Stretchmark Treatments
A Stretch Mark (Striae) is a pigmented, indented streak which appears on the skin. They are caused when the middle layer of the skin has been stretched too suddenly. They can appear on many different areas of the body and will usually begin looking red or purple. Over time, they will often fade to a silver color.
Our laser treatment can be very effective in significantly reducing the width, depth, and fading the colour of the marks. Our treatments effectively fades the discoloration by destroying the extra pigmentation. The heat creates controlled damage to the area, triggering the immune system to produce new collagen and subsequently tightening the skin, making the marks seem narrower and much less indented.
The tightening portion of the treatment feels like a sensation of mild heat. The stretch mark reduction treatment stings slightly. A numbing cream will be applied to the treatment area to assure your comfort. After the treatment, the skin will feel like you have a sunburn for a day or two.
There is a risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. This potential risk will usually be temporary and resolve on its own in 8 to 10 months. This possible complication could become permanent if the treatment area is exposed to sunlight too soon after the treatment. We strongly encourage the use of medical-grade SPF protection if you plan to expose the treatment area to the sun for the first two months post-treatment.
We recommend at least 4 treatments, at approximately 8 week intervals depending on the severity of the stretch marks.
For milder stretchmarks a microneedling based treatment may also be an affective option. This excellent treatment causes growth and healing factors to be released in the skin layers causing effective remodelling of the skin and a decreased appearance of the stretchmark.
This is a low downtime procedure and can be an extremely effective alternative to laser in the right person.
We highly recommend a consultation to discuss stretchmark treatment to decide which treatment is right for you.