Stretch Marks

Stretch marks are long, narrow streaks, stripes, or lines that develop on the skin. They’re scars or disfiguring lesions. They occur when the skin is suddenly stretched and are extremely common. They are also called striae, striae distensae (SD), striae atrophicans, and striae gravidarum.

Anyone can develop stretch marks, although they tend to affect more women than men.

They can occur on a range of body parts, including the stomach, thighs, hips, breasts, upper arms, and lower back.

Common causes of skin stretching include:

• Pregnancy: Between 50 and 90 percentTrusted Source of women who are pregnant experience stretchmarks during or after birth.
• Puberty: Rapid growth is typical in young people going through puberty. This can lead to stretch marks.
• Rapid weight gain: Putting on a lot of weight in a short space of time can cause stretch marks.
• Medical conditions: Certain conditions can cause stretch marks, such as Marfan syndrome and Cushing’s syndrome. Marfan syndrome can lead to decreased elasticity in the skin tissue, and Cushing’s syndrome can lead the body to produce too much of a hormone that leads to rapid weight gain and skin fragility.
• Corticosteroid use: Prolonged use of corticosteroid creams and lotions can decrease levels of collagen in the skin. Collagen strengthens and supports the skin, and a reduced amount can increase the risk of stretch marks.

The skin consists of three key layers. Stretch marks form in the dermis, or middle layer, when the connective tissue is stretched beyond the limits of its elasticity. This is normally due to rapid expansion or contraction of the skin.

As the body grows, the connecting fibers in the dermis slowly stretch to accommodate slow growth. However, rapid growth leads to sudden stretching. This causes the dermis to tear, allowing deeper layers of skin to show through. This can form stretch marks and contributes to the way they look.

Stretch marks eventually fade to a silvery, white, or glossy appearance, due to the pale fat beneath the skin becoming visible instead of the usual blood vessels.

They are more likely to develop and become more severe where there are high levels of circulating cortisone, or when cortisone is applied to the skin. Cortisol, the stress hormone produced by the adrenal glands, is converted into cortisone. This weakens elastic fibers in the skin.

In our Clinic we treat stretch marks by using specific microneedling protocol. We recommend few sessions as results vary per person and depend on many circumstances.

Although we see great results sometimes even after one session! Both, old and fresh stretch marks can be treated. You need to be aware that fresh stretch marks will respond quicker and more effective as the tissue is still going through the transformation cycle. Nevertheless, old, white stretch marks could improve greatly as well.

Please note photos are taken just after one or two sessions, these are not the final results yet.

In case you’re not sure if this treatment is for you, we advise you to book a skin consultation or to call us directly for more information.

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