Stretch Marks:
Stretch marks is one of the commonest problem faced by Women who have delivered or Individuals who have lost a lot of weight by crash dieting and without any Medical Supervision.
Stretch Marks are one of the most irritating side effects of weight loss or child bearing , especially for a Saree wearing woman. Men and women who have lost lot of weight find the appearance of stretch marks around shoulders, inner thighs, around the abdomen and on the hips, leading to a restriction in the dresses they wear. Subsequently this leads to frustration and depression about their appearance.
All these days there were very few options like Lotions and Potions available for stretch marks, which were not at all yielding satisfactory results. Now the women can breath easy and feel happy , thanks to the E-plus Laser Treatment that has arrived on the Scene , which treats Stretch Marks successfully and very satisfactorily , in 6 to 8 sessions, at monthly intervals.
Bid Good Bye to Stretch Marks Forever
Stretch marks or Striae (as they are called in Medical Terms ) are a form of scarring on the skin with an off-colour hue. They are caused by tearing of the inner Layer of the Skin otherwise called as dermis, and over time can diminish but not disappear completely. “Stretch Marks are thin, narrow grooves or channels, or a thin line or band especially if several of them are parallel or close together.
Stretch marks are often the result of the rapid stretching of the skin associated with rapid growth (common in puberty) or weight gain (e.g. pregnancy, muscle building, or rapid gain of fat) or in some cases, severe pulling force on skin that overcomes the dermis’ elasticity. Stretch marks may also be influenced by hormonal changes associated with puberty, pregnancy, muscle building, etc.Medical terminology for these kinds of markings includes striae atrophicae,, stria distensae, striae gravidarum (in cases where it is caused by pregnancy), lineae atrophicae, linea albicante, or simply striae.
Stretch Marks – How They Appear :-
They first appear as reddish or purple lines, but tend to gradually fade to a lighter range. The affected areas appear empty and are soft and thin to the touch.
Stretch marks occur in the dermis, the resilient middle layer that helps the skin retain its shape. No stretch marks will form as long as there is support within the dermis. Stretching plays more of a role in where the marks occur and in what direction they run. Stretching alone is not the cause.
Stretch marks can appear anywhere on the body, but are most likely to appear in places where larger amounts of fat are stored. Most common places are the abdomen (especially near the navel), breasts, upper arms, underarms, back, thighs (both inner and outer), and hips. They pose no health risk as such, and do not compromise the body’s ability to function normally and repair itself.
Causes of Stretch Marks :-
A number of causes promote the appearance of stretch marks: Younger women just after giving birth and who have gained weight over 15 kg during the pregnancy and those who have delivered big babies are known to have lot of Stretch Marks. Short women who have delivered also known to have Teenagers are at highest risk of developing severe striae.
The gluco corticoid hormones responsible for the development of stretch marks affect the dermis by preventing the fibroblasts from forming collagen and elastin fibers, necessary to keep rapidly growing skin taut. This creates a lack of supportive material, as the skin is stretched and leads to internal Skin ( dermal and epidermal ) tearing.
Skin subjected to more stretching force than it can handle will tear. Hormonal changes and genetics influence the skin’s capacity to withstand stretching forces, as do diet and [possibly] exercise.
Treatment and Prevention of Stretch Marks:-
Between 75% and 90% of women develop stretch marks to some degree during pregnancy. The sustained hormonal levels as a result of pregnancy usually means stretch marks may appear during the sixth or seventh month, primarily during the 3rd trimester, as that is when skin tends to be subjected to higher levels of stretching forces.
Application of massage and creams and oils can hardly bring about any improvement in Stretch Marks removal. Various treatments are available for the purpose of improving the appearance of existing stretch marks, including laser treatments, dermabrasion, and retinoid ointments.
Radio frequency combined with 585-nm pulsed dye laser treatment gave “good and very good” subjective improvement in stretch marks in few cases, although further studies would be required to follow up on these results. In addition, the use of a pulsed dye laser was shown to increase pigmentation in darker skinned individuals with repeated treatments, hence these types of pulse dye laser which is an older technology is not being practiced much these days.
A surgical procedure for removing lower abdominal stretch marks is the tummy tuck, which removes the skin below the navel where stretch marks frequently occur.
E Plus Laser Treatment – Safest Option :-
A new modality, E Plus Laser resurfacing, offers a novel approach to treating stretch Marks ( striae ). Using scattered pulses of light only a fraction of the scar is zapped by the laser over the course of several treatments. This creates multiple microscopic wounds. The body responds to each treatment by producing new collagen and epithelium. 5-6 treatments result in striae improving by as much as 75 percent. A clinical study showed that fractional laser resurfacing improved both texture and appearance of mature, white striae in skin types I-VI. E- Plus is the only FDA approved treatment for treating Stretch Marks.
There will be mild to moderate pain while on the treatment , which can be overcome by applying local anaesthetic cream. The mild redness after the treatment will disappear in an hour’s time. There could be mild flaking/peeling of the skin in few cases for couple of days. Except for these there are no other inconveniences/side effects with E Plus Laser. Usually the treatment lasts for 20 to 30 minutes.
