If you have stretch marks and all the creams and lotions have had very little effect on them, you may want to speak with your doctor about stretch mark surgery. You will have to do a little bit of homework before you even find a surgeon you can trust.
If you know someone who has had some good plastic surgery done and they were satisfied with the results ask them for a referral. If you do not know someone then make sure whomever you choose is a board certified plastic surgeon and then ask for references or to look at before and after pictures of work they have done in the past.
Once you find a good surgeon then call and make and appointment to talk about what you want done. They will listen and tell you about the options available. Some of the things they may discuss with you are tummy tuck, dermabrasion treatments and laser surgery.
A tummy tuck might be an option if there is also saggy skin as well as stretch marks on your abdomen. The surgeon will stretch the skin and cut off the excess before suturing the incision closed. This is a major surgery so be sure to discuss the risks involved. You will probably go home with a drain or two in place to keep fluid from building up in the incision. This aids in healing.
The thing about a tummy tuck and stretch marks is that the tummy tuck may actually create stretch marks unless you treat the skin as you would during pregnancy to help it stay soft and supple to minimize the development of any new stretch marks.
The second option of stretch mark surgery your doctor will discuss with you is dermabrasion treatments. This can be a very painful form of treatment where the skin is frozen and the layers of skin are scraped away with an abrasive tool leaving the skin underneath raw and sore.
Laser surgery is the next option you could discuss with your doctor. During the laser treatment the laser is positioned over an area of stretch marks and then pulsed several times until the area of the stretch marks begins to shrink. You may need several treatments in order to reduce the stretch marks.
There is minimal pain or discomfort involved with this procedure so no anesthesia is used. The most you will feel is a stinging sensation that leaves the area feeling like it is sunburned.
After any of these procedures there is a time of healing that needs to take place from just a few days to a few weeks. It varies with every procedure with the recovery time for the laser treatment being the least.
Make sure you know the cost as well as the risk of stretch marks surgery before you make any decisions. Most likely anything you have done will not be covered by your insurance because these procedures are considered cosmetic in nature, so you will need to make payment arrangements or have the money saved up to pay in full for the procedure you choose.
