Stretch marks are normal, and everyone has them. More formally known as striae distance, stretch mark removal means breaking down as the skin stretches to accommodate a growth spurt, rapid weight gain, or pregnancy.
Few take pride in and celebrate their stripes, while others are less bothered by the stretch marks. Trying out various treatments is a good idea to get rid of stretch marks.
A Few Solutions for Stretch Mark Removal:
- Applying a Retinol Obagi suggests the use of retinol-infused products.
- Get a Tretinoin prescription.
- Rebuilding skin cells with microneedling.
- Boost collagen with laser treatments.
- Try healing growth factors with PRP.
- Applying Retinol.
- Also, use retinol-infused products. Retinol is a vitamin A derivative often used in acne and anti-aging skincare products. It helps improve the rate of cellular turnover, providing effective exfoliation.
- Use a formula consisting of mixing a micro-emulsion retinol meant to improve texture by stimulating epidermal renewal, collagen production, and even skin tone—with papain and Saccharomyces cerevisiae extract—to provide enzymatic exfoliation. Dead skin cells are removed, smoothing rough skin textures. It also gets rid of stretch marks and replenishes hydration lipids to restore the skin’s barrier function.
- Get a Tretinoin Prescription.
- If they try retinol products without success, they can benefit from tretinoin. Like retinol, tretinoin is a retinoid and a vitamin A derivative.
- Byrdie Tip.
- Apply an SPF of 30 or higher and avoid sun exposure when possible while making use of tretinoin, which tends to make the skin much more sensitive to the sun.
- Rebuild skin cells with microneedling. When the skin stretches or shrinks too quickly, the collagen and elastin rupture and stretch marks become visible. Microneedling makes use of a device with several tiny needles that penetrate the skin and also cause micro-trauma to one’s skin. It does stimulate collagen and elastin to rebuild and help the appearance of stretch marks.
- Boost Collagen with Laser Treatments.
- Apart from topical products, laser treatments can be tried out.
Stretch marks in an area of the skin where the collagen is damaged require treatment to improve the affected spot and rebuild the integrity of the collagen.
- Try healing growth factors with PRP.
- Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) can be applied to concentrate growth factors taken from a patient’s blood, which are then used topically or by injection to stimulate new collagen production.
- It can be used alone or in combination with resurfacing lasers, micro-needling, or radiofrequency micro-needling. When used alone, PRP does work best on fresh stretch marks.
- Treat stretch marks with fillers.
- Poly-L lactic acid (Sculptra) and dilute calcium hydroxyapatite (Radiesse) are bio-stimulatory fillers that function by volumizing and stimulating collagen from within the scars. They can be combined with resurfacing lasers, microneedling, or micro-focused ultrasound to improve the appearance and texture of stretch marks.
- After a Radiesse injection, the patient can expect immediate volumizing effects.
- These in-office stretch mark treatments will typically require multiple rounds and three to four months to see any significant improvements, as the body does take time to rebuild collagen.
- Slather one’s skin with hydrating products.
- The key to stretch mark prevention and treatment is to understand the need to hydrate the skin for optimum tissue repair as well as vitality to keep the skin soft and supple.
Conclusion
Stretch mark removal treatments are sophisticated and effective.