Stretch Mark & Scar Therapy

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People with scars and stretch marks often feel very self-conscious. While most scars are caused by acne, trauma, or a surgical procedure, most stretch marks are caused by weight gain, bodybuilding and pregnancy. Yet, whether scar or birthmark, and regardless of how they occurred, most people who have them find them distracting at best and disfiguring at worst. To find out if Stretch Mark and Scar Therapy is right for you, schedule your consultation with Dr. Schafer today by calling his San Diego office at this toll free number 800-810-5449 or you can schedule an appointment online.

In the past, treatments produced temporary results with the scars or marks gradually becoming visible again. New advancements continue to yield better treatments, and one of the latest is FDA-approved ReLume, a light-based therapy that banishes hypopigmented scars by stimulating melanin production making the scar less noticeable.

ReLume uses intense focused light to stimulate the skin's melanin production, changing the skin's pigmentation. Where hypopigmented skin looked lighter than the skin around it, after ReLume the scar slowly begins to retain the natural skin color and blends in with the rest of your skin.

Before	After

What Are ReLume Treatments Like?

ReLume treatment consists of a series of sessions ­ typically one per week for six to twelve weeks. Noninvasive and painless, ReLume treatments only take about 30 minutes. With the convenient location of our San Diego center, treatments can easily fit into a busy schedule, and with no downtime, patients can get right back to their normal lives and activities.

ReLume uses a patented light-based system featuring computer-controlled, fiber-optic technology. This distributes intense, therapeutic light directly to the affected area, thereby triggering the melanin production.

ReLume treats any skin surface that has lost pigmentation such as scars and birthmarks as well as vitiligo, burns and skin grafts. Most people can expect to have 75% of the skin pigmentation returned to its natural color.

Risks and Complications

There are very few risks and complications with ReLume. Some people may experience a mild redness or tenderness of the skin, but this normally subsides after a few hours.

Treatments most popular in the past for treating hypopimented scars and stretch marks included dermabrasion, cryosurgery (freezing), excision, steroid injections and the use of topical creams and ointments. While these were part of the standard care, their results ranged from fair to minimal with recurrences commonly seen after many of the treatments. ReLume changes all of that, providing dramatic and long-lasting improvements.

For people with visible scars or stretch marks or any other condition that includes a loss of pigmentation, ReLume can reinstate color, thereby helping to mask skin imperfections and helping existing marks to blend in with surrounding areas.