Stretch Marks: Understanding The Options You Have

The cause of stretch marks is not entirely understood, but generally stretch marks appear during periods of rapid growth, weight gain, or pregnancy which indicates that when areas of skin are put under increased pressure these stretch marks are a common result. Some people seem to be much more prone to stretch marks than others, and this couple with a history of stretch marks in a family indicates that there is a genetic factor to stretch marks. For practical purposes, a stretch mark is similar in nature to scar tissue, and can be treated in many of the same ways with the same cosmetic procedures.Stretch marks do not generally pose any sort of health risk, and you should consider this before opting for any cosmetic procedures to reduce or remove your stretch marks. If you do wish to go forward with a cosmetic procedure to remove or reduce your stretch marks you should know that there are a wide variety of options available to you. Depending on the severity of your stretch marks you may opt for more or less invasive procedures to deal with your conditions. Many stretch marks will fade over time, and require little or no treatment. For this reason you may want to wait for a certain amount of time before you choose to undergo a cosmetic procedure to deal with your stretch marks.Minor stretch marks are often treated with topical creams that can reduce the appearance of a stretch mark to a negligible level. Modern advances in medical technology particularly involving the development of laser technology have created a myriad of more intensive options for dealing with more severe stretch marks, laser treatment may be appropriate for you depending on the severity of your stretch marks. Simon Ourian^™ MD, is the Medical Director of Epione Medical Corporation of Los Angeles, and has revolutionized the treatment of stretch marks with the development of Coolbeam Laser Treatments.The best way to determine if you would be a good candidate for a cosmetic procedure to address your stretch marks is to educate yourself about available treatment options. By doing so you will be able to compare your stretch marks to those of other people who have undergone cosmetic procedures. This should give you a good idea about the limitations and benefits of the different treatment options that you have available. Most importantly you will be able to have realistic and reasonable expectations of the sort of results that various cosmetic procedures will achieve for you.Once you have taken steps to educate yourself about the different options available you should then make an effort to speak with a doctor so that you can have any remaining concerns and questions addressed. A doctor will also be able to help you determine what if any sort of cosmetic procedure would be appropriate for you depending on the condition of your stretch marks. Costs and time expenditure will vary depending on which option you select for treating your stretch marks, but most laser treatments take between 15 minutes an and hour, and you can generally return home immediately afterwards.