Microneedling
Skin & laser
Sterile needles creating thousands of controlled micro-channels so the skin repairs itself with new collagen, at a depth chosen for your concern.
from $349 About Microneedling →
Concern · Body
Stretch MarksWhat it is, and what we can do about it.
Stretch Marks, or striae, are scars formed in the dermis when skin is stretched faster than its collagen and elastin can adapt, appearing first as raised red or purple lines and maturing into flat, pale, slightly indented bands; they are permanent structural changes that can be made significantly less visible but not removed.
- Nurse-practitioner-led
- Plan before treatment
- 444 Holland St W, Bradford
Alex Dinovich, FNP-PHC Nurse Practitioner & Medical Director · Licence #13564840
02 · The honest version
The honest version
of stretch marks.
Striae on the abdomen, thighs, breasts and arms, why they are scars rather than surface marks, and what improvement realistically looks like.
- -Red or purple lines that are slightly raised and sometimes itchy
- -Older marks that are pale, silvery and slightly sunken
- -Bands running across the abdomen, hips, thighs or breasts
- -Marks on the outer thighs, knees or shoulders after a growth spurt
- -Skin within the marks that feels thinner or has a different texture
- -Marks that catch the light differently from surrounding skin
Every face is different. This page is the general picture. What is actually happening on your skin is something a nurse should look at up close, in clinic light, before anyone recommends a treatment.
Does it get worse? That depends on the concern and on you. It is a reason to start early, not a reason to panic - and we will tell you plainly where you are rather than where a treatment plan would be easiest to sell.
What a stretch mark actually is
Skin can stretch. It does it constantly, and within limits it recovers completely. The dermis, the layer beneath the surface that contains collagen and elastin, provides that capacity.
When skin is stretched faster than the dermis can adapt, those fibres tear. The body repairs the damage as it repairs any tear, by laying down scar tissue, and that scar tissue is structurally different from the skin around it. It has less elastin, differently organised collagen and often fewer of the normal skin structures. Because it sits in the dermis rather than on the surface, it is permanent.
This is why stretch marks feel different, catch light differently and do not respond to exfoliation or to products applied on top of them. They are not marks on the skin. They are scars within it.
The two stages
Striae rubrae are the early stage: red, pink or purple, often slightly raised, sometimes itchy. The colour comes from blood vessels visible through skin that has thinned at that point, and the marks are still actively remodelling.
Striae albae are mature: pale, silvery-white, flat or slightly indented, with a fine wrinkled texture. Vascularity has reduced and the scar has settled.
The practical implication is straightforward. Newer marks are more responsive to treatment because the tissue is still biologically active. If you are looking at red or purple marks now, that is the better window.
Why they happen to some people and not others
The trigger is mechanical: rapid change in the volume the skin has to cover. Puberty growth spurts, pregnancy, rapid weight gain or loss, significant muscle gain from training. Corticosteroids, whether applied to the skin over long periods or taken systemically, weaken dermal collagen and make striae considerably more likely.
But the strongest predictor is genetics. Individual variation in dermal structure determines how much stretch a person’s skin can absorb, which is why two people with identical pregnancies can have entirely different outcomes. Nobody earns stretch marks and nobody prevents them through effort.
What treatment can and cannot do
We want to be plain about this, because stretch marks are an area where overselling is common.
Treatment does not remove stretch marks. What it can do is remodel the scar tissue so that it becomes closer in texture, depth and colour to the skin around it, which makes the marks considerably less noticeable. On newer marks the improvement can be substantial. On old, wide, pale marks it is more modest.
Improvement also takes a course of treatments rather than one session, and body skin heals more slowly than facial skin, so timelines are longer.
The treatments we offer
Microneedling creates controlled micro-injury at the level where the scar exists, prompting new collagen production and gradual remodelling. It is our usual starting point for stretch marks: it works at the right depth, downtime is limited, and it is appropriate across a wide range of skin types.
CO2 laser resurfacing ablates tissue in a fractional pattern and drives a stronger remodelling response, which can produce more change in texture. It involves real downtime, and on richly pigmented skin it carries a higher risk of post-inflammatory pigment change, which we will discuss with you honestly rather than in the small print.
Morpheus8 delivers radiofrequency energy beneath the skin through microneedles, remodelling deeper tissue and addressing skin quality and mild laxity, which often accompanies striae on the abdomen after pregnancy or weight change.
A note on how you feel about them
Stretch marks are extraordinarily common, and they are a record of your body doing something, whether that was growing, carrying a child, gaining strength or changing shape. If they do not bother you, there is nothing here that needs fixing.
If they do bother you, that is legitimate too, and there are real options. We will tell you honestly what they can achieve on your particular marks, including when we think the improvement would be too modest to justify the cost.
04 · What we actually offer
Three things, and
what each one does.
These are the ones we use for stretch marks. Not every face needs all of them, and we will say so. The goal in every case is the same: treat the cause, not the photograph.
CO2 resurfacing
Skin & laser
An ablative fractional laser that removes columns of damaged skin so the surrounding tissue heals into something smoother and firmer.
from $1,199 About CO2 resurfacing →
Morpheus8
Skin & laser
Microneedling combined with radiofrequency energy delivered at depth, aimed at laxity and contour rather than at the skin surface.
from $499 About Morpheus8 →
Every plan is personalised. Which of these you need, in what order and how often, is decided after a nurse has looked at your skin - not before. We will also tell you when a treatment is wrong for you, and we say it before you book.
05 · What actually happens
Come in as you are.
Nobody here will
react to your skin.
If you have been putting this off, this section is for you. A consultation costs you nothing and commits you to nothing - you are allowed to walk out having booked absolutely nothing.
- Sheli greets you at the front desk
She is the one who answers the phone and the texts, so you will already have spoken to her. No clipboard interrogation in the waiting room.
- A nurse looks at your skin properly
In clinic light, up close, with your makeup off if you are wearing any. This is the part people dread and it takes about a minute.
- We ask about the history, not just the face
When it happens, what you had noticed before it happened, what you have already tried and what made it worse. Bring your current products if it is easy.
- You get a written plan and a real price
What we would do, in what order, and what it costs - including the option of doing nothing yet. If a treatment is wrong for you, we say so here, not after.
- You decide in your own time
Nothing is booked in the room unless you want it booked. No deposit, no pressure, no offer that expires on Friday.
Always so kind and personal. Took the extra time to make sure I was comfortable.
06 · Straight answers
Stretch Marks, asked
and answered.
The questions people actually ask us on the phone, answered the way we answer them on the phone.
Can stretch marks be removed completely?
No. Stretch marks are scars in the dermis, and no treatment currently available removes them entirely. What treatment can genuinely do is make them significantly less noticeable by improving their colour, texture and depth so they blend better with surrounding skin. We would rather you heard that before spending money than afterwards, and any clinic promising removal is not describing the biology accurately.
Does the colour of a stretch mark matter?
It matters a great deal, and it is the single best predictor of how well treatment will work. Red or purple marks, called striae rubrae, are newer and still have active blood supply and ongoing remodelling, which means the skin is still responsive. Pale silvery marks, striae albae, are mature scars with reduced vascularity and collagen, and they respond more slowly and less completely. Treating early gives you a better outcome.
Do creams and oils prevent stretch marks?
The evidence for prevention is weak. Stretch marks form in the dermis, well below where a topical product acts, and the strongest predictor of whether you get them is genetics rather than what you applied. Keeping skin comfortable and hydrated during pregnancy or a growth phase is a reasonable thing to do for its own sake, but we are not going to tell you a cream will prevent them.
Why did I get them when my sister did not?
Genetics is the dominant factor. Individual variation in the structure and resilience of dermal collagen and elastin determines how much stretch skin can absorb before tearing at that level. Hormonal factors, particularly corticosteroids, influence it too. Two people can go through identical pregnancies or growth spurts and have completely different outcomes, and neither did anything right or wrong.
How does microneedling help?
Microneedling creates controlled micro-injuries in the dermis, which triggers a wound-healing response that lays down new collagen in and around the scarred tissue. Over a course of treatments this can improve the texture and depth of the marks and reduce how sharply they contrast with surrounding skin. It works on the actual level where stretch marks exist, which topical products cannot reach.
Can laser treatment be used on stretch marks?
Fractional CO2 laser resurfacing can be used to remodel scar tissue and improve texture on stretch marks. It involves genuine downtime, and on body skin, which heals more slowly than facial skin, that needs careful discussion beforehand. It also carries a higher risk of pigment change in richly pigmented skin, so candidate selection and settings are important.
Should I treat them during or after pregnancy?
After. Several of these treatments are not appropriate during pregnancy or while breastfeeding, and stretch marks continue to change on their own for a considerable period after delivery as they mature. Your clinician will discuss appropriate timing with you, and if you are pregnant now, the answer is to wait rather than to start.
Is treatment worth it?
That is genuinely your call, and it depends on how much the marks bother you and how realistic your expectations are. Improvement is real but partial, treatment involves a course rather than a single session, and results are usually better on newer marks. We would rather have that honest conversation at the consultation than have you feel you were sold something.
Where this comes from
Check it yourself.
We would rather you did not take our word for any of this. These are the sources behind what is written above, and none of them are ours.
07 · Often confused, often alongside
Not sure it's
stretch marks?
Concerns are regularly mistaken for one another - and they rarely turn up entirely alone. These are the ones that sit closest to it.
08 · The next step is small
Let a nurse look
at it properly.
A stretch marks consultation costs you nothing and commits you to nothing. You will leave knowing what your skin is doing, what we would do about it, and what it would cost - whether or not you book anything.
- Address444 Holland St W, Unit #2
Bradford, ON L3Z 0G1 - Phone647-333-6805
- Emailinfo@bradfordskinclinic.com
- HoursMon, Tue, Thu 9am-7pm
Wed 9am-5pm
Fri, Sat 9am-4pm
Sun Closed
Bring three things. Whatever you are currently putting on your face, a rough idea of when it is at its worst, and any questions you have written down. That is genuinely all the preparation we need.
Makeup is fine either way. If it is easier to arrive with it on, arrive with it on - there is a mirror and a cleanser in the room.
4.9 · 460 Google reviews