Stretch mark cream treatment with tretinoin

Stretch marks: they are caused by progressive, continuous stretching on the skin. Tretinoin cream (stretch mark cream): improves the elastin and collagen in the skin and inhibits the breakdown of collagen caused by ultraviolet light. A major study was done with 22 patients with stretch marks, 10 were treated with stretch mark cream and 12 with a base cream.

Stretch mark cream

The treatment consisted of applying the tretinoin cream once a day for 6 months. 1 stria was designated as a “control stretch mark”. During each check, the length and diameter of the stretch marks were measured. Before treatment, after 2 weeks, after 4 weeks and then every month, the stiae were analyzed by the researchers, evaluating the color, the wrinkle, the sunken and the consistency of the stretch marks. All patients also had some skin removed from the stretch marks before and after treatment. This was used for histological examination and analysis of collagen and elastin. 80% of patients treated with tretinoin showed clinical improvement in stretch marks (only 1 patient in the group treated with the base cream alone also showed improvement). The length and width of the stretch marks showed a significant improvement in the tretinoin group compared to the basic group. In particular, the consistency and sunken aspect of the skin improved enormously. Histological research also shows a strong improvement in the elastin and collagen in the stretch marks.

Additional research into the treatment of stretch marks

Additional studies are still ongoing into the treatment of stretch marks with carboxytherapy country microneedling whose preliminary results are very promising. More information about tretinoin cream Literature Kang S, Kim KJ, Griffiths CEM, Wong T-Y, Talwar HS, FisherGJ, et al. Topical tretinoin (retinoic acid) improves early stretch marks. Arch Dermatol 1996; 132:519-26.