Treatment for older white stretch marks

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Greetings, I have indented white stretch marks on my inner thighs. I am not interested in treating the color, I am only interested in treating the INDENTIONS. Is this something that is possible? They are all very small, but when I bend my body in certain ways - you can see the indentions, and I just don't like that at all. Please let me know if there is a way to treat these small indented, old white stretch marks. Like I said, I only want to improve the indention. (the color is hardly noticeable) Is there a laser treatment that will resurface the skin on the marks?

Hi V,

First of all, sadly, older stretch marks can be very difficult to treat. We have 2 resurfacing lasers here at Pacific Dermatology & Cosmetic Center. The first is the Fraxel Restore laser. This laser can work for stretch marks. It primarily is BETTER for the texture/indentation that you are talking about, than it is for the COLOR. It does take multiple treatments to make an improvement. There is little risk, but some patients do get a temporary brownish discoloration at the treatment site. The other laser that we have is the Lumenis Total FX CO2 laser. This is a ?bigger gun? as it totally removes the top layers of the skin that is being treated. It can be good for stretch marks, and generally takes 2-3 treatments.

For all of my stretch mark patients, I recommend that we do a ?TEST PATCH? of skin to see how you respond. Everyone responds differently. So, I would say that it would be best to come in and we can treat a small area with the Fraxel, and a small area with the CO2 Total FX laser. We would do a series of 2-3 treatments on the test patches, and then go on to treat a wider area if you are happy with the results. The cost for the test patches is bundled into the total cost for the treatment.

I would be happy to see you in consultation. We can do the test treatments when you come in, or at another appointment. Make sure that you are not tan.

Please call 206-859-5777 to set up an appointment with me.

Thanks, Sincerely

Dr Reichel

Jennifer Reichel MD
Director, Pacific Dermatology & Cosmetic Center
pacificderm.wpengine.com

11011 Meridian Avenue N Suite 102
Seattle WA 98133
phone: 206-859-5777
fax: 206-859-5776