Moving to Dubai was a wonderful new chapter in your life. From the moment you first touched down in the city, you have enjoyed every moment spent in the city to the fullest extent. You confess to having enjoyed the good life a bit too much – you have gained a bit of weight, and it has caused a new problem. You now have stretch marks on your arms, hips and thighs, and you are looking for a good stretch marks treatment in Dubai.

What are stretch marks?

Stretch marks are most commonly seen in – and believed to happen only to – pregnant women. However, they can happen to anyone who has abrupt weight gain or loss, or even a predisposition to the problem.

• Basically, stretch marks appear when the elastin fibres in the skin give way. Elastin fibres are present in the dermis. When they break down, the blood vessels just beneath them become visible and irritated. At this stage, the affected skin looks reddish and thinner, with a slight gloss. In a few days, the blood vessels contract and the skin becomes paler and shinier, because the pale fat cells around the site become visible. The stretch marks soon become whitish in colour, with the skin looking streaked and slightly upraised.
• This phenomenon is most common during pregnancy, when the skin on the hips, abdomen and thighs is stretched beyond its usual elastic capacity. It can also happen to people who take medication containing corticosteroids, which prompts the adrenal glands to produce high levels of the cortisone hormone. This hormone weakens the elastic fibres and increases the possibility of getting stretch marks.
• Sudden phases of weight gain may stretch the skin out and cause stretch marks. Similarly, skin that is already stretched in a person with a certain weight, may become loose when the person loses weight. During the weight loss period (as also during weight gain) there are certain hormones produced by the body that may affect elastin fibre strength and dexterity.

How can they be removed?

There are several advertisements in the mass media for skin creams and gels that claim to keep the skin elastic enough to prevent stretch marks. Most of these advertisements are aimed at pregnant women, with the cream or gel to be applied from the second trimester onward. However, most creams or indeed, topical medication, are not quite effective in tackling stretch marks. The skin’s own defences must be activated with a good stretch mark treatment to eliminate the problem entirely.

Is there a stretch marks treatment in Dubai?

Here’s the good news: there are some good stretch mark treatments in Dubai’s premium skin care clinics and private hospitals. We recommend going with treatments that force the skin’s own defences to heal the problem.

This is how it’s done: the dermatologist studies the skin and the existing stretch marks, and recommends Carboxy therapy, Mesotherapy or Bipolar Radiofrequency either individually or in combination.

Carboxy therapy: It starts the skin’s repair process, where the doctor injects a small dose of Carbon Dioxide to the affected area. In response, the body rushes extra oxygen to the spot to remove the excess carbon dioxide. When this happens, the skin is refreshed with the infusion of oxygen, and repairs the broken collagen and elastin fibres that cause the stretch marks. The infusion of oxygen also prompts new collagen to be produced for complete removal of the stretch marks.

Mesotherapy: It is a therapy in which the doctor administers a shot of various vitamins into the dermis using a tiny needle. The skin uses these nutrients to heal the problem areas. The skin cells are activated to repair broken tissue and elastin fibres, and prompt the production of fresh collagen. The stretch marks are gradually removed over time.

Bipolar Radiofrequency: This therapy uses a fractional radio frequency targeted below the skin’s surface to activate the growth of new collagen. The skin becomes more supple and tauter, thus reducing the appearance of stretch marks. The skin’s uneven texture is also improved.

There you have it – the best stretch mark treatments in Dubai that can banish the unseemly marks left behind on your skin.