Why should we treat red stretch marks right away?
Red stretch marks are still unconsolidated skin alterations with strong capacity of recovery and healing
Stretch marks are characterised by different stages of development. When they form, they have a red colour, increased and characterised by an inflammatory condition; for this reason, they are also called ‘striae rubra’. Then they become white, opaque and empty and are called as ‘striae albae’.
Generally, it is thought that stretch marks are incurable skin pathologies, but in reality, it isn’t so, especially during the first two years when they appear red. In fact, we know that stretch mark is a degenerative type of dermal lesion that tends to get worse progressively in time [01, 02].
Therefore, as long as the stretch mark is red, only the collagen and the elastic fibres are slightly damaged, has not yet compromised the microcirculatory system and has a compact and cohesive basal membrane.
Practically, collagen and elastic fibres allow stretch marks to remain compact and elastic like surrounding tissue; when they will begin to get damaged in a significant size the tissue will become empty and atrophic.
At the same time, the capillary reticulum is still intact and this allows to continue to produce oxygen and nourishment to the skin; when the capillaries begin to reduce their normal diameter, they will bring less blood to our skin, proportionally reducing nutrients and the intensity of the pinkish colour given by the presence of red blood cells.
To conclude, remember that the integrity of the basal membrane permits the skin to tan when the sun exposure will no longer allow the stretch mark to be coloured like the surrounding tissue, means that this structure will be damaged.
Therefore, treating a stretch mark when it is red and recent, it is much easier compared to when it becomes white, opaque and no longer tan.
Moreover, when the lesion is still red, it can be treated with many different therapeutic approaches, all of them more or less effective.
Among the various proposals oriented to treatment of red stretch marks, Biodermogenesi® is probably the preferred one, as it does not act with preliminary damage to the skin, albeit minimal, as peeling, dermabrasion, needling, radiofrequency and lasers do; moreover, it is the only therapy that does not prohibit sun exposure or restrict the patient’s lifestyle for some months.
Other reasons to prefer Biodermogenesi® over other therapies are the absolute lack of pain during the sessions, the total absence of side effects, even the minimal ones, the pleasure of the therapy, similar to a manual massage, and the new-found ability of stretch marks to tan [03, 04, 05, 06], thus returning the stretch marks extremely similar to the surrounding healthy tissue.
References:
- Adam Hague, Ardeshir Bayat. Therapeutic targets in the management of striae distensae: A systematic review. J Am Acad Dermatol Vol 77, number 3, September 2017:559-568
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2017.02.048 - Raquel Cristina Tancsik Cordeiro, Aparecida Machado de Moraes. Striae Distensae: physiopathology. Surgical & Cosmetic Dermatology 2009;1(3):137-140.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286949690_Striae_distensae_Physiopathology - Antonio Scarano, Andrea Sbarbati, Roberto Amore, Eugenio L. Iorio, Giuseppe Ferraro, Felice Lorusso, Domenico Amuso. A New Treatment for Stretch Marks and Skin Ptosis with
Electromagnetic Fields and Negative Pressure: A Clinical and Histological Study. J Cutan Aesthet Surg. 2021 Apr-Jun; 14(2): 222–228. doi: 10.4103/JCAS.JCAS_122_20: 10.4103/JCAS.JCAS_122_20 - Bacci PA, Alberti G, Amuso D, Artigiani A, Benitez Roig V, Di Nardo V, Garcia-Gimenez V, Greco D, Laura S, Pagano M, Reale A, Sarracco I, Saracoglu S, Urbani C, Venditti E, Wade M, Zunica R. The synergy between vacuum and electromagnetic fields in the treatment of striae distensae: retrospective study on 917 patients with clinical and histological case records A possible treatment for striae distensae. Journal of Applied Cosmetology, Vol. 39 iss. 1 (January-June, 2021): 43-54. ISSN 0392-8543
- Alberti G, Laura S. Treatment of stretch marks aged more than twenty years with the synergy of electromagnetic field and vacuum. Clinical case studies and subsequent follow up. Aesthetic Medicine 2019; 5(1)14-21.
- Veronese S, Bacci PA, Garcia Gimenez V, Canel Micheloud CC, Haro García NL, Sbarbati. A. V-EMF therapy: A new painless and completely noninvasive treatment for striae gravidarum. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2024;00:1-8. doi:10.1111/jocd.16220
