overlying areas of abnormal dermal collagen. 2,3 Bullous autoimmune skin conditions and bullous infections must also be considered in the differential diagnosis. 3 Diuresis results in flattening of the fluid-filled lesions. 2 Awareness of this striking but benign skin finding in patients with hypoalbuminemia can prevent unnecessary interventions.