Stretch Marks

Stretch Marks

Many of us have them. We can acquire them from child rearing, losing weight or puberty. Whatever the cause, they can be hard, but not impossible to get rid of.  Stretch Marks occur when the skin stretches so rapidly that the underlying dermis is torn apart. There can be pink, reddish, purple or white depressions left.

The moment you see stretch marks is the moment you begin treating. Waiting to see if they go away is not a good idea. To minimize the appearance of stretch marks you should do a few easy things:
NEVER let them get tan! Sun damage further destroys the already weakened collagen. Always use sunscreen.

Treat proactively! Don’t wait to see if you get them. Always use a deeply emollient body cream. Emollients like shea butter will soften, smooth and don’t cost a fortune.

Exfoliate gently. Removing dead skin cells will trigger skin cell cycle turnover and make the skin look fresh. You will have some mild collagen stimulation as well.

Use fractional lasers like our 1540 for great improvement. The 1540 laser will improve the stretch marks by resurfacing the stretch marks and improving the color. The laser selectively alters damaged skin and stimulates the fibroblasts. The fractionated technology regenerates new skin cells and collagen begins to thicken. This treated skin begins to resemble the healthy surrounding normal skin. You will need multiple sessions 4-5 for the best results. Most patients experience minimal downtime with some redness and swelling for a couple of days. You can expect a softening and improvement in the appearance of stretch marks.