Stretch marks are caused due to excessive stretching of the skin as a result of rapid weight gain. The skin, being elastic, stretches in order to accommodate this new body volume. At some point, though, the skin will reach the limit of its ability to stretch and the deepest layer will break. The surface skin remains undamaged when this happens, but will appear to be thin and striated. These striations are known as stretch marks, and once created, they will remain permanently.
Opinions on whether laser surgery can actually remove stretch marks or not is divided. One school of thought concedes that there is no evidence in support of the theory that laser treatments can remove stretch marks. Here is why: lasers are supposedly useful in eliminating, vaporizing and breaking down tissue. They are not capable of repairing tissue, as it were. Since stretch marks are a sign of broken tissue, they cannot be fixed by laser therapy. According to them, there is proof from clinical research that stretch marks are not treatable through laser therapy.
However, there is another school of thought which says that stretch marks are a purely cosmetic issue and can be treated as such. They say that cosmetic lasers are a new method of eradicating stretch marks because lasers can stimulate the production of collagen, which will fill these marks from below. The energy of the laser is, theoretically speaking, soaked up by the dermis, stimulating the manufacture of fresh collagen. This new collagen thickens and fills the stretch marks bottom up. Apparently, no pain is to be experienced from the procedure.
For the first couple of days post-treatment, the area could turn a little pink, as in the case of mild sunburn. Subsequent treatments will darken the skin, and no bleeding or bruising has to be dealt with. However, even they admit that such treatment does not make the skin look one hundred percent normal. Improvement is a question of degrees, and can vary greatly from person to person.
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Laser Stretch Marks Removal
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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There is a lot of controversy about the efficacy of laser removal of stretch marks. The main bone of contention is that lasers are only useful in breaking down or vaporizing tissue, not in actually repairing it. In fact, even surgical intervention is apparently only...
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Stretch Marks Treatments
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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As already mentioned, most available treatments for stretch marks are essentially of the preventive and controlling kind. The treatments that deal with repairing already existing damage are quite radical and, for the greatest part, not of established medical validity. Pulsed laser dye therapy, currently in...
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Stretch Marks
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Human skin is an organ in itself, considering the many functions it performs. It protects from internal infection, warns of possible physical damage by means of sensory pain signals and cools the entire body via sweat glands. And, of course, it is the main canvas...
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Home Remedies For Stretch Marks
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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The generally held medical standpoint is that there is no clear-cut treatment for stretch marks. We are not talking of major cosmetic surgery or otherwise radical intervention here, of course – those are definitely possible approaches, but highly expensive ones that are by no means...
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Cause of Stretch Marks
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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The actual causes of stretch marks are still largely unknown. Fundamentally, the depletion of collagen causes skin integrity to reduce and the end result can be stretch marks. The rupturing of minute blood vessels is also involved in causing the earliest pink discolorations of such...
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Prevent Stretch Marks
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There are certain circumstances under which stretch marks are almost guaranteed. To be forewarned and not forearmed is therefore foolhardy – especially considering the near impossibility of getting rid of them later on. Without doubt, pregnancy in women and intentional weight loss in both sexes...
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Stretch Marks Cream
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No clear-cut conclusions have been reached on whether creams, lotions and the other assorted potions for stretch marks really help. Some scorn them, others swear by them. It is quite possible that those who actually benefit would have eventually healed anyway. The damage that causes...
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Laser Surgery
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It’s been over 30 years since laser surgery was first used on humans to treat them for various diseases. Since then, its popularity has soared even higher because it can cure a number of problems quickly, and without causing much pain. Laser surgery is most...
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Cosmetic Laser Surgery
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Cosmetic laser surgery is widely used in the field of dermatology, dentistry, cosmetic surgery and eye surgery. Cosmetic laser surgeries are preferred, as they enhance the person’s appearance, the way he feels and also the ways he sees the world. Cosmetic laser surgeries can help...
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Stretch Marks and Pregnancy
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Pregnancy brings some unavoidable problems with it – backache, fatigue, queasiness, and, almost invariably, stretch marks. As the term of childbearing progresses (usually during the 6th or 7th month) something like 80% of all women can expect to find red striations to appear on the...