Stretch marks

From red to white

Stretch marks often appear during the growth spurt of puberty, in the second half of pregnancy, with rapid weight gain or loss, and with strength training that builds muscle quickly. The abdomen, breasts, hips, thighs and upper arms are the usual sites.

New stretch marks are red to purple and sometimes slightly raised. The fibres in the dermis are stretched and torn, there is mild inflammation and the small vessels are dilated. Over months to years, they fade into white stretch marks, which are slightly depressed, have a finely wrinkled surface and contain few melanocytes. White stretch marks respond less well to treatment.

Mosaic 3D and UltraClear, by stage

Red stretch marks are still well vascularised and mildly inflamed. At this stage, the non-ablative Mosaic 3D works on the structure of the scar with little downtime, and its roller handpiece makes large areas such as the abdomen and thighs quick to treat. For the redness itself, you can use light that haemoglobin absorbs: the IPL SQ handpiece for the Etherea MX treats superficial vascular lesions.

White stretch marks need a stronger stimulus. The ablative UltraClear improves texture more than a non-ablative laser does, with more downtime. On the body, that downtime matters more: there are fewer hair follicles and sebaceous glands from which the epidermis can regenerate, so it heals more slowly than on the face. The surface becomes smoother; the colour difference from the surrounding skin largely remains.

If you work with an Etherea MX

For the Etherea MX, there are also two laser handpieces suited to stretch marks. The non-ablative ProDeep works at 1340 nm (Nd:YAP), a wavelength less strongly absorbed by water, and according to Vydence reaches deeper than most non-ablative fractional lasers. The DualMode (Er:YAG, 2940 nm) is the ablative alternative.

If there is already an Etherea MX in your practice, an extra handpiece may be all you need. If not, we will work out with you whether the Mosaic 3D or the UltraClear better suits the stretch marks you see, and arrange a demo.