Stretch Marks Surgery

For quite a long time now we have been witnessing a host of specialists on the scene who claim to remove stretch marks with the help of surgical procedures. Despite all the claims of these specialists, there is no supporting medical evidence to may confirm their claims.

Striae distensae is the medical term for stretch marks and surgery is a rather expensive and not a very safe way of getting rid of them, more so when we have more contemporary specialized treatments available these days. Nevertheless, taking into consideration an increasing number of people interested in the subject calls for listing down the important findings on the subject.



Available surgical options for removal of scars may be classified in to three categories: Laser surgery, microdermabrasion, and tummy tucking. Results and expenses show a wide variation. As with any other surgical treatment results would largely depend upon the severity of the problem, age of the affected person and his or her general health and body-resistance. Nevertheless here is a brief description of all the three treatments to enable you to know what you are heading for.

Laser surgery

Practitioners of this surgical technique maintain that this procedure encourages the growth of collagen in the dermis thereby effectively filling the stretch marks from beneath.

There is quite a variation of the pain levels experienced by those who underwent this treatment. While some report there was no pain, there are others who report of severe pain. The treatment may cost up to a thousand dollars per session, and depending upon the status of skin, one may require a couple of sessions.
Critics of laser technique assert that it just can’t stimulate the collagen. Though, it might remove the outer layers of skin. In effect it only makes the scars less conspicuous and can’t repair them to the extent of getting rid of them for good.

Microdermabrasion

This is a technique of fine spraying the skin with micro-sized crystals of aluminum oxide or certain other elements. The effect is akin to sandpapering the skin with a very fine sandpaper to remove the outermost layer of dead skin. As the old dead cells are scrubbed away, a new healthy skin replaces the old one. The practitioners claim that it very much reduces the appearance of stretch marks

Critics of this technique employed for getting rid of stretch marks, argue that the procedure affects only the outer layers of skin called the epidermis. They maintain that the stretch marks lay beneath these layers, down in the dermis.
There is quite a variation in the charges of this treatment. Some clinics offer to do it for just a couple of hundred dollars whereas some spas or certain health and beauty clinics may quote a few thousand dollars.

Tummy Tuck

Abdominoplasty more popularly known as “tummy tuck” is the only proven way to wipe out scars. The only limitation is that it can be applied to remove scars or marks from the lower abdomen, particularly the area below the navel only. Body parts like breasts, buttocks or legs can’t be treated thru this procedure. It involves complete removal of the skin from the affected part in the region of lower abdomen only along with some amount of fat and tissue. The skin is then reattached. Marks on the skin so removed are deleted surgically.

But again, it is quite an expensive and painful treatment. It is categorized as major surgery and one needs to stay in a hospital and get exposed to all the risks that are often associated with any surgical treatment.