Ematrix or Thermage for stretch marks?

Our office has many different treatments for scars depending on the depth of atrophy or hypertrophy. Scars require a combination approach using our HI DEF protocol which uses a combination of lasers, topical scar modulation, and RF treatments to pixelate scars, improve contour, reduce hyperpigmentation, and improve the visibility of the scars so that they are no longer visible in ambient light. Everyone has a unique pattern of scarring and we employ our HIDEF technique to improve texture, color, contour, and topography. We often use a combination of treatments that begin with a careful examination to examine the micro texturing of the acne scars. Atrophic scars and indented scars can benefit from injectable fillers such as Radiesse, Sculptra, and Restylane with or without subcision to remove tethered scars and atrophic depression. Hyper-redness in scars can be improved with V beam laser, Excel V, BBL, IPL, and Venus RF to improve the redness and reduce the visibility of deep scars. Fractional Thulium laser and clear & brilliant can also reduce the inflammation and redness of the scar when combined with topical therapy. Fractional lasers such as Fraxel, erbium, and CO2 laser can be combined with radio frequency and also fractional RF to improve textual issues and microtopography. Subcision and TCA cross are also used for deep ice pick scars and narrow valley scars in order to improve the micro texture. Above all, our combination approach with our clinical nurses and board-certified plastic surgeons can improve the quality of your skin by using at home Melarase creams combined with PRP treatments in our office to improve your skin quality and tone. I recommend getting a formal evaluation with an experienced team of experts in order to reduce your scarring.

Finally, hyperpigmentation of scars can be improved with at-home Melarase AM, Melarase PM, and Melapads to help reduce active PIH and melanin deposition.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Stretch marks are very difficult to treat, so to think they can be fully removed with any nonsurgical procedure will set you up for disappointment.

For improvement, you need to think in terms of "progressive action".  A fractional resurfacing treatment like eMatrix is a viable choice to help blend the normal skin with the scarred skin. Fractional lasers allow areas to be treated that otherwise could not be treated with full surface ablation.

To see improvements, you need to commit to a series of treatments over an extended period of time to spur new collagen growth and hopefully cause some pigment migration. If you have skin with a pigmentation level that would mean you could see post treatment hyperpigmentation, then you also need to use pigment suppressing products. Otherwise you could see dark areas against the stretch mark making them appear even more prominent.

Thermage is a skin tightening procedure and won't have the ability to actually affect a stretch mark.

As to pain levels, eMatrix and other fractional modalities can be of varying energy levels which affect personal pain tolerance.

 

Thank you for posting this question regarding eMatrix and stretch marks.The procedure may give some improvement but not anything that will be dramatic to you or the clinician observer. I recommend that you not get eMatrix for that indication at the present time until more data is available. Best,Dr. Karamanoukian