If you notice white or purple lines stretching across your stomach or legs, you may have stretch marks, known medically as striae. Stretch marks occur due to rapid growth, usually from a growth spurt, weight gain or pregnancy. When the skin is stretched, it may pull apart, causing a white or purplish scar on the skin. Stretch marks may be slightly shinier than your typical skin. If it's OK with your doctor, you can treat your stretch marks with home remedies, prescription medications or surgical procedures.
Step 1
Wait several months for your stretch marks to fade. Stretch marks may fade over time, becoming less and less noticeable, according to MayoClinic.com in the article "Stretch Marks."
Step 2
Apply prescription tretinoin cream to the stretch marks on a daily basis, or as recommended by your dermatologist, according to the official website of the American Academy of Dermatology in the article "Mom and Baby Skin Care." Tretinoin cream is available only with a prescription from a doctor, and helps rebuild collagen in newer stretch marks that are less than six months old. Tretinoin cream may not be effective for older stretch marks.
Step 3
Get a microdermabrasion procedure. Microdermabrasion is performed by a dermatologist in his office. During microdermabrasion, a dermatologist holds a small device that blows an abrasive powder or liquid onto the skin. This process removes some of the skin on the stretch marks. When the skin heals, the stretch marks will be less noticeable.
Step 4
Consider pulsed dye laser therapy for a treatment that offers drastic results with very little healing time. Pulsed dye laser therapy is most effective on new stretch marks, MayoClinic.com notes. During pulsed dye laser therapy, the skin is not damaged like during standard laser procedures, so healing time is minimal.
Step 5
Trigger melanin growth with the excimer laser to disguise your stretch marks. An excimer laser procedure is performed by a dermatologist in his office and is used to reduce the appearance of older stretch marks. The excimer laser increases melanin production in the skin, matching the color of stretch marks to your natural skin color.
Tips and Warnings
- Laser treatments may require more than one session over several weeks to be effective.
- Consult several dermatologists before deciding which stretch marks procedure is right for you.
Things You'll Need
- Tretinoin cream
