Between 75% and 90% of women develop stretch marks to some degree during pregnancy. The sustained hormonal levels as a result of pregnancy usually means stretch marks may appear during the sixth or seventh month, primarily during the 3rd trimester, as that is when skin tends to be subjected to higher levels of stretching forces. Often, of all the factors involved in stretch mark development, the only one over which an individual can retain control is that of diet.
Only one randomized controlled study has been published which claimed to test whether oils or creams prevent the development of stretchmarks. This study found a daily application of a cream (Trofolastin) containing Centella asiatica extract, vitamin E, and collagen-elastin hydrolysates was associated with fewer stretch marks during pregnancy.[7][8] Another study, though lacking a placebo control, examined a cream (Verum) containing vitamin E, panthenol, hyaluronic acid, elastin and menthol. It was associated with fewer stretch marks during pregnancy versus no treatment.[9]
Though cocoa butter is an effective moisturizer, no research studies have shown its ability to either prevent stretchmarks, or to reduce their appearance once a stretch mark has already formed.
Various treatments are available for the purpose of improving the appearance of existing stretch marks, including laser treatments, dermabrasion, and prescription retinoids.[citation needed] Some cream manufacturers claim the best results are achieved on recent stretch marks; however, few studies exist to support these claims.
A study in the journal Dermatologic Surgery showed that radiofrequency combined with 585-nm pulsed dye laser treatment gave "good and very good" subjective improvement in stretch marks in 33 of 37 patients, although further studies would be required to follow up on these results. In addition, the use of a pulsed dye laser was shown to increase pigmentation in darker skinned individuals with repeated treatments.[10]
A surgical procedure for removing lower abdominal stretch marks is the tummy tuck, which removes the skin below the navel where stretch marks frequently occur.
A new modality, fractional laser resurfacing, offers a novel approach to treating striae. Using scattered pulses of light only a fraction of the scar is zapped by the laser over the course of several treatments. This creates microscopic wounds. The body responds to each treatment by producing new collagen and epithelium. In a 2007 clinical trial, 5-6 treatments resulted in striae improving by as much as 75 percent.[11] A 2007 Brazilian clinical study showed that fractional laser resurfacing improved both texture and appearance of mature, white striae in skin types I-IV.[12]
A recent study of new modality for the treatment of stretch mark published in the Journal of Dermatological Treatment. The study entitled “Treatment of striae distensae with a TriPollar radiofrequency device: A pilot study" by Dr. Manuskiatti et al - See full article[1] was done on seventeen females with stretch marks that underwent six weekly treatments with the apollo™ system (Pollogen LTd.). Results showed that at one week after the final (sixth) treatment 38.2% and 11.8% of the patients were assessed to have 25-50% and 51-75% improvement in the appearance of their stretch marks, respectively. The long term effect of the treatment was confirmed during the 6 weeks follow up which showed that a higher percentage of the patients were rated to have improvement of their stretch marks, including 26.5% and 5.9% showing 51-75% and >75% improvement, respectively. None of the participants was rated as having no improvement in their clinical appearance of stretch marks. Patient satisfaction was also measured and 65% of patients reported that they were very satisfied with the treatment, 23% were satisfied and 12% were slightly satisfied.
