Stretch marks are streaks that can form when the dermis layer of the skin tears due to rapid body growth. You may have stretch marks if you grew quickly during puberty, if you were ever pregnant or if you ever gained a lot of weight for any other reason. Although they can begin as unsightly purplish red streaks across the skin, they aren't harmful and they generally get lighter as they age, according to MayoClinic.com. Still, you have some treatment options if you want to reduce them.
Home Treatment
Many creams and ointments that contain ingredients such as cocoa butter and glycolic acid claim to help get rid of stretch marks, but most of them won't help, warns MayoClinic.com. Alternative therapies such as castor oil, olive oil and seaweed wraps are also popular home-based treatments that aren't backed up by evidence, according to MayoClinic.com. You may end up spending the same amount of money trying ineffective option after ineffective option as you would on one effective professional treatment, according to DocShop.com.
Prescription Cream
A prescription skin cream known as tretinoin may help reduce the appearance of new stretch marks -- red or pink marks that are still under 6 weeks old -- by building up the skin protein collagen, according to MayoClinic.com. Extra collagen can help make the skin firmer and tighter, which can help minimize the depth and discoloration of stretch marks, according to Consumer Guide to Plastic Surgery website.
Laser Therapy
Different forms of laser therapy can help reduce the appearance of either new or old stretch marks. One type, called pulsed dye laser therapy, stimulates growth of collagen and a flexibility protein called elastin to help reduce the appearance of stretch marks, according to MayoClinic.com. It is generally helpful on new stretch marks but it may help older stretch marks as well. Another type of laser therapy, called fractional photothermolysis, stimulates the same proteins but also causes intentional damage to tiny areas of the skin to allow fresh skin to grow in, according to MayoClinic.com. An excimer laser treatment doesn't affect the collagen and elastin but stimulates the production of the skin pigment melanin to cause older streaks to match the color of the skin around them, according to MayoClinic.com.
Surgery
Surgical removal is the most consistently effective way to get rid of both old and new stretch marks, according to DocShop.com. Various surgeries can get rid of stretch marks, but they aren't typically performed only to remove the marks. For example, if you have excess fat and skin on your stomach and you undergo an abdominoplasty -- also known as a tummy tuck -- the stretch marks on that area of your stomach would be removed in the process, according to Consumer Guide to Plastic Surgery.
Considerations
Your treatment options are limited by the type of stretch marks you have and, potentially, your available resources. For example, you may be a candidate for a treatment that can help reduce the appearance of older stretch marks, but you may not have the money to pay for that procedure out-of-pocket and you may not have the extra time to come back for the necessary repeated sessions of that particular treatment. Talk to your doctor about what treatments she thinks are best for your stretch marks and then discuss your expectations and consider your available resources before you decide on a treatment, recommends MayoClinic.com.
