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

Since the laser used in these procedures responds to dark colors only, laser surgery is effective mostly in the early phases, when stretch marks are dark red or purple. When stretch marks have already faded, laser surgery won't be as useful as it intended to be. In the other hand, patients with fair complexion and shallow stretch marks respond best to laser stretch mark removal.

Blue Light Treatment 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 alleviate a variety of pigmentation conditions, like freckles and hyper pigmentation, varicose veins, spider veins and rosacea. Blue light therapy works by applying a photosensitive gel to the skin, and then a series of intense light bursts are emitted or 'zapped' over the patch with the tattoo or pigmentation. Similar to laser procedures, blue light therapy may be able to reduce 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 alleviate acne, zits and fine lines. After a chemical peel the skin seems (and feels) like you've suffered sunburn. Chemical peels are being commonly used in spas, salons and can be purchased over the counter.

The main reason for the extended fame of skin peels is that it produces immediate results making skin look younger, healthier, and firmer. Some people are now using skin peels to minimize or get rid stretch marks, too. However, since the peels do not remove the actual stretch marks, more peels may required to be performed every six months or so to keep 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 procedure using a mild abrasive (ground apricot seeds or sand, for instance) that aids 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 minimize 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 naturally heal the scarring caused by stretch marks.