Written By: Debjani Arora | Updated : April 14, 2016 3:04 PM IST
Many women worry about stretch marks that stay on their belly, thighs and arms, long after delivery. Often these ugly marks refuse to budge despite several attempts with beauty creams or other tried-and-tested home remedies. However, opting for laser treatments to get rid of stretch marks is a new fad these days seen among Indian women, informs Dr Mohan Thomas, Surgeon at Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai. Here are six home remedies to lighten stretch marks.
How it works
Lasers work by generating a concentrated and penetrating stream of pulsed bright light over the affected area of the skin, controlled and strategically directed. Among the different types of laser therapies available today, an ablative laser helps vaporise and remove deep wrinkling and scars from the skin's surface. This therapy works on deeper skin tissues, reorganising and stimulating the production of collagen and elastin fibres, thereby reducing the effect of stretch marks. Here are six ways to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy.
The limitations
Till date, a laser treatment for stretch marks was offered to women who wished to go for breast implants. As post implant, the delicate breast tissues can be stretched and damaged. A laser is used to treat the scarring beneath the breast and restore its elasticity. However, when it comes to dealing with postpartum stretch marks, there is a limitation to it. The laser needs to treat the deeper layers in the belly that have been stretched, damaged and lost their strength and elasticity, which isn't always feasible.
A laser treatment is effective in treating stretch marks depending on the depth of damage to the tissues internally. Some women might get rid of them with laser treatment while others who have lost the elasticity of their tissues beyond repair - a laser treatment may not be effective.
However, instead treating stretch marks after they have appeared, here's how to prevent stretch marks before pregnancy.
Image source: Getty Images
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