Stretch marks are scars that appear when the skin either shrinks or stretches rapidly in a short span of time, either during pregnancy or weight loss/gain faster than normal. The sudden change in the body causes the elasticity of the skin to rupture. As the body heals it leaves marks leading to the term ‘stretch marks’.
This can even be hereditary or fluctuation of the hormonal levels.
Early stages of the marks can either be red, pink, brown or purple – depending on our skin tone. They start of as being slightly raised and can even be itchy, slowly as the skin heals the colour fades causing a pale effect and a slight depression in the texture.
What are some home remedies to help reduce the marks?
Scars on the body are generally permanent, but there are various treatments that can make them less noticeable.
Some home remedies you can try are:
- Hyaluronic Acid: Applying this for a few hours supports in the collagen and elastin production in your skin hence slowly fading away the marks.
- Aloe Vera: Remove the outer layer and apply the gel on the affected area for 2-3 hours. With aloe vera’s skin-healing qualities it can help with either preventing or fading away existing marks.
- Coconut oil: The anti-inflammatory properties of coconut oil help with reducing the existing stretch marks. It also hydrates the skin giving it a healthier look.
- Retinoid: This is derived from Vitamin A and can improve the look of stretch marks which are fairly new on the skin. Tretinoin, when suitable for the skin, helps rebuild the collagen production.
However, topical creams or oils do not penetrate deep into the skin and might not be effective for stretch marks that have been there for long.
What are the stretch mark reduction treatments?
Some of the procedures that help reduce the marks faster would be:
- Chemical peels: The glycolic acid peels stimulate the production of collagen in the skin and have proven to be effective to reduce the scars.
- Laser therapy: The laser resurfacing method removes the outermost layer of the skin and helps to reconstruct the overlying skin. This process uses a focused amount of light to stimulate new cell growth.
- Microneedling: One of the most famous method done for stretch marks is micro needling, this not only restarts the collagen production but the overproduction of elastin and collagen help healing the damaged tissues that causes stretch marks.
How does micro needling work?
Micro needling uses extremely small needles that instigate the body to create more collagen and elastin that heals the stretch marks. It leaves the skin with an improved texture and firmness. The natural healing process goes about in 3 phases:
- Inflammation: This is the immediate stage post the process, the needling triggers a response from your immune system to disinfect the wounds, remove debris, increase the blood flow and create new tissues.
- Reconstruction: This happens in a day or 2 when the area treated rebuilds itself with new cells, collagen and elastin.
- Remodelling: During this stage the collagen produced previously is replaced by even more stronger collagen, allowing the skin to create a tightening effect on your skin.
A process like micro needling is perfect for stretch marks as it penetrates deep into the skin and causes a natural reaction by your body to recreate the skin.
How many sessions are needed? What is the healing time? How much does it cost?
Number of sessions depend on how old the marks are and how deep they are. For newer marks just 1 session might be enough and for some deeper or older marks sometimes about 3-4 sessions are needed.
The area takes about 5-6 days to heal where you will be given an ointment to apply about twice a day. The after care is very basic and nothing very intensive.
Pricing for stretch marks removal via micro needling depends on the area but generally starts at 16k.
How do I book myself in for a consultation?