You can fade stretch marks without surgery. We do it with two tools working together: the Aerolase 1064nm laser and medical microneedling. The laser breaks down the scarred tissue inside the mark and calms the color. The microneedling triggers fresh collagen underneath, which is the part that actually rebuilds the dip in the skin. Old silvery marks soften and blend. New red and purple ones settle faster than they would on their own.
Most areas take 3 to 6 sessions, spaced about 4 weeks apart. We treat the belly, thighs, hips, breasts, and arms. First visit is a free consult so we can map your marks, figure out which ones will respond best, and quote the package honestly. Some marks fade a lot. Some only soften. We will tell you which is which before you spend anything.
What stretch marks actually are
Stretch marks, or striae if you want the clinical word, are a type of scar. When skin stretches or shrinks fast, the collagen and elastin in the deeper layer tear. That tear is the mark. They show up after pregnancy, big weight changes, or growth spurts in your teens. Early on they look pink, red, purple, or dark brown depending on your skin tone, and they can feel slightly raised or itchy. Over time they flatten and fade to that pale silvery white. They are completely harmless. People just don’t love how they look, which is fair, and that is why they come to us.
Here is the honest framing. Stretch marks rarely vanish completely, no matter what any clinic or cream promises. What good treatment does is make them noticeably less visible, smoother to the touch, and closer in color to the skin around them. That is a realistic win, and most people are happy with it.
How the laser and microneedling work together
The two do different jobs, which is why we combine them. The Aerolase laser fires its 1064nm energy deep enough to reach the dermis where the mark lives, without burning the surface. On fresh red and purple marks it targets the little blood vessels driving that color, so the red calms down. On all marks it kicks the skin’s repair process into gear.
Microneedling comes at it from the collagen side. Tiny channels in the skin tell your body to lay down new collagen and elastin right where the old fibers tore. That is what fills and smooths the texture. The laser fires in 650 microsecond bursts, fast and gentle, which is also what makes the whole thing safe on darker skin where other lasers risk leaving dark spots behind. Most people feel warmth and a light prickle, nothing that needs numbing for the laser portion.
Red marks versus old white ones
Timing changes what we can do. New marks, the red and purple ones, are the easiest to treat because the color responds fast and the collagen is still active down there. If you have marks from a recent pregnancy or weight change, sooner is better. Old white marks are harder. The body has basically finished scarring, so we lean more on the microneedling to rebuild collagen and sometimes coax a little pigment back. They still improve, just slower and usually not all the way. We are upfront about that at the consult.
How many sessions and what shows up when
Plan on 3 to 6 sessions, about 4 weeks apart, because collagen takes weeks to build between visits. You will not see much the day after, and that is normal. The real change shows up across the series and even in the weeks after your last session as the new collagen matures. Newer marks move faster. Older ones take the full run and sometimes a touch-up. If you get new stretch marks later from another pregnancy or weight shift, a maintenance session keeps things even. We photograph the same spot under the same light every visit so the progress is documented, not guessed.
Aftercare
There is little to no downtime. The area might look pink or feel warm for a few hours, a bit longer if we did microneedling that day. Keep it out of the sun and use mineral SPF on anything uncovered, because new skin burns easily and sun undoes the work. Skip hot tubs, saunas, hard workouts, and harsh scrubs for a couple of days. No waxing or shaving the treated area right away. That is the whole protocol.
How this compares to the alternatives
| Option | Best for | Downtime |
|---|---|---|
| Laser plus microneedling | Red and white marks, texture and color together | None to a day or two of pinkness |
| Retinoid and peptide creams | Very new marks, mild cases, upkeep | None, slow |
| Morpheus8 RF microneedling | Deeper indented marks and laxity | 2 to 4 days pinkness |
| Surgery (tummy tuck) | Removing marks with excess skin, major cases | Weeks |
No row here is right for everyone. Creams help the newest marks a little. Surgery only makes sense when there is loose skin to remove anyway. For most people, the laser and microneedling combo hits the sweet spot of real improvement without downtime.
Current pricing for every treatment is published on our (see current price list).
Treatments we pair with stretch mark work
Stretch marks rarely travel alone, so the plan often borrows from a few other things we do. Microneedling is the collagen engine of the whole protocol, and for deeper, more stubborn texture we step up to Morpheus8, which drives radiofrequency energy under the skin alongside the needles. The Aerolase laser handles the color side, the same platform we use for rosacea and redness elsewhere. If old marks left uneven tone around them, hyperpigmentation treatment can tidy that up. We sequence it carefully, because doing too much at once just means more downtime and slower healing. Your plan gets mapped at the first visit, and pricing is on the price list.
Questions we get about stretch mark treatment
Can you get rid of stretch marks completely?
Honestly, almost never all the way. Stretch marks are scars, and scars don’t fully erase. What we can do is make them much less visible, smoother, and closer to your skin tone. Most people are very happy with that.
Do red or white marks respond better?
Red and purple marks, the newer ones, respond fastest because the color and collagen are still active. White marks improve too, just slower and usually not completely. Newer is easier.
Does it hurt?
The laser feels like warm prickles, around a 2 or 3 out of 10. Microneedling we numb first, so it is comfortable. Nothing that needs recovery.
How many sessions will I need?
Usually 3 to 6, about 4 weeks apart. Older or larger areas may need a few more. We give you a real number after we see the marks.
Is it safe on darker skin?
Yes. The 1064nm wavelength is the safest laser choice for deeper skin tones because it skips the surface pigment that trips up other lasers. That is the main reason we use it.
Can I treat stretch marks from a recent pregnancy?
You can, and recent marks are the best ones to treat. We do wait until you have finished breastfeeding before starting, so come in for the consult and we will plan the timing.
Where stretch marks come from, and why timing matters
Stretch marks form when skin is stretched or shrinks faster than the collagen and elastin in the dermis can keep up, so those fibers tear. That is why they cluster around the events that change your body quickly: pregnancy, puberty growth spurts, rapid weight gain or loss, and the muscle gain that comes with serious training. Hormones play a role too, which is part of why they are so common in pregnancy and adolescence. The single biggest factor in how well they respond to treatment is their age. A fresh red or purple mark still has active blood vessels and living, reactive tissue, so it responds faster and more completely. An old silvery white mark has finished scarring, so it improves more slowly and usually not all the way. If you are deciding whether to treat, sooner is genuinely better.
Stretch marks by body area
We treat the belly, thighs, hips, buttocks, breasts, knees, and upper arms. The abdomen after pregnancy is the most requested area, and it responds well when we start once you have finished breastfeeding. Hips and thighs from growth or weight change respond similarly. Breast and upper-arm marks are thinner-skinned and we adjust the settings accordingly. Very broad areas simply take more sessions, which we map out so the cost is clear up front.
What a treatment session is like
The first visit is a free consult where we map your marks, sort the responsive ones from the stubborn ones, and quote the package honestly. On a treatment day we cleanse the area, and for the microneedling portion we apply numbing first so it is comfortable. The laser pass feels like warm prickles and rarely needs numbing. A session runs from twenty minutes to about an hour depending on how much area we are covering. Afterward the skin looks pink and feels warm, a little more so where we microneedled, and that settles within a day or two.
What realistic improvement looks like
Here is the honest version that a lot of clinics skip: stretch marks rarely vanish completely, because they are scars, and scars do not fully erase. What good treatment reliably delivers is marks that are noticeably less visible, smoother to the touch, and much closer in colour to the surrounding skin. Red and purple marks often improve dramatically because the colour responds quickly. White marks soften and blend but usually keep a faint trace. Most people are very happy with that trade, and we would rather you know it going in than be oversold.
How we treat darker skin tones safely
The reason we use the 1064nm Aerolase is that it is the safest laser wavelength for deeper skin tones. It reaches the dermis where the mark lives without grabbing the surface pigment that older lasers target, which is what causes burns and dark marks on richer skin. Combined with conservative microneedling settings, this lets us treat stretch marks on all skin tones, which is not true everywhere.
What stretch mark treatment costs
Treatment is quoted per session and per area, with package pricing for the typical three to six session course, and a free consult with a written quote. Larger or older areas need more sessions, and we give you a real number after we see the marks rather than a vague range. The full menu is on our price list.
Can stretch marks be removed completely?
Almost never all the way, and anyone promising that is overselling. They are scars. We make them substantially less visible, smoother, and closer to your skin tone, which is a result most people are genuinely happy with.
Do creams work on stretch marks?
Retinoid and peptide creams can help the very newest marks a little, and they are worth using early. They do little for established or white marks, which need the collagen rebuilding that microneedling and laser provide.
How soon after pregnancy can I treat them?
Recent marks are the best ones to treat, but we wait until you have finished breastfeeding before starting. Come in for the consult and we will plan the timing.
Does it work on old white stretch marks?
Yes, just more slowly and not completely. Old marks lean on the microneedling side to rebuild collagen and sometimes coax a little pigment back, and they usually need the full course plus the odd touch-up.