Stretch marks.

What it is

Stretch marks are scars in the dermis, left where the skin was stretched faster than it could rebuild. They start red or purple, when the small vessels beneath are still active, and slowly fade to silver-white. Most people carry a few from pregnancy, growth or weight change, and arrive not asking for them gone, but softened.

We are honest from the start: stretch marks improve, they do not erase. The realistic aim is fifty to eighty per cent better over a course. They respond best while still red, because the active phase remodels more readily than older silver marks. The approach is the same dermal-rebuilding work we use for scarring: microneedling to trigger collagen, platelet-rich plasma delivered through the channels to deepen the response, and fractional laser where the marks are set. Dr Beiki prepares the skin beforehand and manages it across the course and after, with realistic milestones at every visit.

What we look for

• ●Rapid stretching of the skin that outpaces the dermis, tearing collagen and elastin
• ●Pregnancy, growth spurts, puberty, and rapid weight gain or loss
• ●A genetic tendency, often visible in a parent or sibling
• ●Raised cortisol or steroid use, which weakens the dermal scaffold
• ●Marks that begin red or purple (striae rubrae) and fade to silver-white over time
• ●Years of marks that have settled and feel like a permanent feature rather than a phase

Dr Beiki assesses which of these are at play before recommending a layered approach.