Only a few short years ago saying stretch mark removal was possible was…well…a stretch. It’s different now. Innovative new laser technologies have revolutionized stretch mark removal, offering up effective treatments that require little to no downtime.
Stretch marks usually form during growth spurts, pregnancy or weight gain. They occur when rapidly expanding skin is stretched to its limit and tiny tears appear in the dermis, the elastic middle layer of skin that allows it to retain its shape. Dermal collagen is damaged and blood vessel dilation results in the formation of red or purple-colored lines.
Over time the redness may fade and the bands may become lighter in color than the surrounding skin. They may also become depressed, shiny in appearance or develop a scar-like texture.
Lasers don’t literally un-stretch stretch marks, but they do target the underlying layers of the dermis and effectively repair the damage where it occurred. Lasers can restore damaged skin tissue, seal broken blood vessels and repair the fibers of the middle skin, filling in the stretch marks and diminishing the discoloration.
Fraxel lasers are a highly effective treatment for stretch mark removal, offering improved texture as well as reduced diameter and depth of the stretch marks. A Vbeam pulsed dye laser improves stretch mark removal by reducing the colors caused by dilated vessels.
There are also two non-laser treatments that help with stretch mark removal. They include plasma resurfacing and using radio frequency. Both work similarly to heat the skin’s resurfacing, causing remodeling of the collagen bundles and skin texture improvements. With all of our treatments, there is little to no downtime, and you’ll be amazed at the results—and we’re not stretching the truth.
