Stretch marks occur when there is rapid growth in areas of the body, which stretch the skin and result in thin purple or white lines. They are completely harmless but, unlike other marks, rarely go away entirely without intervention. Having stretch marks can lead to a lack of self confidence for many, but are easily remediable with treatments such as skin peels and laser treatments.

Non-Ablative Fractional Laser technology is unrivalled in its ability to remove the years, and treat skin imperfection, damage and signs of aging. The use of laser has been a consolidated practice for the treatment of skin concerns in dermatology for years now, because of its targeted effectiveness.

Stretch marks develop on parts of the body experiencing rapid growth, for example during growth spurts as a teenager or throughout pregnancy. Common areas that people develop stretch marks are: the stomach, upper arms, buttocks, thighs, breasts and shoulders (in bodybuilders).

Telltale signs that you are developing stretch marks are: the skin feeling stretched, thin and becoming increasingly itchy. As the skin stretches, the middle layer of skin called the dermis tears, allowing the deeper skin layers to show through as thin purple lines. As stretch marks grow older, they go from thin, purple lines to silvery-white ones.

Pregnancy is one of the most common times of a woman's life that stretch marks appear. They usually appear in the later stages of pregnancy, and often emerge across the tummy as it grows, or across breasts and thighs.

Rapid weight gain in any area of the body can also result in having stretch marks. Common factors resulting in weight gain include: the ageing process (where muscle mass tends to become less), diabetes treatment, steroid treatment, excess tiredness and numerous hormonal imbalances.