Laser Stretch Mark Removal and Skin Tone

Laser Treatment for Stretch Marks in London & UK »

Unfortunately the results of laser stretch mark removal vary depending upon the colour of you skin. This difference in results is based on the pigments in your skin and how your skin reacts to the laser. It has been found that laser stretch mark removal is more effective on lighter skin and less effective on darker skin.

Laser stretch mark removal aims to stimulate the skin to repair the tear and therefore speed up the healing process. This process requires energy and the pigments in darker skin actually absorb this energy a lot more readily than lighter skin so that there is less energy from the laser to act on the stretch mark. Therefore, it is less effective because it is not very powerful at stimulating the skin to change colour and fade.  It may also cause hypopigmentation, which is where the skin becomes discoloured which can look worse than the original stretch mark.

With continuing advances in technology, new lasers have been developed which can work on darker skin. One such laser is the examer laser, which stimulates melanin production in your skin. This is a dark pigment present in your skin and by stimulating its production, you can remove the light colour of the stretch marks and make it appear almost the same colour as the rest of your skin.  You need a long wave laser in order to do this because the original melanin present in the skin surrounding the stretch marks can interfere with the laser.  There is a higher risk of scarring when laser technology is applied to darker skin and therefore the risk of this procedure is higher than someone with lighter skin.

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