Stretch Marks - Patients ask, Dr. Ringpfeil answers
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Philadelphia and Mainline Center of Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery
Stretch Marks
Treatments: Massage and exercise, pulsed dye laser (PDL) for redness, picosecond laser for dark color, 1540 nm laser or CO2 laser for texture.
Stretch marks are caused by rapid expansion of the skin through a growth spurt or rapid weight gain. Long term treatment with oral and topical steroids may also predispose people to stretch marks.
Twice daily massaging of the affected area with any moisturizer paired with toning exercises prevents stretch marks in most individuals. If you are pregnant, please check with your obstetrician if toning exercises are safe for you.
Although several devices have been approved for the treatment of stretch marks, not all results are fully reproducible. Redness in fair skinned individuals can reliably be reduced by a short series of pulsed dye laser treatments. Darkness in stretchmarks might respond to picosecond laser toning regardless of ethnicity. Texture may respond to non-ablative fractional 1540 nm laser treatments (formerly known as Starlux 1540) and, in fair skinned individuals, to fractional CO2 laser tightening.
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I am a 22 year old female and have never been close to overweight (I am 5-10 and 125 lbs.) but since puberty I have had a problem with stretch marks on my lower back, hips, inner thighs, and buttocks. They are mostly thin and white but are quite extensive and make me self-conscious of my body where I otherwise wouldn’t be. Any slight change in my weight or shape due to diet or exercise seems to result in more marks developing. Is it common for people of healthy weight and lifestyle to have such a problem with stretch marks? I was wondering if there could be a deficiency in my diet or some hormonal imbalance that causes this problem, and if there are any possible treatments for prevention or removal of stretch marks.
Thank you for your time.
Stretch marks occur with rapid growth. This can be from growing tall or from gaining weight. The horizontal stretch marks you describe are almost only seen in skinny tall people. They often occur in teenagers and young adults with rapid growth in height and typically present in women on the upper thighs and lower back and in men most commonly on the lower back. They are not related to nutritional deficiencies or any internal problems.
Unfortunately, it is virtually impossible to avoid them. Treatment is possible when they are red but there is no reliable treatment yet for white ones.
I am an 18 year old who is 5 feet tall. I weigh approx. 90-95 lbs, and I have always been skinny. Scarily, I have stretch marks on my buttocks area, inner thighs, and down my legs. My stretch marks are a light brownish color. Would you happen to know why I have stretch marks and are there any medications or medical treatments that I could have that will help eliminate my stretch marks. I am extremely self conscious of wearing a bathing suit in front of any one. I have a good figure for a skinny person, but I HATE the stretch marks. Now, I’m going off to college, and I want the stretch marks to go away. Please help!
Thank you for your time=)
Zaneta,
Please read the answer to lb below.
Thanks,
Dr. Ringpfeil
Hi, I’m four months pregnant and dreading the fact that I know I’m going to have stretch marks at the end of this process. I recently developed some on my hips and thighs from rapid weight gain. Shortly after I deliver I want to get back in shape and then do something about the stretch marks. I had laser surgery in mind. I wanted to know if you could give me some information on how much it will cost me, how effective it is. and also a place I can go to in Philadelphia to have it done.
Current technology does not yet afford the reliable removal of stretch marks by laser or any other means. Here and there someone will have excellent results using a laser but results are hardly reproducible. Laser can however be used to tighten the skin overall and improve the appearance of stretch marks. The best is avoidance of rapid weight gain although towards the end of the pregnancy this is sometimes beyond the control of the pregnant woman and daily massage of skin to keep skin elastic.
I’m 15 years old who’s about 5’1” and weighs around 110 lbs. I have stretch marks on my hips, inner thighs, back of my legs, and butt. Most of them are white, but some on my inner thighs are red. It’s getting close to summer, and I can’t wear a bathing suit or even shorts, because they are really noticeable. Is there anyway to get rid of the stretch marks? Or at least hide them and make them less noticeable?
There is unfortunately not very much to conceal these stretch marks other than through smart clothing. Treatment for stretch marks is not yet reproducible although some devices are approved for treatment of stretchmarks. It appears that weight gain and perhaps even a growth spurt in height may have contributed to your stretch marks. While stretch marks after a sudden height growth cannot be prevented those from increase in body mass index can be through an appropriate diet. Through weight control you may be able to prevent additional stretch marks.
Dr. Ringpfeil, Is there a treatment for stretch marks and saggy skin in the abdomen area?
Several laser treatments can tighten loose skin and improve stretch marks on the abdomen. CO2 laser treatments help with both whereas other lasers tighten loose skin without modifying stretch marks. All currently available treatments require multiple session for results. There is a significant difference in downtime between CO2 lasers and tightening lasers: CO2 lasers cause scabbing for 1-2 weeks and redness for several months, while redness is limited to a few hours to a few days with tightening lasers.
There is no treatment yet that fully eradicates stretch marks. Also, the degree of laxity of the skin is variable and under certain circumstances a surgical approach may be better than laser or radiofrequency based tightening. I will happy to evaluate you to discuss your options.
I am a female of darker skin tone interested in a Fully ablative CO2 laser for resurfacing of the skin on my lower abdomen. What is my best bet?
Your quest is currently considered extremely unsafe. However, depending on the underlying condition that you would like to improve, there may be other options.
It would be for the treatment of stretchmarks from child birth.
Stretchmarks are still difficult to treat. Some will improve with topical medication, some may improve with lasers that repair scars and if strechtmarks are in an area of very loose skin on the lower abdomen after pregnancy, a tummy tuck may be considered. Evaluation should be able to devise the best treatment plan for you.
Hello Dr. Ringpeil,
How much experiece do you have with dark African American skin? I’m interested in anti aging treatments on my face and scar removal on my legs, but I am prone to keloids and dark scarring. I have heard horror stories of treatments that did not take African American skin type into account. Do you have any before and after pictures of African American clients who have had successful outcomes with your treatments?
Our office treats skin of all ethnicities and colors. African American is not one skin color but a spectrum to us and we always tailor the treatment to the color of our patient’s skin, whether black, medium or light brow, Asian, Mediterranean or any mixture of pigment. In general, the more brown pigment is present in the skin, the more restrictions there are to certain treatments due to potential side effects. Clearly, certainly lasers cannot be used on all skin types, and only a few procedures are color-blind.
Scar reduction on the leg may be possible but complete removal may be difficult. If post inflammatory changes are present, Melanage peel or microdermabrasion in combination with certain fading agents are appropriate.
Keloid formation must always be taken in account regardless what the color or ethnicity of your skin and therefore cutting procedures must be avoided or those that injure the skin deeply.
Hello,
I have had a problem with stretch marks for a very long time, they are white and have always been. I was wondering, do you have any suggestions as far as of a drugstore cream that I could apply to reduce the appearance?
There is no cream known to treat white stretch marks.
I am 20 yrs old and 5 months ago I started seeing really dark stretch marks on my inner thighs; they are hard to look at , I can’t wear anything above my knees without them showing. I have a vacation plan to the Bahamas in 3 months from now and I would like to know if there is any way I can get rid of them.
I assume by “dark” you refer to dark red. A brief series of pulsed dye laser treatments work well for red stretch marks. It is important to know that stretch marks are small scars in the second layer of the skin and sun exposure should be minimized in order to avoid contrast formation even after the redness has resolved. The last treatment before your trip may be 4 weeks before departure because sun exposure should be avoided 4 weeks after each pulsed dye laser treatment. You may book a complimentary consultation with one of our aestheticians. Please refer to your blog when scheduling the appointment. We will be giving you a specific price quote when we see the extend of stretch marks to be treated.https://www.ringpfeildermatology.com/blog/wp-admin/#comments-form
I am dark skinned and I have stretch marks on my inner thighs, they appear to be dark( they don’t look red or dark red). I don’t know if it’s because of the color of my skin. I am prone to keloid scaring; I have a keloid scare on my thigh since I was about five yrs old and it’s pretty obvious. my stretch marks are visible from about 15ft away or even further. it has been about 4 months now since I have them and would like to know if there is any way I can get rid of these embarrassing marks.
Glad that you clarified the color. You would need a medical evaluation by a dermatologist for a proper diagnosis (stretch marks vs hypertrophic scar vs
keloid) and to see how they can be lessened.