Stretch Mark Help

Summer will soon be upon us and with that brings bathing suit season.  For those of us who suffer from stretch marks, this can be a stressful time.  What are stretch marks?  What causes them?  Is there anything you can do to get rid of them? 

Although the exact cause of stretch marks is unknown, stretch marks occur when the skin’s support structure of collagen and elastin breaks down and starts to rupture.  This can occur when the skin is stretched in a very short period of time such as pregnancy, a growth spurt, and rapid weight gain. There is also thought to be a genetic component to stretch marks which explains why not everyone gets them.  Unfortunately, if your mother or grandmother has stretch marks you could get them as well.

With so many creams and treatments out there that claim they can remove stretch marks, it is hard to know what works and what a gimmick is. Unfortunately, there is no single treatment out there that can get rid of stretch marks completely.  There are however, excellent treatments that help reduce the appearance of stretch marks and that help for the texture and tone of the skin around a stretch mark. We have done extensive research on products that work great for stretch marks. Below are two that we find work the best. 

For “new” stretch marks that are pink/red retinol products can be used to help exfoliate and stimulate new collagen production. We recommend the product Retinol 1.0 from our SkinMedica line.  The retinol will remove damaged cells and replace them with healthier cells more quickly. 

A great product for older stretch marks or areas on the body were the skin is loose is the Body Tightening Complex from Skinceuticals. . It helps to build collagen and amino acids which help stimulate hyaluronic acid to add volume to our skin which will naturally moisturize the area. Last, it contains proteins to help with firming and tightening the skin.  If you would like more information on these two products please give us call.