Expecting mothers, new mothers, and mother’s who’ve struggled with unsightly skin striae since giving birth often wonder - can stretch marks be removed? Traditional wisdom holds that plastic surgery is required - with all the associated surgical risks and less than 100% guaranteed results.

Today, however, it’s not necessary to undergo a surgeon’s scalpel. There are new, abundant alternatives, from laser treatments to new, potent topical treatments. Research has improved our knowledge of how the skin regenerates and heals itself.

Your skin is constantly renewing itself. Skin cells are born in the lower layer of skin called the dermis. Cells then move upward over a two week period until they reach the lower levels of the epidermis. Then after another two weeks the skin cells typically reach the surface, die, and are shed. It’s a never ending regeneration.

Why don’t scars disappear naturally?

Cuts and scrapes and even deep wounds heal over time. So why is scarring different? And since stretch marks are scarring, why are they also unable to fade on their own? The explanation is complex, but essentially it’s the body’s natural response and attempt at rapid healing. Rather than rebuilding a organized lattice of collagen, the wound heals too quickly and the structure is unorganized. And while over time the skin will attempt to reorganize the structure, and a scar may appear to fade, it’s not essential and not always possible. Hence scars and stretch marks remain. They regenerate, but they pick-up and continue to replicate the flawed skin structure. Especially if the original damage occurred deeper in the skin’s layers - as with stretch marks.

This is where new technologies and ingredients have shown tremendous improvement. Lasers can effect deeper layers of the dermis to reshape the skin’s texture and reduce scarring. While the latest cosmeceutical ingredients promote better collagen synthesis and influence rejuvenation patterns. The secret is persistence and consistency in treatments. Laser resurfacing can take several treatments - with sensitivity and mild burns (similar to sun burn) remaining after each session. Likewise, topical treatments can take several weeks to months to produce improvements. And changes can be gradual over time.

For best results, combine outside and inside treatments.

Proper nutrition can help to speed changes when combined with various external procedures. Being healthy overall can lead to the body functioning better - including helping to reduce scarring. But with the addition of external treatments results can be drastically sped up. Of course we’re supporters of using Elastin3, our premier, stretch mark therapy.

The combination of a healthy diet and lifestyle combined with good stretch mark creams can result in scars shrinking and fading in their entirety. Leaving the answer to the question “can stretch marks be removed” an emphatic yes! But only with the right kind of approach and strategy and persistence.