Stretch marks have been a burden on people of all ages and sizes. It is an unwanted skin condition that most people try to hide or desperately remove. There are, however, a few techniques that can be used to fade their apparence or eventually eliminate the problem all together.

Laser Surgery for Stretch Marks

Laser treatments are a highly popular stretch mark removal alternative because they are outpatient interventions that have little or no recovery time involved and cost considerably less than an average tummy tuck. However, since laser treatments just reduce pigmentation but don't really remove stretch marks, this alternative doesn't actually work.

Since the laser employed in these procedures responds to dark colors only, laser surgery is efficient mainly in the early stages, when stretch marks are dark red or purple. When stretch marks have already cured, laser surgery will not be as effective as it intended to be. In the other hand, patients with average complexion and shallow lesions respond best to laser stretch mark removal.

Blue Light Therapy for Stretch Marks

Blue light therapy is generally most often known as a method to remove tattoos. Although that may be what it is best known for, blue light therapy was invented to treat a variety of pigmentation conditions, like freckles and hyper pigmentation, varicose veins, spider veins and rosacea. Blue light treatment works by applying a photosensitive substance to the skin, and then a series of intense light bursts are emitted or 'zapped' over the area with the tattoo or pigmentation. Similar to laser procedures, blue light treatment may be able to hide the appearance of stretch marks, but will not remove them.

Stretch Mark Chemical Peel

Skin peels are chemical peels that are applied to an area (usually the face) to chemically 'burn' then peel off the top layer of skin to treat acne, zits and fine lines. After a chemical peel the skin seems (and feels) like you've experienced sunburn. Chemical peels are being widely used in spas, salons and can be acquired over the counter.

The main reason for the widespread fame of skin peels is that it provides immediate results making skin look younger, healthier, and firmer. Some people are now using skin peels to reduce or get rid stretch marks, too. However, since the peels do not remove the actual stretch marks, subsequent peels may required to be performed every six months or so to maintain the smoothness of the skin. Ideally, this intervention must be accompanied by skin care treatments to alleviate irritation.

Exfoliation for Stretch Marks

Exfoliation is a process using a mild abrasive (ground apricot seeds or sand, for example) that helps remove dead skin cells. The soft new skin that shows after exfoliation may improve the look of the skin. Similar to skin peels, exfoliation does not remove stretch marks, but may improve their look for a period of time after therapy.

Creams and Ointments

A good skin care cream or ointment (like scar serums) may help to reduce and soften the look of stretch marks, specially if applied regularly for the first few months after baby is born. By keeping the skin moisturized and flexible, creams and skin serums can help the skin biologically heal the scarring made by stretch marks.