What we know as stretch marks are really scar lines in the lower layers of the skin. They are formed during pregnancy or weight gain episodes, when the skin is so stretched and thin that the elastic fibers inside it are broken.

Stretch Mark Treatment

Stretch mark treatment is one of the most faked concepts on the web. A brief search of the internet will show thousands of fake solutions for stretch marks. Their cost is variable, but none of them useful. The problem here is that only under specific circumstances are there alternatives that do work.

A clue in understanding stretch marks and their treatment is learning that skin with these scars will never become normal again. It is generally considered unsightly for two reasons:

- Its color - it may be lighter or darker than adjoining uninvolved skin.

- Its texture - it commonly seems and feels thinner than healthy skin. There may even be wrinkles in the skin as it tends to fold around the stretch marks.

The first of these items is hard to alleviate. The second is a bit easier in some people.

Easy Solutions for Stretch Marks

- Prevention - In pregnancy, try not to gain weight excessively. Please do this as recommended by your doctor. Also understand that stretch mark-laden skin will take pigment differently than regular skin. Sun exposure should therefore be limited (cover clothes, sun screens) or the color variation between the areas with and without pregnancy stretch marks may become more apparent.

- Alpha-hydroxy-acids - These acids encourage lightening of the skin and some deposition of collagen. There are researches implying that they may be helpful to get rid of stretch marks when used at 8-12% concentrations.

- Retin A - Retin A may help blend the color of pigmented stretch marks when used at .1% on newer scars. This again should be done under the direction of a doctor. Kinerase is a related component linked with less irritation than that seen with Retin A.

Surgery for Stretch Marks

- Laser Treatment - Treatment with Pulsed Dye lasers may show some promise in the therapy of stretch marks. In some patients, the pigment irregularities between the stretch marks and adjoining healthy skin may be decreased with laser therapy. This is experimental and should be considered on a case by case analysis.

- Abdominoplasty - This is a "tried and true" remedy for women with high numbers of scars on the lower abdomen following pregnancy.

Final words

Understand that stretch mark therapy is variably efficient. Even the best stretch mark cream may have little effect on one person and more of an enhancement in another. Also, some therapies may be linked with worsening of the color or texture of the scars.