The medical term for stretched skin lines or stretch marks, is STRIA. Stria are a common, and unfortunately often distressing skin change that can appear on your abdomen, your butte, thighs, breasts, back, under the arms, or even in the groin or inner legs.
Causes of Stretch Marks:
- They are dermal damage to underlying collagen and elastin.
- Rapid weight gain is the biggest contributor, but using cortisol or cortisone can contribute to them as well.
- Rapid weight loss can cause stria, as can getting breast enhancement surgery.
- Exercise and using anabolic steroids can cause stria.
- Exaggerated by poor underlying muscle tone or rectus splitting.
There are formal classifications of them, according to reasons you have them, your genetics, and some aspects of your physiology.
- strae (stretched skin)
- striae rubrae (red), striae albae (white), red are easiest to treat, and we get effective BBL results
- striae nigra (black)
- striae caerulea (dark blue).
When to see a physician:
- New or accelerating stretch marks, there are some medical conditions that can cause stria
- Weight gain, there are many reasons to address moving into the overweight or obese category, but addressing weight gain before it is excessive can help prevent unwanted stretchmarks
- Some adolescents gain rapidly, and this is not necessarily unhealthy, and isn’t a ‘treatable’ cause of stretch marks
Striae are difficult to treat effectively.
- Moisturize for comfort: they will NOT treat stretch marks. Nor will using Vitamin E creams so popular in pregnancy. Moisturizing may help reduce itching, shea butter or hyaluronic acid are the best.
- Exomes have been tested, but none are approved nor appear to be as effective as PGDF.
- Self Tanning lotions: Can help the color match the surrounding skin, will also NOT treat the stretch marks, but sun damage worsen stretchmarks so self tan is better!
- Silicone gel sheets can also flatten thick scars, use daily for months to see significant improvement.
- Retin A, Tretinoin: All might minimize the appearance of stretch marks, especially if very new and very mild. Use 0.05 to 0.1% and expect improvement in 3-6 months. Do not use if breastfeeding.
- Microneedling: With or without radiofrequency, and with or without radiofrequency, as additional treatment can help reduce stretchmarks, we have both Skin Pen and Vivace for advanced medical treatment. PRP or PDGF will help results. 4-6 treatments ideal, will begin to see results in 1-3 months.
- Laser Therapy: Wavelengths such as the 1540, or combination ablative and non-ablative therapies like our top tier Halo treatment can help the quality of the skin and flatten the scarred appearance, even treat some stretch marks This works through controlled dermal injury that stimulates collagen. PGDF accelerates healing and improves results. Expect 3-5 treatments and results best in 3-6 months.
- Light Therapy: Intense pulsed light (IPL) or Broadband Light (BBL) can be very effective at handling the pigment
Come to see us at Hada Cosmetic Medicine for a consultation if you would like to undo!
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