What Treatments Can Help My Dark Stretch Marks?

We often think of stretch marks as a problem during pregnancy, but if you’re a woman who has gone through puberty, you know that they can happen during that time as well! And it’s not just a problem that affects women. Men can suffer with stretch marks too. They can be embarrassing and limit your clothing choices, making it hard for you to dress to work out or put on a bathing suit.

Stretch marks happen when there is a breakdown of elastin in the skin. Elastin is an important component in the middle layer of skin—the dermis—that along with collagen, helps the skin look and feel supple, firm and smooth. When the skin is stretched beyond it’s normal capacity, like with pregnancy, puberty or rapid weight/muscle gain, the production of elastin can’t keep up and a stretch mark forms.

If you have a darker skin type (Hispanic, Asian or African-American), then you probably have dark colored stretch marks. And if you’re wondering if there is a treatment that can help dark stretch marks disappear, there is! It’s a laser treatment that helps to break up the dark pigmentation in the stretch mark, helping it blend into the surrounding skin. The specific laser that is uses is called a q-switched laser. These lasers use different energy sources, but they are all designed to deliver energy in a very powerful, short burst. This “burst” is what makes q-switched lasers different from other types of lasers.

Q-switched laser treatment of dark stretch marks works great, and treatments only take about 30 minutes to complete and are very tolerable. Best of all, q-switched lasers are safe for any skin type and many patients will see fading of dark stretch marks in as little as two to three treatments! There is no downtime after q-switched laser treatment, so you can get right back to your favorite activities, school and work. Here at Celibre Medical, we recommend a series of treatments spaced about a month apart for the best results.

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