9 out of 10 women will get stretch marks over their lifetime. A staggering ninety percent. Stretch marks occur when the skin is pulled by rapid gowth or stretching. The abrupt change causes collagen and elastin in the skin to rupture, resulting in stretch marks.
Stretch marks are more likely to occur during
- Growth spurts during puberty
- Pregnancy
- Rapid weight gain or loss
Some people may be genetically blessed and never get a single stretch mark their entire lives, most of us will probably have to find a way to deal with it. If you have these shiny marks that snake across parts of your body – know that these aren’t necessarily a life sentence.
Stretch Mark Creams, Lotions and Gels
Frankly, no product probably works for everyone. But if you want to try these, here are some tips.
– Use it early, when the stretch marks are still coloured. At this stage, stretch marks are more receptive to treatments.
– Massage the product into the stretch marks
– Set your expectations, these topical preparations will take months before any reasonable results can be seen
– Applying a retinoid, such as Tretinoin, may make early stretch marks less noticeable. In one study, people who applied tretinoin for 6 months saw an improvement compared to those who didn’t. Tretinoin is a prescription product so you will have to visit your doctor to get it.
Laser And Other Fixes
Stretch marks start out reddish or brownish, and that’s when they’re most receptive to the Vbeam laser.
For more dramatic and faster results, the VBeam laser calms the wayward capillaries and inflammation in red stretch marks while stimulating collagen growth without any downtime or significant pain.
Once they turn white and mature, many dermatologists would recommend the Fraxel laser to resurface and renew the scarred skin progressively over 4 to 6 treatments.
Sometimes dermatologists may use radiofrequency (RF) devices to improve stretch marks. RF devices such as Thermage Body cause collagen fibril contractions and stimulate new collagen formation.