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Dr. Lisa Masterson: This is something every woman deals with after pregnancy.
Dr. Andrew Ordon: It's not just women and pregnancy but
Dr. Lisa Masterson: Weight gain -- Dr. Andrew Ordon: Exactly.
They're scars in the skin, in the dermis, from a rapid
stretching of the skin.
Typically with weight gain, weight loss, pregnancy
what happens is you actually form scar tissue in the dermis. Men get it
typically on their back.
There's really only one treatment
out there now it's a factional CO2 laser that you're seeing in the
animation that light energy actually oblates the epidermis
stimulates the dermis to form new collagen which will bring up that
depressed skin and form new epidermis. It will make it better, it won't get rid of it 100 percent,
but this is a new laser, the fractional CO2 laser;
this is our best bet for stretch marks.
Dr. James Sears: Does it hurt? That's what I want to know.
Actually, for some, if it was a big area,
we would sedate you. Otherwise we use what we call the
chiller.
We hold a real
cold stream of air and that numbs the skin...it works pretty well.
Dr. Lisa Masterson: And I'll tell you, I've had it done and it stings. James Sears: But it's worth it probably. Dr. Lisa Masterson: It's worth it. It's actually worth it.
Dr. Travis Stork: So it actually lightens the stretch marks so you really have to get in close to see them or is it...
Dr. Lisa Masterson: Exactly, which is a huge improvement if you have really dark stretch marks. Dr. Andrew Ordon: And I'm glad you brought that up.
It's best for lighter skin, but you can do it for all skin types
and it's not just one treatment. You have to be prepared for three to four
treatments
space over a few weeks.
Dr. Travis Stork: So that's good news for people with stretch marks because you don't have to live with it,
you can fix it