What should you know about dermabrasion for stretch marks?

Stretch marks are lines that develop when skin stretches or changes quickly, such as during growth, pregnancy, weight change, or muscle development. Early marks may look pink, red, purple, or brown; older marks often become lighter and slightly indented. They are a type of scar-like change in the deeper skin, so removing the surface cannot restore all altered structure.

Dermabrasion uses controlled abrasion to resurface skin. It may change texture or make contrast less noticeable in a selected case, but the response depends on mark age, body site, skin tone, and healing. Temporary redness, sensitivity, crusting, infection, scarring, or darker or lighter pigment are possible.

Have the marks examined before treatment, particularly if they appeared suddenly or after using a steroid medicine. Tell the provider about pregnancy or breastfeeding, a tendency to form raised scars, cold sores, skin conditions, recent tanning, and medicines that affect healing. Ask whether resurfacing is appropriate for your skin tone and the location being treated.

Follow wound-care instructions carefully after any procedure: cleanse as directed, keep the surface protected, do not pick crusts, and avoid unapproved products. Protect healing skin from sunlight. Alternatives may include microneedling, fractional laser treatment, RF microneedling, or carboxytherapy; each has different evidence, risks, and suitability.

Contact the provider if pain, redness, warmth, swelling, or discharge is increasing rather than settling. Seek urgent care for fever with spreading redness, severe blistering, facial swelling, or breathing difficulty. Persistent pigment change or a scar that becomes raised should be reviewed before another session.

Ask whether your marks are early or mature, what improvement is realistic, and why dermabrasion is preferred over microneedling, fractional laser, RF microneedling, or carboxytherapy. Discuss the number of planned visits, wound care, pigment risk, downtime, and what happens if the result is uneven.