Stretchmarks – You don’t have to live with them

Having a baby is an amazing experience for most women. But some of the ways that it can change your body are not always to be embraced. For instance, the radiant glow you enjoy during pregnancy can be overshadowed by the development of much-dreaded stretchmarks – an online survey for Babyworld, for instance, suggests 32 per cent of new mums 'absolutely hate' their stretchmarks, with just five per cent seeing them as a mark of their motherhood.

According to NHS Direct, between 75 and 90 per cent of pregnant women develop stretchmarks, usually during the sixth or seventh month of pregnancy. After childbirth they are among the most common causes of loss of self-confidence in new mums. So why hasn't anyone invented a cure yet?

“Diminishing stretchmarks is something nobody could do anything about – until now,” says Dr Georges Roman, the leading French aesthetic facial and body rejuvenation expert who practices at London's Devonshire Medical Clinic.

Dr Roman's Anti-Stretchmark Solution combines mesotherapy and Fraxel laser treatment, and is designed for women who have already given birth.

First, mesotherapy treats the superficial layer of skin, delivering natural substances required to support a healthy skin structure. Mesotherapy is a French technique that provides the skin with a selection of natural nutrients, including vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, co-enzymes and hyaluronic acid, using a gun-like device that contains lots of tiny needles.

Then the deep layers of the skin are targeted with the Fraxel laser, which stimulates cells called fibroblasts that help produce collagen. This extra boost of collagen helps plump up the skin and smooth away stretchmarks, the scar-like marks that are created by the gradual stretching and breaking of the fibres within the dermis. The Fraxel laser can also break down fat and tighten loose skin, giving new mums even more of a helping hand to regain their pre-pregnancy shape.

Dr Roman recommends two treatments for women with stretchmarks and extra 'baby' fat, at a cost of £250 per session.

Stretchmarks avoidance

Also available during pregnancy is Dr Roman's special Pregnancy Mesotherapy, which helps keep the skin soft and supple so that stretchmarks do not develop in the first place. The meso solution contains FDA-approved, 100 per cent safe ingredients for pregnant women and their babies. And instead of injecting the nutrients, Dr Roman uses a specially developed technique called epidermic mesotherapy, which gently scratches the surface of the skin, allowing the nutrients to be absorbed.

To keep skin stretchmark-free during pregnancy, Dr Roman recommends monthly treatments, costing from £150 per session.