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Find a Stretch Mark
Removal Specialist
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 | | The Patient’s Guide is the most respected online publication providing information about stretch marks, their causes, treatment, and laser therapy. Our mission is to provide you with unbiased, scientifically accurate information about striae and red skin lesions, as well as potential treatments. The information published on this site is written and provided by some of America’s foremost dermatologists and laser surgery experts. | | >>More About the Patient's Guide | |
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Stretch Marks May Be Improved with Laser | | There are treatments available, particularly with lasers, which can help improve stretch marks, however, no treatment can yet make a stretch mark go all the way back to looking like totally normal skin. We can reduce red stretch marks, diminish white marks, improve the texture and make them look better, even in some cases so that you can't see them very easily, but stretch marks are still an area where we improve the problem but don't remove it. There are no 'perfect' treatments for stretch marks. A series of treatment sessions are usually needed to obtain the best results. | | Treatment of Red Stretch Marks When the stretch marks are red, lasers can be highly effective at reducing the redness and stopping some of the inflammation. In my opinion the pulsed-dye laser is the treatment of choice for this. Lasers work by reducing the redness in the red stretch marks and by improving some of the inflammation causing the stretch marks in the first place. Lasers also induce collagen growth and remodeling, as well as some elastin remodeling which improves the look of the skin. Laser for White Stretch Marks The latest development in the treatment of stretch marks is fractional laser therapy. For stretch marks that are white or if the texture is more of an issue we have seen the best results using these lasers. We perform a series of treatments and can get between 30-50c improvement in the appearance of these stretch marks. I haven't done any studies looking very closely at the surface of the stretch marks, but we've had convincing models that it works pretty well. Generally we are getting good results with minimal downtime. There are some risks that some patients may not be responsive to the therapy, as well as some risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation in darker individuals that takes some time to fade away. I usually do a test-patch for these patients to be sure we can safely treat them. A variety of these devices, from Fraxel® to Affirm® lasers, utilize this technology. The idea of the laser is to create a number of vertical injuries to the patient's skin with non-treated, uninjured skin in between the treated areas. Imagine a lawn that's been aerated. A similar process, on a microscopic scale, is done to the skin with fractional laser treatment. The laser makes small injuries the diameter of a hair shaft in the skin leaving normal, untreated skin in between. The untreated skin helps heal the wound quite quickly, replacing the area with new, healthy skin. Does Treatment Hurt? Though you always find an individual who has a lower threshold for pain, most of my patients find laser treatment very tolerable. In my opinion, it's not painful at all. On a scale of one to ten I would say most of my patients find it a two or three, though a few might say four. What is the recovery time? Recovery from laser treatment is generally not lengthy and usually involves some redness and swelling for several days. Your doctor will advise you on the potential risks and recovery times prior to any treatment. About Prevention One thing you can do during pregnancy or times of weight gain is to apply topical creams like alpha-hydroxy acids or Retin-A medicines. These topical medicines can be helpful in curbing the onset of stretch marks in the first place. Consult with a Physician Always schedule a consultation with an experienced physician to discuss your specific case and learn more about available treatment options. | | |
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Find a Stretch Mark Removal Specialist
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Laser expert Dr. Roy Geronemus discusses the treatment of white stretch marks.
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