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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.
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What are Stretch Marks?
  • What Are They?
  • Stretch Marks are Damaged Elastin
  • Why don't they heal over time?

    • What Are They?

    To understand stretch marks, we need to explain what skin is made of and how it works. Normal skin is 80% collagen and 4% elastin fiber mesh network (dry weight). Elastin is the protein in the skin which gives it its flexibility and allows it to stretch. The elastin form a fishnet-like network in the skin which allows our skin to stretch and recoil back to its original position.

    Stretch Marks are Damaged Elastin

    These elastin fibers are damaged in stretch marks, causing the 'scar' of a stretch mark. What's so remarkable about stretch marks is how prominent they look, but under a microscope you see almost no difference from normal, healthy skin. If you touch a stretch mark, it feels empty, almost like there is no skin there. Visually and textually the skin is so very different, yet so little has actually changed in the skin.

    Why don't they heal over time?

    Stretch marks are a huge problem. The problem with stretch marks is the elastic fibers in skin with stretch marks are damaged, and elastic fibers are the single hardest thing to repair in skin. When you have a wound that’s healing, our body replaces the collagen proteins and all the skin structures that are injured, but the elastic fiber is very difficult to repair. The trouble with stretch marks is that there's this defect in those fibers. So since our body cannot effectively repair those fibers, the stretch marks do not heal.

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    In this clip Dr. Bernstein explains why stretch marks do not heal.
    How Did Treatment
    ChangeYOUR
    81% Life?
    of reviews werePositive
       (42 reviews)

     Extremely Pleased

    After only 3 laser treatments, my stretch marks are drastica...[more]
    Clermont, FL Jul 15, 2011

     Pregnancy stretch marks

    I've had pregnancy stretch marks for ten years. Five years a...[more]
    St. John's, NL May 15, 2011

     Very Happy With Treatment

    I used to work out a lot last year. I just noticed some gros...[more]
    Mesa, AZ Dec 21, 2010
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    Ask The Doctor
    Q: Is weight gain the cause?
    No, weight gain is not to blame. Weight gain can affect the... [Read More]
    Q: Can you prevent stretch marks?
    The use of topical creams like retinoid products and... [Read More]
    Q: Why don't they heal over time?
    Like any scar, they will not simply heal on their own. The... [Read More]
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