What’s the Color of Your Stretch Mark and What Does it Mean?

Although stretch marks are common and harmless, those who have them want nothing than to remove them. If you have the same concern, you may be glad to know that stretch marks get less visible over time. There are also aesthetic treatments that can improve or reduce their appearance.

In our previous post about Why Stretch Marks Appear, we mentioned that these lines and streaks appear across the body occur due to the pulling of the skin brought on by rapid growth or stretching. Stretch marks also come in a number of colors and usually appear on the arms, breasts, thighs, hips, and buttocks.

Continue reading to learn more about the different shades or stretch marks and what do they mean.

Red, Purple, or Reddish/Dark Brown

New stretch marks tend to be red, purple, reddish-brown or dark brown, depending on your skin color. This is because the stretched lines across your skin allow underlying blood vessels to show through. These early stretch marks can also be itchy and may feel a bit raised.

It is good to know that the redness and itchiness don’t last permanently. Your stretch marks can turn lighter and become less noticeable as the scars heal. Furthermore, new stretch marks are easier to treat, as the presence of blood vessels enables the red marks to be more responsive to treatment.

Light Pink, White, or Silvery

As these lines and streaks heal, they turn into light pink or white. Stretch marks also flatten and continue to fade or become less noticeable over time. When you touch mature stretch marks or run your finger across them, you might feel a slight indentation. Their texture may also feel different than the rest of your skin. 

Older or white stretch marks are harder to treat than new ones. This is because the blood vessels have become narrow, which then makes it difficult to stimulate collagen production.  The fading process can also take some years, which is why trying aesthetic treatments is advisable.

What Treatments to Consider

If you have tried creams, lotions, and oils, but see little to no improvement, you may want to consider nonsurgical aesthetic treatments. Here are some of them:

Acoustic Shockwave Therapy

Acoustic shockwave is an FDA- cleared non-invasive procedure that can reduce the appearance of stretch marks and cellulite. At Cutis Medical Laser Clinics, we have the two clinically proven acoustic shockwave therapies in the market: BTL X Wave and Zimmer Z Wave.

Both use a handheld device that sends acoustic waves into the body, causing vibrations and pressures to the connective tissues. The waves directly target the soft tissues to improve the appearance of marks. The acoustic pulses also stimulate collagen formation to make the skin more elastic and firmer after just a few sessions.

X Wave and Z Wave procedures are highly tolerable and have no downtime. The treatments generally take at least 30 minutes for most areas of concern. It can typically be used in various areas of the body, such as the buttocks, thighs, upper arms, and stomach.

Exilis Ultra 360

Exilis Ultra is a US FDA-cleared device that has been clinically tested and proven to tighten skin. It can also contour the body, target fat deposits, and improve the appearance of skin without downtime or discomfort.

It uses radiofrequency waves and ultrasound energy to heat the skin’s deeper layers. It can tighten skin and address skin texture problems such as moderate stretch marks and sagging skin. It also has a small and big applicator for dealing with different body concerns.

The small applicator heats the deeper layers of skin to stimulate collagen production. This is beneficial in skin tightening and wrinkle reduction. It also has five different tips that can be used interchangeably on more than 20 parts of the face and body.

The bigger applicator, meanwhile, uses the same technology, but has a controlled cooling system. This enables the heat to penetrate into the fat layer to contour your body, without harming the skin.

You can check out our previous post to learn more about this all in one face and body rejuvenation treatment.

Dermapen Microneedling

Dermapen Microneedling is a Collagen Induction Therapy (CIT) that uses the body’s natural solution to treat stretch marks. Microneedling areas of concern using Dermapen promotes the regeneration of skin cells to make the skin healthier and smoother. 

What the device does is assist in activating the cascade of fibroblast inside the skin and growth hormone. This generates more skin collagen, and elastin, which evens out stretch marks and leads to noticeably smoother colored skin. Dermapen can also be used for different types of scars, wrinkles and facial lines.

Dermapen is a safe and tolerable procedure with a shorter recovery period of at least five to seven days. At least five to six treatments may be necessary with an interval of four to six weeks apart to see good results. 

Schedule a Consultation and Body Assessment

Don’t let stretch marks bother and frustrate you. Contact Cutis Medical Laser Clinics in Singapore today and schedule a body assessment and consultation with one of our aesthetic doctors to find out which procedure is right for you.