A stretch mark is a type of scar that develops when our skin stretches or shrinks quickly.
The abrupt change causes the collagen and elastin, which support our skin, to rupture. As the skin heals, stretch marks may appear.
Stretch marks are mainly seen during following times-
- Growth spurts that happen in puberty
- Pregnancy
- Rapid weight loss or gain
- Weight training when you have rapid muscle growth
Like any scar, stretch marks can not be reversed completely, but treatment may make them less noticeable. Treatment can also help alleviate the itch.
It’s important to understand that no single treatment works for everyone — and many products don’t seem to work at all.
Stretch marks creams, lotions, or gels
Beneficial mostly when used on early stretch marks. Treatment seems to have little effect on mature stretch marks.
Massage the product into your stretch marks. Taking time to massage the product gently into your skin may make it more effective.
Apply the product every day for weeks. If you see results, they take weeks to appear.
Prescription medicines for stretch marks
Only two ingredients seem to offer some relief:
- Hyaluronic acid
- Tretinoin
Applying hyaluronic acid to early stretch marks made the stretch marks less noticeable.
Tretinoin is a retinoid, which may also make early stretch marks less noticeable. Retinol, another type of retinoid, may also help fade early stretch marks.
Procedures to reduce stretch marks
- Microneedling radiofrequency treatment combined with PRP
- Laser therapy
- Microdermabrasion
- Radiofrequency
To give you the best results, we might have to use more than one procedure.
It’s common to have some redness and swelling after a procedure.
The redness and swelling tend to disappear in a few hours or days.