Condition

Stretch Marks

Stretch marks are narrow bands of scarred skin that form when skin is stretched faster than it can adapt and the fibers underneath tear. They start red or purple, fade to pale over several years, and can be made less noticeable - but no treatment removes them.
Dr. Schwarz, MD · Board-certified dermatologistLast reviewed September 8, 2026
16:9 hero for Stretch Marks. Never cropped: the tone strip and the corner logo depend on the full frame.

Start here

Stretch marks are not your fault - the strongest predictor of who gets them is family history, and two people can gain the same weight over the same months with only one getting them. They are scars, so they can be made flatter and closer in color, but nothing removes them, and any product or clinic using the word remove tells you what the rest of its claims are worth. Treatment works much better while they are still red or purple, so if they are new and they bother you, be seen now rather than in two years. Most people stop noticing them as they fade on their own, and doing nothing is a reasonable choice.

— Dr. Schwarz, Board Certified Dermatologist

Key Facts

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How commonVery common - the majority of people who go through pregnancy get them, and many teenagers get them during growth spurts
Who gets itAnyone whose skin stretches quickly. Pregnancy, puberty, weight change, rapid muscle gain, and some medical and steroid causes
Curable or managedManaged - they fade substantially on their own, but they are scars and do not disappear
Prescription neededNot for basic care. The treatments with the most evidence behind them are prescription creams and in-office procedures
Time to improveNatural fading takes months to years. Treatment courses generally run several months

What It Is

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The medical name is striae distensae. A stretch mark is a scar in the dermis, the supportive layer beneath the surface, running at right angles to the direction the skin was stretched - horizontally around the abdomen in pregnancy, vertically on the thighs and breasts.

Two things have to line up. Hormonal change - especially cortisol, which rises in pregnancy, puberty, with steroid treatment and in some medical conditions - cuts collagen and elastin production and weakens what is already there. Then the skin stretches faster than it can adapt. Elastic fibers in the dermis pull apart, inflammation follows, and the body repairs the gap as it repairs any wound, with collagen in flat parallel bundles instead of the woven mesh it replaced. The surface above thins too.

That hormonal half explains the odd cases - marks on the shoulders of a teenage boy who has not gained weight, marks from a potent steroid cream used for months on thin skin, and the wide purple marks of Cushing syndrome, where the body makes too much cortisol.

The stage matters more than anything else for treatment. New marks - striae rubrae - are pink, red or purple, sometimes slightly raised, occasionally itchy, with widened blood vessels underneath. Mature marks - striae albae - are pale or white, flat or slightly sunken, finely wrinkled, and lighter than the skin around them.

Stretch marks are not loose skin, where the whole skin envelope no longer fits, and not cellulite, which is dimpling from the way fat sits between fibrous bands. They often occur together, which is why they get confused.

Symptoms

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New raised lines

Early Red or Purple

New marks that are pink, red or purple, slightly raised, and sometimes itchy, running across the abdomen, thighs, breasts or upper arms. This is the stage where treatment makes the most difference. In deeper skin tones they may look dark brown or gray.
Silvery flat lines

Mature White

Older marks that have faded to white or silver and sit slightly below the surrounding skin, with a fine crinkled texture. They are permanent, though they usually become less noticeable. Creams have limited effect at this stage.
Many marks at once

Widespread or Sudden

A large number of marks appearing quickly, especially with weight change, rapid growth or steroid use. Very widespread marks with other symptoms can point to a medical cause. That is worth mentioning to a doctor.

How It Looks by Skin Tone

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Two areas of fair skin side by side on a hip. New pink-red bands sit above, and older flat silvery-white bands below, with only a small difference in color between the pale marks and the skin around them.Reddish-brown parallel bands across an olive-skinned outer thigh, with two older pale bands among them that are clearly lighter than the skin around them.Deep violet-brown parallel bands across the shoulders and upper back of brown skin, running outward from the spine, with two older pale bands among them that stand out clearly against the surrounding skin.Pale, flat, silvery bands running down the hip and outer thigh of deep brown skin, standing out sharply against the surrounding skin, with a fine crinkled surface inside each band.
LightMediumBrownDeep

The early, treatable stage looks different on deeper skin tones. New marks are usually purple, deep violet, reddish-brown or simply darker than the skin around them rather than pink or red. Almost every photograph in circulation shows the pink version, so this stage gets missed - and it is the stage where treatment works best.

Mature marks are lighter than the surrounding skin, which on deeper skin tones means more contrast, not less. Marks that are barely visible on light skin after five years can still be obvious. People are often told stretch marks fade to nothing; that describes light skin. Treatment choices need adjusting. Ablative lasers, aggressive fractional settings and vascular lasers all carry a higher risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation - dark marks lasting many months - on deeper skin tones, and in some people raised, thickened scars on the chest, shoulders and upper back. That does not rule out treatment, but it shifts the sensible options toward non-ablative fractional lasers at conservative settings, longer wavelengths, and microneedling, which has a lower pigment risk and reasonable evidence here. Insist on a test patch and a provider who treats deeper skin tones routinely. White, mature marks contain little pigment and do not tan, so tanning the skin around them, in the sun or in a bed, makes them stand out more. Sunscreen over new marks is worth the effort for the same reason.

Where It Shows Up

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Front view of a whole body with red marks across the abdomen and waist, on both breasts, over both hips and down the outer surface of both thighs.
Abdomen, breasts, hips and thighs
They run at right angles to the direction the skin was stretched, which is why they lie horizontally around the abdomen in pregnancy and vertically on the thighs and breasts. The abdomen, breasts, hips and outer thighs are the usual places.
Back view of a whole body with red marks on both buttocks, across the lower back, over both shoulders and the upper back and down both upper arms.
Buttocks, lower back, and the shoulders after rapid muscle gain
The buttocks and the lower back are common in growth spurts and in pregnancy. Rapid muscle gain puts them somewhere different — across the shoulders, the upper back, the chest and the upper arms.

What Happens in the Skin

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This is what is going wrong under the skin, in the order it happens. Click a step to see it.

How Stretch Marks happens
Skin basics
BARRIEREPIDERMISDERMISCOLLAGEN0NORMAL SKIN1HORMONES WEAKEN THE FRAMEWORK2THE SKIN STRETCHES TOO FAST3INFLAMMATION, THE RED STAGE4A SCAR IS LEFT BEHIND

Beneath the surface sits the dermis, the supportive layer. It is a woven mesh of collagen for strength, threaded with elastic fibers that let skin stretch and spring back. The body keeps making and replacing both, so the mesh stays strong enough to move with you.

Rising cortisol — in pregnancy, in puberty, with steroid tablets or strong steroid creams, or in conditions that raise it — reduces how much collagen and elastin the skin makes and loosens what is already there. This is the part most explanations leave out, and it is why stretch marks are not simply a matter of being stretched.

Skin copes with a great deal of stretching when it is given time. It is the speed that does the damage. When the weakened elastic fibers in the supportive layer are pulled faster than they can adapt, they tear apart and retract, leaving a gap. Nothing shows on the surface yet.

Immune cells arrive at the tear and the blood vessels beneath widen, which is what turns the mark pink, red, purple or darker. It may itch. This is the striae rubrae stage, the skin is still actively remodeling, and it is the window where treatment has the most to work with.

The gap is repaired the way any wound is repaired: collagen laid down in flat parallel bundles instead of the woven mesh it replaced, the elastic fibers never properly restored, and the surface above thinned. Once this settles the change is permanent. The fading that follows is the redness draining away, not the scar resolving, and everything on the lists below is pushing on this step.

The outer film of dead cells and oil. It holds water in and keeps irritants out, and it is thinner than a sheet of paper. Almost every dry, itchy, stinging skin problem starts here.

The outer layer, and the only one anything in a jar reaches. It renews itself constantly: a cell made at the bottom takes about a month to reach the surface and flake off. Most of what a skincare product does, it does here.

The living layer underneath, holding the blood vessels, the nerves and the collagen. It is where lasting change happens and it is hard to reach: most of what is sold for the skin never gets this far.

Five things happen in order, and the first gets left out of most explanations.

Hormones weaken the framework first. Rising cortisol - pregnancy, puberty, oral or potent topical steroids, or a condition that raises it - cuts collagen and elastin production and loosens what is there, so this is not purely mechanical.

The skin is then stretched faster than it can adapt. Skin handles a great deal of stretching given time; speed does the damage, not size.

Elastic fibers in the dermis tear and retract, leaving a gap in the supporting layer. That is the injury, and it happens below the surface, so nothing shows at first.

Inflammation follows. Immune cells arrive, vessels widen, and the mark turns red, purple or dark. This is the striae rubrae stage, when the skin is still remodeling and treatment has more to work with.

The gap heals as a scar. Collagen is laid down in flat parallel bundles instead of the original woven arrangement, elastic fibers are not restored, and the surface above thins. Once it settles the change is permanent; later fading is redness draining away, not the scar resolving.

Nothing applied to the surface reaches torn fibers in the dermis, which is why creams do so little. The treatments that work either act during the inflammatory stage or injure the skin in a controlled way to force another round of remodeling.

Risk Factors

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Most of what decides who gets stretch marks is outside anyone's control, and the biggest factor is inherited.

Inherited
Family history
The strongest predictor there is. If your mother had them in pregnancy, yours are much more likely.
Inherited
Inherited connective tissue conditions
Marfan syndrome and some forms of Ehlers-Danlos, usually alongside other features.
Hormones
Pregnancy
The most common cause. Risk is higher with a first pregnancy, at a younger age, with twins or a larger baby, and with faster weight gain.
Hormones
Puberty
Very common in growth spurts - outer thighs, hips and lower back in girls, shoulders, upper back and outer thighs in boys.
Fast body change
Rapid weight gain
Speed matters more than amount.
Fast body change
Rapid weight loss
Marks can appear or look worse as stretched skin empties.
Fast body change
Rapid muscle gain
Bodybuilding with a fast bulking phase marks the shoulders, chest and upper arms.
Fast body change
Breast implants and tissue expanders
A deliberate fast stretch, with the same result.
Steroids & medicines
Anabolic steroid use
A hormonal effect on top of fast muscle growth, so marks are widespread and prominent.
Steroids & medicines
Oral or long-term topical steroids
Potent creams used for months on thin skin are a known cause. Never stop a prescribed steroid on your own - ask your doctor.
Steroids & medicines
Cushing syndrome
Excess cortisol, causing wide purple marks across the trunk alongside other changes.

Course

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Knowing where you are in the sequence tells you what is realistic. Much of the improvement happens with no treatment, and the useful window is the first year, while the skin is still remodeling. Timings are typical, not fixed.

AppearingFirst weeks
Red, purple or darker lines

Flat or slightly raised lines, pink, red, purple or darker than the skin around them, often itchy. This is the striae rubrae stage, and the itch settles as they mature.

ExtendingMonths 1 to 6
They lengthen and deepen in color

Marks lengthen and widen along the stretch and the color deepens. New ones may keep appearing while the stretch continues.

DrainingMonths 6 to 18
Color starts to leave

Color fades toward pink, brown or gray. The surface becomes finely wrinkled and slightly sunken.

SettlingYears 1 to 3
Pale, silvery and flat

Marks turn pale, silvery or lighter than the skin around them, flat or slightly depressed, with a thin crepe-like surface. This is the striae albae stage.

PermanentYears 3 and beyond
The scar itself is fixed

Little further change. They keep becoming less noticeable as contrast drops, but the scar is fixed. Stretch marks do not become dangerous and do not need treatment.

What Makes It Better & Worse

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A stretch mark forms in four steps, and timing matters more than product - once step four is done, the options are about appearance, not repair.

What is driving yours?

FATCOLLAGENBARRIEREPIDERMISDERMIS

Rising cortisol — in pregnancy, in puberty, with steroid tablets or strong steroid creams, or in conditions that raise it — reduces how much collagen and elastin the skin makes and loosens what is already there. This is the part most explanations leave out, and it is why stretch marks are not simply a matter of being stretched.

Skin copes with a great deal of stretching when it is given time. It is the speed that does the damage. When the weakened elastic fibers in the supportive layer are pulled faster than they can adapt, they tear apart and retract, leaving a gap. Nothing shows on the surface yet.

Immune cells arrive at the tear and the blood vessels beneath widen, which is what turns the mark pink, red, purple or darker. It may itch. This is the striae rubrae stage, the skin is still actively remodeling, and it is the window where treatment has the most to work with.

The gap is repaired the way any wound is repaired: collagen laid down in flat parallel bundles instead of the woven mesh it replaced, the elastic fibers never properly restored, and the surface above thinned. Once this settles the change is permanent. The fading that follows is the redness draining away, not the scar resolving, and everything on the lists below is pushing on this step.

What helps

  • Treating an underlying cause Dealing with a steroid medicine or high cortisol stops new marks.

What makes it worse

  • Anabolic steroids Hormonal weakening on top of fast growth.
  • Potent topical steroids for months A recognized cause on thin skin. Never stop a prescribed steroid on your own; ask the prescriber.
  • An untreated condition raising cortisol Cushing syndrome causes wide purple marks on the trunk.

What helps

  • Gradual weight and muscle change Slower change gives skin time to adapt.
  • Massaged creams during pregnancy Low risk, uncertain benefit.

What makes it worse

  • Fast weight gain Skin adapts to gradual change, not sudden.
  • Crash dieting and rapid weight loss Every large swing is another chance.
  • Rapid muscle gain Common on the shoulders, chest and upper arms in young men.

What helps

  • Prescription tretinoin on early red marks The best-evidenced topical. Not in pregnancy or breastfeeding.
  • Microneedling Modest improvement in red and white marks, lower pigment risk on deeper skin tones.
  • Pulsed dye and other vascular lasers Reduce redness in new marks; caution on deeper skin tones.
  • Radiofrequency with microneedling Modest improvement in texture and firmness.
  • Plain moisturizer on itchy new marks Settles the itch that drives scratching.
  • Sunscreen over new and mature marks Stops new marks darkening and old ones gaining contrast.

What makes it worse

  • Scratching itchy new marks More inflammation in already inflamed skin.
  • Sun exposure on new marks It drives longer-lasting color change, especially on deeper skin tones.
  • Waiting until they turn white The red stage is when treatment does the most.
  • Spending the budget on creams Those months had the most to offer.

What helps

  • Time Most marks fade a great deal over one to three years untreated.
  • Fractional non-ablative laser The best-evidenced device for mature white marks. Partial improvement.
  • Chemical peels Modest improvement, mostly alongside other treatments.
  • Excimer light or narrowband ultraviolet B Temporarily brings color back so white marks blend.
  • Self-tanner or camouflage makeup Cuts how visible mature marks are on the day.

What makes it worse

  • Tanning, in the sun or in a bed Mature marks do not tan, so the contrast rises.
  • Aggressive laser on deeper skin tones The risk is post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

How These Treatments Work

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Treatments for Stretch Marks do not all work in the same place. Tap one to see where it acts.

Pick a treatment
Skin basics
BARRIEREPIDERMISDERMISCOLLAGENTELLS SKIN TO BUILDREBUILDS THE FRAMEWORKEASES THE ITCHRED FADES TO PALE

Works best while the marks are still red or purple.

The main option once they have turned pale.

Comfortable, and it does not prevent them.

The color settles on its own. The texture stays.

The outer film of dead cells and oil. It holds water in and keeps irritants out, and it is thinner than a sheet of paper. Almost every dry, itchy, stinging skin problem starts here.

The outer layer, and the only one anything in a jar reaches. It renews itself constantly: a cell made at the bottom takes about a month to reach the surface and flake off. Most of what a skincare product does, it does here.

The living layer underneath, holding the blood vessels, the nerves and the collagen. It is where lasting change happens and it is hard to reach: most of what is sold for the skin never gets this far.

Over-the-Counter Products

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Everything here you can buy without seeing anyone.

Daily sunscreen
Daily sunscreen
Moderate evidence
Two separate jobs here. On new marks it stops ultraviolet light driving longer-lasting color changes, which matters most on deeper skin tones. On mature ones it stops the skin around them tanning, and since white marks contain little pigment and do not tan, keeping the surrounding skin pale is what keeps the contrast down.
Self-tanner and camouflage makeup
Self-tanner and camouflage makeup
Moderate evidence
Applied over the marks themselves rather than around them, self-tanner brings pale marks closer to the surrounding color and substantially reduces how visible they are on a given day. Camouflage makeup does the same for a single occasion. Neither changes the scar, and both need repeating, but for mature marks they do more for appearance than most of the creams sold for the purpose.
Plain moisturizer
Plain moisturizer
Limited evidence
New marks often itch, and scratching adds inflammation to skin that is already inflamed, so a plain moisturizer used regularly is genuinely worth it for comfort. It does not need to be expensive. It has not been shown to prevent stretch marks or to remove them, so treat it as comfort rather than as treatment.
Six retinol products lined up, including SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.5, Murad, CeraVe, First Aid Beauty, RoC and Replenix16:9 hero for Retinol. Never cropped: the tone strip and the corner logo depend on the full frame.
Limited evidence
The over-the-counter version of tretinoin, and weaker. It is a reasonable thing to try on red marks if a prescription is not an option, used nightly over months, but the evidence sits behind tretinoin and the results are smaller. It has nothing to offer white marks, and it is not used in pregnancy.
Five centella creams on white, a green-tinted jar plus tubes labeled Madagascar Centella, Madeca Cream and Cica Cream Plus16:9 hero for Centella Asiatica (Cica). Never cropped: the tone strip and the corner logo depend on the full frame.
Limited evidence
Of the massaged preparations sold for prevention in pregnancy, the ones containing centella asiatica or hyaluronic acid have the only supportive evidence, and it is limited and low quality. That is a long way from the claims on the packaging. Low risk, uncertain benefit, reasonable to try and not to rely on.
Cocoa butter and oils
Cocoa butter and oils
Weak evidence
Cocoa butter has been tested in randomized trials against a plain placebo cream and did not show a clear benefit for preventing stretch marks. Olive oil and the bio oils sold alongside it are in the same position. They are pleasant to use and they soften itchy skin, and that is the honest reason to buy one.
Collagen supplements
Collagen supplements
Weak evidence
Neither collagen supplements nor drinking more water has been shown to prevent stretch marks. The tearing happens in the supportive layer during a rapid stretch under hormonal influence, and nothing taken by mouth has been shown to change that. Family history is doing most of the work here, and no supplement changes it.

Prescriptions

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These need a prescription.

A plain white medicine tube lying at an angle on a white background, capped, labeled Tretinoin in black with a navy blue swoosh curving along its length.Diagram: how Tretinoin works in the skin
Moderate evidence
The one cream with real evidence behind it, and only on marks that are still red or purple. Used nightly over months it can make new marks narrower and less obvious by prompting collagen while the skin is still remodeling. It irritates, so it is built up slowly. It must not be used in pregnancy or while breastfeeding, which rules out the most common cause of stretch marks.

Procedures

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These are done in the office, usually over several visits.

16:9 hero for Fraxel (Nonablative Fractional Laser). Never cropped: the tone strip and the corner logo depend on the full frame.
Fraxel (Nonablative Fractional Laser)
Moderate evidence
The best-evidenced device for mature white marks, and useful on red ones too. It puts columns of controlled heat into the supportive layer to force a fresh round of collagen remodeling, over three to six sessions spaced weeks apart. Expect partial improvement in texture and how noticeable they are, not removal. On deeper skin tones it is used at conservative settings after a test patch, because of the pigment risk.
16:9 hero for Microneedling. Never cropped: the tone strip and the corner logo depend on the full frame.Diagram: how Microneedling works in the skin
Moderate evidence
Fine needles make controlled micro-injuries that prompt new collagen in the scarred layer. Improvement is modest and needs a course of sessions, but it carries a lower risk of leaving dark marks than lasers do, which makes it the more sensible first device on deeper skin tones. It works on both red and white marks.
A patient in protective goggles lying under a large laser head positioned over their face16:9 hero for Pulsed Dye Laser (V-Beam). Never cropped: the tone strip and the corner logo depend on the full frame.
Moderate evidence
Targets the widened blood vessels that make new marks red or purple, so it is for the early stage only and does nothing for white ones. It can take the color down over a few sessions. On deeper skin tones it carries a real risk of leaving dark marks behind, so it is used cautiously and after a test patch, if at all.
16:9 hero for RF Microneedling (Morpheus8). Never cropped: the tone strip and the corner logo depend on the full frame.
RF Microneedling (Morpheus8)
Limited evidence
Microneedling with radiofrequency heat delivered at the needle tips, which reaches deeper into the scarred layer. Reported results are modest improvements in texture and firmness over a course of sessions. Because the energy is not aimed at pigment, it is another option worth discussing on deeper skin tones.
16:9 hero for Fractional CO2 Laser. Never cropped: the tone strip and the corner logo depend on the full frame.Diagram: how Fractional CO2 Laser works in the skin
Limited evidence
An ablative laser that removes columns of skin rather than only heating them, so downtime is longer and the response can be larger. It is the highest-risk option on this page for post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and for thickened scars on the chest, shoulders and upper back, which is why it is not a first choice on deeper skin tones.
16:9 hero for Excimer Laser. Never cropped: the tone strip and the corner logo depend on the full frame.Diagram: how Excimer Laser works in the skin
Limited evidence
Targeted ultraviolet light used to bring color back into white marks so they blend with the skin around them. It changes the color difference, not the scar, and the effect fades over months unless it is repeated. Narrowband ultraviolet B is used the same way. It is a cosmetic option rather than a repair.
A small clear glass bowl holding a shallow pool of pale amber liquid on a white background, with a white fan-shaped brush lying beside it, bristles resting against the bowl.Diagram: how Chemical Peel works in the skin
Limited evidence
Medium-depth peels have some evidence for modest improvement in mature marks, mostly when used alongside another treatment rather than on their own. Because they work by controlled injury, the same pigment cautions apply on deeper skin tones, and a test patch is worth insisting on.
16:9 hero for Microdermabrasion. Never cropped: the tone strip and the corner logo depend on the full frame.Diagram: how Microdermabrasion works in the skin
Weak evidence
It polishes the surface layer, and the tear that made the stretch mark is well below that. It is commonly sold as a stretch mark treatment and the published results are minimal. If a clinic is offering this as their answer, it is worth asking what else they do.

When to See a Dermatologist

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Stretch marks are harmless and most never need an appointment. Book if marks appear with no explanation - no pregnancy, no growth spurt, no weight or muscle change - especially if they are wide, purple and across the trunk, and more so with weight gain around the middle, thinner arms and legs, a rounder face, easy bruising, muscle weakness, high blood pressure or new diabetes. Book too if you or your child have used a topical steroid for months on thin skin, or take long-term oral or inhaled steroids and marks are appearing, which needs a review with the prescriber rather than stopping on your own; or if marks are widespread in a young person with unusual joint flexibility, stretchy skin or a tall thin build. If you want them treated, be seen while they are still red or purple - a consultation at three months is worth far more than the same one at three years.

— Dr. Schwarz, Board Certified Dermatologist

Complications

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Lookalikes

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Vitiligo

Mature stretch marks are lighter than the skin around them, and on deeper skin tones that difference can be striking enough to raise the question. Vitiligo makes patches, not bands — rounded, sharply edged, often mirrored on both sides of the body, and completely milk-white with normal texture inside them. Stretch marks run in parallel lines in the direction the skin was stretched, are only partly lighter, and have a thin, finely wrinkled, slightly sunken surface you can feel.

Tinea Versicolor

This is the mix-up that turns up in the same person and the same place: pale marks across the shoulders, chest and upper back of a young adult who also has stretch marks there from a growth spurt or from training. Tinea versicolor is a yeast overgrowth, so it makes small oval patches that merge into larger maps, with a fine dust of scale that shows when you scratch it lightly. Stretch marks are straight parallel bands, have no scale, and do not respond to antifungal shampoo — which is the practical test.

Myths

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  • "Cocoa butter and oils prevent stretch marks." Cocoa butter has been tested against placebo cream in randomized trials with no clear benefit, and the evidence for creams and oils generally, including the olive and bio oils used in pregnancy, is weak. There is limited, low-quality evidence for massaged preparations with centella asiatica or hyaluronic acid - a long way from the claims on the packaging.
  • "Only people who are overweight get them." Slim teenagers get them in growth spurts, athletes from rapid muscle gain, and people of normal weight in pregnancy. Body size is one factor; family history matters more.
  • "Laser removes stretch marks." Nothing removes them. Lasers improve texture, color and how noticeable marks are, usually partially and over several sessions. The scar in the dermis stays.
  • "You got them because you gained weight too fast, so it is your fault." The strongest predictor is genetics. Two people can have identical pregnancies with identical weight gain and only one gets marks. Speed contributes; it is not the main determinant.
  • "Once they are white, nothing can be done." Less can be done, not nothing. Fractional lasers and microneedling give modest improvement, and light-based repigmentation can temporarily reduce the color difference. Smaller results are a reason to act early, not to give up.
  • "A tan will hide them." Mature marks contain little pigment and do not tan, so darkening the skin around them increases the contrast. Self-tanner over the marks themselves does work for appearance.
  • "Collagen supplements or drinking more water will prevent them." Neither prevents stretch marks. The tearing happens in the dermis during rapid stretch under hormonal influence, and nothing taken by mouth changes that.
  • "They are a medical problem that needs treating." They are harmless. They do not turn into anything, do not need monitoring, and treating them is your decision. The exception is marks appearing with no obvious cause - worth having looked at for what they may point to.

Questions Patients Ask

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Will my stretch marks ever go away completely?

No. They are scars, and the change in the dermis is permanent. What does happen reliably is fading - the red or purple drains out over one to three years and the marks go pale. Most people stop seeing them long before they would call them gone.

Can I prevent them in pregnancy?

Not dependably. Family history is the strongest predictor and you cannot change it. Steady weight gain rather than bursts may help. The creams and oils sold for prevention have weak evidence, and cocoa butter was tested without clear benefit. A plain moisturizer is comfort, not prevention.

Does anything work on white stretch marks?

Some things give modest improvement. Fractional non-ablative laser has the most evidence; microneedling has reasonable evidence with lower pigment risk on deeper skin tones; light-based treatment temporarily brings color back so marks blend. All need several sessions and all give partial results.

Why do I have them when I am not overweight?

Body size is only one factor. Growth spurts, rapid muscle gain, pregnancy and hormone changes cause marks at any size, and genetics decides how susceptible your skin is. Marks across the shoulders and upper back in a fit young man are common.

Are the creams sold for stretch marks worth buying?

For comfort and itching, a plain moisturizer is worth it and need not be expensive. For removing or preventing marks, the evidence does not support the prices. Prescription tretinoin is the one topical with real evidence; it only works while marks are red, and not in pregnancy.

Should I get laser treatment, and how much improvement should I expect?

Reasonable if they bother you, with realistic numbers. Published results describe partial improvement in color and texture over several sessions, not clearance. Ask the provider what percentage improvement they expect for your marks, how many sessions that assumes, and to see their before-and-after photographs on skin like yours.

References

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