A stretch mark is a type of scar that develops when our skin stretches or shrinks quickly to a point where it does not bounce back. Abrupt changes such as puberty, pregnancy, or even weight gain cause the collagen and elastin, which support our skin, to rupture. As the skin heals, stretch marks may appear.

Anyone can develop stretch marks, although they tend to affect more women than men. These marks first appear as pink, red, or purple streaks across the skin in common areas including the stomach, thighs, hips, breasts, upper arms, and lower back. Stretch marks occur in the middle layer of the skin, or dermis when the connective tissue is stretched beyond the limits of its elasticity.

Finally, there’s a treatment for these unwanted and sometimes unsightly striations in the skin. Our Candela Yag Laser is a non-ablative treatment – it works by heating up the underlying skin tissue (without harming the surface) so that your body will produce new tissue and new collagen. This no-downtime treatment improves both the color and skin texture associated with stretch marks. This treatment works on new and mature stretch marks. Repeated treatments are required for optimal results.