Emma Kalman
Stretch marks are streaks or colored lines that develop on your skin after growth or weight gain. They are basically tears on the skin and don’t indicate any health issue. When stretch marks first appear, they are often red or purple in color, but over time they slowly fade to white. The color of stretch marks lets us know how old they are. Sometimes stretch marks can fade away on their own, other times they might require additional treatment to lighten their color and shrink their size.
Here are six procedures for stretch mark removal:
Regular exfoliation is a simple and easy easy way to treat white stretch marks. It works by removing dead excess skin from your body. Combining exfoliation with other treatment methods can produce even better results. By removing dead skin from your stretch marks gives other treatments a chance to better penetrate the skin and produce results faster.
Ointments and topical creams are another great and affordable method for lightening your white stretch marks. Certain creams need to be prescribed by your doctor while some are available over-the-counter.
By regularly applying topical creams, you won’t remove the stretch marks completely, but you can lighten their tone. It’s recommended you talk to a dermatologist before starting any topical treatment. Certain creams may trigger an allergic reaction or may not work with your skin type.
Microdermabrasion is another procedure to reduce the appearance of stretch marks, and it’s completely painless. This treatment method targets the upper most layer of skin (epidermis). It works by stimulating the skin to tighten elastin fibers and collagen.
During the treatment, small exfoliating crystals are sprayed onto the desired area or a special wand is rubbed over the area. Then a special device gently removes the crystals, and with them the dead skin from the epidermis layer gets removes as well. The treatment needs to be repeated a few times to achieve good results.
Microneedling is a treatment which targets the dermis (middle layer of your skin) where the stretch marks form. During the procedure, small needles are poked into your skin which triggers collagen production. By increasing the collagen and elastin, your skin regeneration is increased which improves its appearance and reduces stretch marks. Microneedling has also proved very effective for people with darker skin.
Laser therapy is a treatment that uses lasers to penetrate the skin and stimulate regeneration. Which also promotes the tissues surrounding your stretch marks to heal at an increased rate. Another great advantage to laser therapy, is the stimulation of melanin production, which activates pigment cells in your skin. This makes the stretch marks blend in with the surrounding skin tone.
If you don’t achieve any results with other treatments, the last option is cosmetic surgery. It’s expensive but highly effective option to fully remove marks from your body . Abdominoplasty, also called a tummy tuck, is a procedure that removes stretch marks and the excess fat and skin from your abdomen.
