Stretch Mark Treatments

As the name suggests, stretch marks occur secondary to stretching of the dermal layers of skin. This tears apart the scaffolding of the dermis, essentially breaking up connective tissue such as collagen & elastic fibres.

The aim of treatments is to rebuild these broken fibres with lasers & creams.

Cutis Dermatology has the widest array of lasers in any clinic in the Southern Hemisphere. We’re pleased to be able to provide our patients with the latest in laser technology for stretch mark removals. 

It’s rubbish BUT if you would like to give it a go, that’s fine. In the context of how it works, it is essentially a moisturizer to prevent water loss. If you are after something cheap, get some vitamin E at Coles, it’s probably better.

We use a vascular laser with gas cooling sprays. These lasers are much safer, more effective & more comfortable than ones that use gels. The lasers include- V Beam Prima, V Beam Perfecta as well as Derma V. 

Red stretch marks are early stretch marks and respond better to lasers. The aim of treatment is to reduce the colour & width. Most patients require 3-5 sessions, 2-4 weeks apart. 

Old stretch marks are much harder to treat compared to red or new ones. The lasers we use include-

• CO2 fractional in lighter skin types
• Fraxel 1927/150 in light to medium skin types
• Pico fractional laser in medium to dark skin types

Even with the very latest in technology, it takes 3-5 sessions to improve stretch marks by 30 to 70%. Laser sessions area spaced between 4-10 weeks apart, depending on your skin colour. 

Most require between 3-5 sessions. They are spaced apart according to the colour of your stretch marks & your skin type. For daker patients, treatments are spaced out by an extra 2-6 weeks. Darker skin patients also require a few more sessions. 

Laser light works by either targeting the red in early stretch marks or by stimulating your cells to produce new collagen.

Together this smooths the appearance of the skin and reduces discolouration. As you have each treatment the stretch mark will gradually fade away as newer healthier skin replaces it

For vascular lasers (the ones used to treat red stretch marks), the healing goes like this-

• Day 0-1 Bruising which may be mild to moderate
• Day 1-5 Bruise fades. In darker skin, will take longer

For fractional lasers (the ones used to treat white or old stretch marks), healing timeline-

• Day 0-5 Compromised skin.
• Day 4-8 Healing with some mild scabbing. 
• Skin healing is more eventful in fractional lasers, your nurse will guide you accordingly. 

Retinol is not indicated in pregnancy; however, you can use Niacinamide or vitamin B3. This is totally safe. Post-partum, you can start on retinol 1% & laser treatments (ideally vascular lasers as pregnancy induced stretch marks are red).

The two best ingredients that have been scientifically proven to make any difference are silicone based topicals & derivatives of Vitamin A. The latter can stimulate collagen production, reducing the appearance of stretch marks over a few months. 

The exact formulation of both depends on the location & age of stretch marks & the clinical findings. 

Microneedling is used by dermatologists as a treatment for hair loss or to deliver ingredients in the skin. In the context of stretch marks, lasers are much better as controlled heat for lasers stimulates much more collagen compared to ‘cold’ needles from microneedling. 

If you are on a budget, get a Dermaroller, or better still a stamper with needles no longer than 0.3 mm & DIY at home. Alternatively, book a consultation with our nurses to discuss if this treatment is for you. 

Yes, using the vascular red filter we can target early stretch marks. The IR or infrared wavelength of SkinTyte can in theory stimulate collagen, however we have better lasers & devices for this job including fractional lasers & HIFU-Ultherapy

Darker skin patients require more treatments, based upon the physics of lasers. 2-3 more sessions are required. For ethnic skin-

• It is normal to have post treatment skin darkening for 2-10 weeks after lasers
• We do use special pico lasers if your stretch marks are dark

Yes, but the edges may ‘bleed’ or run. Your tattoo artist will guide you through the process as they can hide the stretch marks in the main body of the tattoo, If lines cross stretch marks, you may get some spill over of the tattoo ink to normal skin. 

Our dermatologists are using cutting edge technology & novel methods, based upon recent literature reports they include-

• Mixing collagen stimulating dermal fillers with microneedling & RF microneedling
• Using dermal fillers with HIFU or high intensity focused ultrasound
• Combination therapies of lasers, RF microneedling & dermal fillers

Note: these treatments are mainly for research. In clinical practice the cost prohibits the use for most cases. 

The two most used fillers are calcium hydroxyapatite & poly-l-lactic acid fillers. These fillers stimulate collagen production. 

Fillers are delivered with microneedling (that’s the TRUE role of microneedling) or better still microneedling RF. Fillers stimulate dermal collagen production. This process takes up to 3-4 months for optimal results.

Though we are fortunate to have the very latest in laser technology, complete removal of stretch marks is beyond us. Medical science is fantastic, but we still haven’t found the cure for simple things like baldness & stretch marks. 

We aim to provide healthy expectations for our patients & clients. We can receive up to 75% improvement of new stretch marks & up to 50-60% improvement on older ones. As always, treatment outcomes vary.