Stretch marks

Stretch marks: disrupted skin structure caused by mechanical stretching

Stretch marks — also known as striae — develop when the skin is stretched suddenly and mechanically, causing the collagen and elastin fibres in the dermis to tear. This happens during rapid growth, weight fluctuations, pregnancy or hormonal changes. The result is a permanent structural change: the fibres reorganise in a disordered way, producing the characteristic streaks with a different texture and colour.

Recent stretch marks (striae rubrae) are red to purple in colour due to increased vascularisation and respond better to treatment at this stage. Older stretch marks (striae albae) are white, atrophic and call for a more intensive approach.

Treatment principles: stimulating skin restructuring

Treating stretch marks is about activating the skin's repair process in a controlled way: stimulating collagen production, reorganising the skin structure and reducing the contrast with the surrounding skin.

Fractional lasers are the most proven technology for stretch marks. Non-ablative systems such as the MOSAIC 3D create thermal microcolumns in the dermis that activate collagen production, with limited recovery time. Ablative systems via the Ultraclear work more intensively: by removing microscopic zones of the upper skin layer, they trigger a stronger collagen response — with a longer recovery period but faster visible results.

Radiofrequency via the Genius® and the Pro Deep applicator (ETHEREA-MX®) delivers heat into the deeper skin layers and stimulates collagen and elastin production through a different mechanism than fractional laser. That makes RF treatments complementary — either as monotherapy for mild stretch marks, or combined with fractional laser for more pronounced cases.

Picosecond treatment via the Picoplus can be used for the pigment component in red stretch marks: selective absorption of the increased melanin and haemoglobin reduces the colour contrast. LED therapy (Healite II™) can serve as an adjunct treatment to modulate the inflammatory response after other laser treatments and support healing.

The practice perspective

Stretch marks are an indication with a steady flow of patients — pregnancy, weight change and growth are universal triggers. Results require multiple sessions and realistic expectation management, but the combination of fractional laser and RF gives practitioners an effective protocol for both recent and older stretch marks.

Medi-Invest helps you build a treatment strategy for stretch marks that matches the severity of the indication and your patient profile — including clinical training, protocols and technical follow-up.