Your Questions

Q: Dr. Eppley, Hello, I am inquiring about laser surgery stretch mark removal. I have abdominal stretch marks just above and below the belly button due to pregnancy and I wanted to know what could possibly be done about this. I would also want information on pricing. Thanks very much!

A:  Thank you for your inquiry. As much as I would like to tell you that ‘laser stretch mark removal’ is a real entity, it is not. Lasers can be used to treat stretch marks and there may be some improvement, but the concept of complete removal of their appearance is not currently possible. Stretch marks represensent partial tears in the dermis of the skin and, once such injured, the skin can never be restored to normal skin again. It is not possible to regenerate the lost thickness of the dermis which is why they are wide and somewhat depressed. I would need to see some pictures of your periumbilical area to see if laser treatments would be of any benefit at all.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis,Indiana

Q:  I was wanting to know if you guys do laser stretch mark removal? If so I’d like to kow more about it and maybe get a consultation to see what it would cost.

A: Stretch marks remain a cosmetic problem that defies any effective treatment. If there was one really good treatment that consistently worked, we would all know about it as there are millions of women that siffer from this aesthetic concern. While there have been and are many types of treatments that promise the elimination of stretch marks, none have ever been shown to really work well. Therefore, there is no effective treatment strategy known as laser stretch mark removal. That is not a realistic expectation of what lasers can do or any type of stretch mark treatment.

Why do stretch marks elude treatment success? Because a stretch mark is not a superficial skin problem. It may appear that way when looking and feeling them from the outside, but a stretch mark represents a full-thickness skin problem. The dermis of the skin is damaged and permanently thinned. A stretch mark is really a scar with loss of pigment, although they can appear red rather than white. The skin has been stretched to the point where it is partially torn on the underside. This is why no outer or topical treatment will really make them less visible.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis Indiana