What are Stretch Marks ?
Stretch marks, or striae, are a form of skin scarring associated with pregnancy, obesity, puberty, and short-term weight gain from bodybuilding and other physical activities. They form when the dermis – the middle layer of the skin that maintains shape and elasticity – is stretched more than it can tolerate. Connective fibers in the skin eventually break, disrupting collagen production and causing scarring. This scarring may be treatable only through stretch mark removal
Causes of Stretch Marks
Both men and women are susceptible to stretch marks, particularly on the thighs, hips, arms, buttocks, abdominal area, and lower back. There are several causes of stretch marks, including:
Genetics: Women are more likely to get belly stretch marks if their mother, for instance, had stretch marks after pregnancy. Significant weight gain and loss: Your skin stretches as your weight fluctuates, sometimes resulting in stretch marks.
Puberty: Growth spurts during puberty often result in stretch marks as the skin is unable to keep up with the body’s rate of growth.
Bodybuilding: Rapid development of muscle mass may stretch the skin beyond its limits.
Corticosteroids: Heavy or long-term use of oral or topical corticosteroids, a widely used pharmaceutical steroid compound, can lead to stretch mark formation.
Ethnicity: People with darker skin are less likely to have stretch marks.
Stretch Marks after Pregnancy
Stretch marks after pregnancy are particularly common. Nearly three in four women will develop stretch marks on their legs, abdomen, hips, and other areas of the body affected by weight gain during pregnancy.
During pregnancy, the skin expands and stretches to its limit, causing tiny tears in the supporting layers of skin. These tiny tears are stretch marks that appear as glossy, white streaks in the skin. Many women who have stretch marks after pregnancy turn to laser stretch mark removal to eliminate this unwanted scarring. This treatment is designed to give women the renewed, youthful appearance they desire.
Areas of the Body That Can Be Affected by Stretch Marks
Stretch marks can affect any area of the body in which the skin is subject to rapid stretching. The abdomen is the area most often affected by stretch marks, but they are also common around the thighs, hips, buttocks, lower back, arms, and chest. Skin in all these areas is subject to high stress as a result of heavy use and rapid expansion. Theoretically, any area of the body could be vulnerable to stretch marks if the skin is stretched enough as a result of tissue expansion.
Stretch Mark Removal
Traditional stretch mark removal treatments include creams, lotions, and recommendations for regular diet and exercise. There are a wide variety of products available on the market for natural stretch mark removal. However, these methods fail to produce satisfactory results for many individuals, particularly those with old, well-developed stretch mark scars. In these cases, more involved medical treatment may be the only effective option.
Our Best Stretch Mark treatments that work
At Pelle Dolce we offer a variety of non-surgical alternatives for treating stretch marks. Popular and effective options include chemical peels, microdermabrasion, and blue light therapy. These are good options for patients who want to avoid surgery, and they are generally less expensive than laser stretch mark removal. Like all non-surgical stretch mark treatments, these options are most effective on newer scars.
Microneedling
Dermaroller Therapy, also known as medical skin needling or micro-needling, is a new minimally invasive skin rejuvenation treatment designed to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles as well as scar tissue on the face and body. The treatment uses tiny needles or micro-needles on a medical-grade roller that is moved over the skin to create tiny, evenly-spaced puncture wounds on the skin. This process stimulates the body’s natural collagen production by generating a wound healing response.
The roller used is much like a fine tattooing needle, so should cause minimal trauma when creating the microscopic punctures in the skin. However, topical local anesthetic can be used to minimize discomfort. By damaging the skin you encourage the body to produce new collagen and elastin, which helps it thicken and ‘plump up’. The procedure can be performed on the face and body. Micro-Needling creates small channels into the deep layers of the skin which break up the old collagen strands, and stimulate the creation of new ones. When used in conjunction with our stretch mark cream the benefits and results are dramatically increased.
PRP – with Microneedling
The best recommended solution to cellulite is PRP – Platelet Rich Plasma therapy. PRP is an advanced treatment technology that utilizes ingredients present in an individual’s white blood cells in order to regenerate their skin and revitalize collagen, leading to healthy, younger looking smooth skin. When PRP is injected into the skin, its high platelet concentration functions as a matrix that stimulates the growth of new collagen, revitalizes skin tissue and hence leads to a naturally smooth and firm skin. As a result, PRP treatment gets rid of teh cellulite dimples and creates a smoother skin feel and tone.
We have found that PRP has the best results when it is applied topically all over the skin and then pushed into the dermal layer of the skin with the use of a dermaroller or a dermapen and Because this PRP is made from the patient’s own blood, there is no risk for rejection, infection, or an allergic reaction. PRP can be repeated, and better results are seen with a total of 2-3 treatments given 3-4 months apart. Patients can expect to see better results as they receive more treatments. With time, the results of PRP get better and better.
Chemical Peels
Chemical peels are most commonly used on the face to treat wrinkles and age spots, but they can be used on other areas of the body for stretch mark removal. In the chemical peel procedure, a chemical solution is applied to the skin using a sponge, cotton pad, cotton swab, or brush. The types and strengths of the chemicals in the solution vary according to the individual patient’s needs. The chemicals essentially peel off the top layers of damaged, dead skin and activate new skin cell production. Patients might feel a stinging or burning sensation during treatment. The recovery period depends on the patient’s skin type and the strength of the chemicals administered, and multiple treatments may be necessary to achieving optimal results. It’s important to bear in mind that a chemical peel will not remove stretch marks completely; however, they usually fade as a result of treatment, and patients emerge with smoother, healthier, more youthful looking skin.
Microdermabrasion
Both microdermabrasion and chemical peels improve the appearance of stretch marks through the removal of the skin’s top layers. Chemical peels achieve this goal by using chemicals to “burn” the top layer away while microdermabrasion uses a fine crystal spray to “blast” the outermost layers of skin. Dead skin cells are removed and new, healthy skin cells take their place. The new cells produce more collagen and elastin, two vital components of smooth, young looking skin. Microdermabrasion is a painless procedure that takes no more than an hour to complete and involves little recovery time. An additional five to twelve treatments are needed to reap the maximum benefits of the procedure. Keep in mind that, although microdermabrasion can improve the appearance of scars, it is not an effective means of complete stretch mark removal.
Photorejuvenation Therapy
Although more widely used for acne treatment, blue light therapy is sometimes used to improve the appearance of stretch marks. Blue light therapy entails the application a photosensitive gel to the skin, which is then exposed to bursts of light energy. While complete stretch mark removal is unrealistic, patients may notice some improvement, especially in the appearance of newer stretch marks.
Pelle Dolce Stretchmark Cream
We formulated our stretch mark cream to be used specifically with these treatments in mind. Our patented blend of essential oils, antioxidants and extracts are designed to help remodel scar tissue that is associated with stretch marks. When you add Our formula in combination of any of these stretch marks treatments the results are amazing.
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COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT STRETCH MARKS
Here are the most common questions we receive about stretch marks.
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