Stretch marks appear following intense and rapid stretching of skin, with rupture of collagen and elastic fibers. This often occurs during pregnancy, puberty (with rapid growth) or through fluctuations in body weight. Some oral or topical medications can also cause stretch marks, such as corticosteroids.
Stretch marks should be treated as soon as they appear and while still red, as they respond much better at this stage, compared with those that have turned white. Options for treatment include factional CO2 laser, intense pulsed light, diamond peeling (skin exfoliation) and peeling of retinoico acid, microneedling; a combination of these offers better and faster results. All these methods aim to stimulate collagen and elastic fibers, reducing the size and improving the color of stretch marks, making them less visible.
