One question before the rest
What colour are your stretch marks? Red, pink or bluish means they are fresh and still vascularised. White and pearly means they are mature.
This distinction decides everything: the realistic scope of improvement, the choice of method, and whether it is worth hurrying. We describe it in the first section, because without it the rest of the page says little.
On this page
Two stages: red and white
Stretch marks go through two phases, and it is not a matter of shade but a difference in tissue structure. In the literature they are called striae rubrae and striae albae.
Fresh, red
Active phase, usually up to a few months
Colour ranging from pink and red to bluish, sometimes with a purple tinge.
The tissue is still vascularised, hence the colour.
The surface can be slightly raised, and it sometimes itches.
Active remodelling is under way, so the body still responds to the stimulus.
The scope for possible improvement is greatest at this stage of the whole process.
Mature, white
Established phase, usually after a year or later
Colour white, pearly, sometimes with a sheen.
The blood vessels have withdrawn, and the tissue is poor in vascularisation.
The surface is usually concave, clearly demarcated from the skin around it.
The scar is established, and remodelling is complete.
Improvement is possible, but it is smaller and requires longer therapy.
Practical conclusion: with red stretch marks, the scope for possible improvement is clearly greater, because the tissue is still pliable and the body is in repair mode. This does not mean that nothing can be done with white ones. It means that if your stretch marks are still red, this is the best moment you will have.
What happens in the skin
Skin tolerates stretching up to a certain limit. Beyond it, the network of collagen and elastin fibres in the dermis tears, while the epidermis above the gap stays continuous, just thinner. That is why a stretch mark is not a wound: through it you can see the changed tissue underneath.
1
Tension exceeds the skin's strength
Skin stretches to a limit set by the network of collagen and elastin fibres in the dermis and by its current condition.
2
The network of fibres tears
The damage affects the dermis. The epidermis above it stays continuous, just thinner, which is why no wound forms.
3
Inflammatory and repair response
Inflammation and increased blood vessel formation appear at the site of the tear. This is the phase when the stretch mark is red and responds best to treatment.
4
Filling with repair tissue
The gap is filled with tissue that has a different fibre arrangement: more parallel and less elastic. The blood vessels withdraw, and the stretch mark fades and turns white.
The tissue that fills the gap has a different fibre arrangement to the skin around it: more parallel, less elastic, and with fewer blood vessels once healing is complete. This is why a stretch mark reflects light differently and stays visible even after the redness has gone.
When they form and in whom
Stretch marks are not the result of neglect and say nothing about how well someone looks after themselves. They form when the rate of change in body volume exceeds the skin's ability to adapt.
Pregnancy
The most common circumstance. Rapid growth in the volume of the abdomen and breasts coincides with hormonal changes that weaken the skin.
Puberty
A growth spurt together with a hormonal surge. Stretch marks also appear in boys at this time, most often on the back and thighs.
Change in body weight
Both weight gain and rapid weight loss. When losing weight, stretch marks that formed earlier become more visible, because the skin loses volume.
Building muscle mass
Rapid increase in circumference from strength training, most often on the arms and chest.
Hormonal disorders
Excess glucocorticoids, whether internal or from treatment, including long term use of topical steroids.
The most common areas are the abdomen, breasts, hips, buttocks, thighs and arms. The tendency is largely genetic, which is why one person may develop no stretch marks at all after pregnancy, while another develops them despite slow weight gain and consistent skin care.
The role of hormones, not just stretching
Stretching alone does not explain everything. If it did, stretch marks would form in everyone at the same rate of volume increase, and that is not the case. The second factor is hormones, primarily glucocorticoids.
An excess of these, whether internal or from treatment, weakens collagen and elastin synthesis. The skin becomes less resilient, so it tears under less strain. This explains stretch marks during puberty, with hormonal disorders, and with long term steroid therapy, including topical steroids.
When stretch marks are a symptom, not an aesthetic problem
Stretch marks that appear suddenly, are very wide, purplish, and occur in many areas at once, without pregnancy or a change in body weight, require medical assessment. They can accompany endocrine disorders. In this situation, the first step is diagnostics, not a treatment.
What can realistically be achieved
This is the most important section on this page, and it is deliberately placed before the description of methods. Without it, it is easy to buy a series of treatments with an expectation that no method will meet.
What is achievable
Reduced visibility: a shallower indentation and a more even surface.
A more even skin tone compared with the surrounding skin, especially with red stretch marks.
Improved skin quality and firmness in the treated area.
Halting the worsening of fresh stretch marks, by supporting the repair phase.
What we do not promise
Complete removal. A stretch mark is a scar, and a scar stays.
Results after a single treatment. Therapy is delivered as a series, and changes build up over months.
The same result for everyone. The skin's response is individual and depends on genetics.
Preventing new stretch marks, if the factors that caused them persist.
The extent of improvement depends on the age of the stretch mark, its width and depth, the area of the body, and the individual response of the skin. That is why at the consultation we talk about the expected direction of change, not percentages. Stretch mark therapy is by nature delivered as a series and spread over months.
Methods, and what each one targets
All methods share one common principle: controlled tissue damage that triggers remodelling. They differ in depth, the strength of the stimulus, and skin recovery time.
Microneedles deliver energy to the dermis, at a controlled depth, while keeping the epidermis intact. One of the methods most often considered for stretch marks, because it works exactly in the layer where the problem lies.
Red and white
Fractional ablation with a clear stimulus for remodelling. Considered for established, wide stretch marks, where a stronger stimulus is needed. Requires a longer skin recovery time.
Mainly white
Fractional micro ablation with the narrowest thermal zone, so the shortest healing time among ablative methods. A choice when a quick return to everyday activities matters.
Red and white
Micro punctures combined with the introduction of a preparation. A gentler stimulus, more often used for fresher stretch marks and as part of combined therapy.
Mainly red
Intradermal administration of nourishing and moisturising preparations. Does not remodel the scar, but improves the condition of the skin around it, which affects how the stretch mark looks.
Support
Platelet-rich plasma and fibrin
Preparations from the patient's own blood, focused on regeneration. Considered as part of combined therapy, strengthening the repair response after a fractional treatment.
Support
Work on the skin's surface and tone. For stretch marks, a supporting approach, not a standalone solution.
Support
Methods are sometimes combined, and with stretch marks this is more the rule than the exception: one works on the structure of the scar, the other on the quality of the skin around it. The order and intervals are set after assessing the skin, not from a preset scheme. We describe the principle of staged planning under combined therapies.
Home care: what makes sense
The question about creams comes up almost always, so we answer directly. Topically applied preparations will not remove an existing stretch mark, because they cannot rebuild the torn network of fibres in the dermis. They do, however, have two sensible uses.
Prevention, while the skin is still intact
During periods of rapid change in body volume, regular moisturising and preparations that improve skin elasticity make sense as support. They give no guarantee, because the tendency is genetically determined, but this is the only time when skin care can work preventively.
Support for procedural therapy
Well hydrated skin with a stable barrier responds more evenly to further sessions. Skincare does not replace the treatment, but it affects its course and the comfort of healing.
What products cannot do
They will not rebuild the broken network of fibres in the dermis, because they do not reach it in a concentration that could rebuild anything. Claims about removing stretch marks with cream should be read with caution.
A separate note on pregnancy and breastfeeding: some active substances, including retinoids, are contraindicated during this time. This is not a minor detail, because stretch marks most often form during this period. Skincare during pregnancy should be agreed with your attending doctor, not chosen based on the description on the packaging.
When a medical assessment is needed
Stretch marks appeared suddenly, are wide and bluish, without pregnancy or a change in body weight.
They occur in many areas at the same time, including places where the skin was not stretched.
They are accompanied by other symptoms: a change in the distribution of fatty tissue, muscle weakness, high blood pressure, menstrual disorders.
They appeared during long term treatment with steroids, including topical ones.
The stretch mark changes in an unusual way: it hardens, becomes raised, ulcerates or starts to bleed.
A consultation with a cosmetologist is free with us, and it is the right first step when it comes to assessing stretch marks and choosing an approach. In the situations listed above, we refer you to a doctor before treatment, not after it.
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NL Clinic, Katowice
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Last updated
15 August 2026
This material is informational in nature and does not replace a consultation or qualification.
The questions we are asked most often
Can stretch marks be removed completely?
No, and no method will do that. A stretch mark is a scar, and a scar stays in the skin permanently. The realistic goal is to reduce its visibility: shallowing the indentation, evening out the colour and improving the quality of the skin around it. With red stretch marks, the extent of this improvement is clearly greater than with white ones.
When is the best time to start?
As early as possible, while the stretch marks are still red. At this stage the tissue is still vascularised and active remodelling is under way, so the body responds to stimulation better. This does not mean there is no point doing anything about white stretch marks, but the improvement is then smaller and requires longer therapy.
Do creams for stretch marks work?
As a preventive measure they can support the skin during a period of rapid change in body volume, and it is worth using them then. On a stretch mark that has already formed, they will not work, because they do not rebuild the broken network of fibres in the dermis. Claims about removing stretch marks with cream should be read with caution.
How many treatments will be needed?
Stretch mark therapy is by nature a series of sessions spread over months. The number of sessions depends on the age of the stretch marks, their width, the body area and the chosen method, which is why the plan is created after a skin assessment at the consultation. The effect builds up gradually, because collagen remodelling continues for months after the treatment itself.
Can stretch mark treatments be performed during pregnancy and while breastfeeding?
Pregnancy and breastfeeding are a contraindication for most of the treatments listed on this page. This is disappointing, because stretch marks most often form during this time. During this period, home skincare agreed with your attending doctor makes sense, because some active substances are contraindicated then. Treatments are planned for after breastfeeding has ended.
Do stretch marks look different after weight loss?
They usually become more visible, and that is not an illusion. The skin loses fullness, so the indentations stand out more clearly, and with greater weight loss, skin laxity is added to this. In that case the plan covers not only the stretch marks but also skin firming; we describe this separately in relation to skin after weight loss.
Are stretch marks my fault?
No. A tendency to stretch marks is largely genetically determined, and it also depends on hormones and the speed of change in body volume. In one person they will not form at all after pregnancy, while in another they will appear despite slow weight gain and consistent skincare. It is not a matter of how well you look after yourself.
Where do stretch marks in teenagers who are not gaining weight come from?
From a combination of a growth spurt and hormonal changes. An excess of glucocorticoids during puberty weakens collagen and elastin synthesis, so the skin tears under less tension. This is why stretch marks also appear in slim people at this age, most often on the back and thighs.
Can methods be combined?
With stretch marks this is more the rule than the exception. One method works on the structure of the scar, another on the quality of the skin around it, and products made from your own blood support the repair response. The order and intervals are decided by the skin assessment, not a ready made scheme.
Can stretch marks be a symptom of illness?
They can. Stretch marks that appear suddenly, are very wide and bluish, occur in many areas at the same time and are not related to pregnancy or a change in body weight, require a medical assessment, because they can accompany endocrine disorders. In such a situation, the first step is diagnostics, not treatment.
The content is for information. It does not replace a consultation, an examination or an individual assessment.