Stretch Marks
Stretch marks are caused by the rapid stretching of the skin, which tears the underlying dermis and creates unsightly red and white lines. They have been extraordinarily hard to treat because the damage to the skin is so deep, located in the very layer that creates new skin cells, hindering the skin’s normal ability to heal itself. However, new advances in fractional lasers enable True MD to help your skin heal on the inside, erasing most signs of the stretch marks on the outside.
Most pregnant women and a majority of adolescents are afflicted with stretch marks because of the rapid growth of their bodies and the skin-stretching that accompanies it. In addition, the rapid muscle growth possible through body building or the size changes associated with rapidly dropping or gaining weight can all create enough stress in the skin to split the dermis, exposing the blood-rich tissue in its lowest layers. The exposed blood-rich tissue can be seen through the thin layer of surface skin, creating the stereotypical red lines of newly formed stretch marks. As that tissue scars over, the stretch marks turn white, but still show up as blemishes on the skin, usually around the buttocks, legs, stomach, breasts, or arms.
Stretch marks can’t be prevented, especially during pregnancy or the uncontrollable growth spurts of the teenage years. Though topical creams and other supplements are sometimes touted as preventatives, their effects are negligible. Lotions with vitamin-A solutions can help treat stretch marks (somewhat) in their early red phase, but no topical products have been able to do anything with mature, white stretch marks.
Fortunately, new technologies that use non-ablative lasers to remove damaged tissue while stimulating natural skin growth have proven effective in treating stretch marks in every phase of their development. True MD uses these gentle, non-surgical laser technologies to restore your natural skin texture and color. How does it work? Our technicians use the fractional laser to coagulate the damaged cells of the deep skin while also stimulating new collagen production to fill in the gap, all without damaging the outer layers of skin because the fractional laser light passes through the outer skin as if it were a window. This gentle, non-invasive procedure protects the patient from any risk of infection and saves the patient from the slow-healing laser burns caused by other types of laser treatment.
Depending on the size and condition of the stretch marks being treated, your True MD physician will develop a customized treatment plan, usually recommending a treatment a month for four months. The treatments themselves take less than half an hour, and the downtime from the treatment is significantly less than with other laser treatments. The treated areas of your skin will have some redness for 2-4 days, after which the skin becomes dry and leathery as dead skin cells come to the surface, setting the overall recovery time at about 7-10 days. Giving your skin a month between treatments allows the natural re-growth process to have its optimal effect. At the end of the cycle, you will have your beautiful skin back, naturally and permanently.
Stretch Marks
Stretch marks are caused by the rapid stretching of the skin, which tears the underlying dermis and creates unsightly red and white lines. They have been extraordinarily hard to treat because the damage to the skin is so deep, located in the very layer that creates new skin cells, hindering the skin’s normal ability to heal itself. However, new advances in fractional lasers enable True MD to help your skin heal on the inside, erasing most signs of the stretch marks on the outside.
Most pregnant women and a majority of adolescents are afflicted with stretch marks because of the rapid growth of their bodies and the skin-stretching that accompanies it. In addition, the rapid muscle growth possible through body building or the size changes associated with rapidly dropping or gaining weight can all create enough stress in the skin to split the dermis, exposing the blood-rich tissue in its lowest layers. The exposed blood-rich tissue can be seen through the thin layer of surface skin, creating the stereotypical red lines of newly formed stretch marks. As that tissue scars over, the stretch marks turn white, but still show up as blemishes on the skin, usually around the buttocks, legs, stomach, breasts, or arms.
Stretch marks can’t be prevented, especially during pregnancy or the uncontrollable growth spurts of the teenage years. Though topical creams and other supplements are sometimes touted as preventatives, their effects are negligible. Lotions with vitamin-A solutions can help treat stretch marks (somewhat) in their early red phase, but no topical products have been able to do anything with mature, white stretch marks.
Fortunately, new technologies that use non-ablative lasers to remove damaged tissue while stimulating natural skin growth have proven effective in treating stretch marks in every phase of their development. True MD uses these gentle, non-surgical laser technologies to restore your natural skin texture and color. How does it work? Our technicians use the fractional laser to coagulate the damaged cells of the deep skin while also stimulating new collagen production to fill in the gap, all without damaging the outer layers of skin because the fractional laser light passes through the outer skin as if it were a window. This gentle, non-invasive procedure protects the patient from any risk of infection and saves the patient from the slow-healing laser burns caused by other types of laser treatment.
Depending on the size and condition of the stretch marks being treated, your True MD physician will develop a customized treatment plan, usually recommending a treatment a month for four months. The treatments themselves take less than half an hour, and the downtime from the treatment is significantly less than with other laser treatments. The treated areas of your skin will have some redness for 2-4 days, after which the skin becomes dry and leathery as dead skin cells come to the surface, setting the overall recovery time at about 7-10 days. Giving your skin a month between treatments allows the natural re-growth process to have its optimal effect. At the end of the cycle, you will have your beautiful skin back, naturally and permanently.