Stretch marks are a totally normal part of aging and nearly everyone has them. Nothing to be ashamed of. A lot of people will have those same “tiger stripes”.

However…if we don’t want to be stuck with them, we shouldn’t have to be. 

This post is focused on microneedling as a treatment for stretch marks, removing or reducing them to reveal healthy, clear, youthful skin. 

What is microneedling?

Microneedling is a simple, minimally invasive treatment where tiny needles are pressed into the skin to start the normal healing process.  It’s called “collagen induction therapy”.

It sounds scary! But they are really small needles – just millimeters long. 

Microneedling as a process is older than most laser treatment. It’s still in use today because it is inexpensive and effective for a lot of different skin conditions, including: 

• acne scars
• fine lines
• skin laxity or sagging
•  hair thinning or hair loss
• large pores
• sun damage
• stretch marks 

Basically, they just take the affected area that they’re trying to treat, put the needles into it using either a derma roller or derma pens, and then the body’s healing processes take over and heal the skin. In the healing process, which can take up to six week, the skin sets about elastin production and growth of collagen. All of this results in skin that appears younger and healthier than what came before. 

It’s a super simply cosmetic procedure compared to a lot of other skin treatments, affecting only the top layer of the skin and requiring basically no down time. Micro needling is a great way to invest in overall skin health.

Luckily, it’s a super effective treatment for stretch marks specifically, partially because of the causes behind stretch marks. 

What causes stretch marks?

Stretch marks (or “striae distensae”) happen when your body is expanding faster than your skin can grow normally. 

It often occurs as a result of rapid weight gain, growth spurts, or pregnancy.

That’s where mine came from! I know a lot of pregnant women and moms know where I’m coming from here. 

When that quick growth happens and the skin can’t expand fast enough, the skin stretches and you end up with damaged connective tissue that we call stretch marks. 

Because it’s a skin growth issue, stretch marks can occur anywhere on the body and in all skin types. It’s basically a type of scar.

There will be a lot of variety in the severity of the stretch marks – they can be thin slivers or much wider. Typically new stretch marks are purple marks (called “striae rubrae”) . Old stretch marks will turn pale or silver.

Can microneedling be used for stretch marks?

Yes!

Stretch marks can be reduced or removed through microneedling. After needling, the body’s natural response will lead to the elastin production and collagen production that will diminish your stretch marks. 

Complete stretch mark removal takes multiple treatments, and newer stretch marks that are still purplish will respond faster than old stretch marks. 

Best results generally come from 4-6 treatments spaced a month apart. They are not instant results! They develop slowly over almost six weeks. However, you will see improvements in the appearance of stretch marks after each individual treatment, and you would still see improvement if you opted for only one or two treatments.

For each treatment area, you can get optimal results from skin needling for a fraction of the cost of getting full-on cosmetic surgery. 

Because of the quick, healthy turnover of skin cells that occur as a result of skin needling, that easy, natural elastin production is available to everyone. 

What are the outcomes of microneedling for stretch marks?

I have to tell you – I am suspicious of the pictures that I see on social media or on Pinterest. There is one particular Pin that goes super viral that is definitely fake based on my own experience with microneedling my postpartum stomach. 

But while I was researching this topic a few years ago, I found this blog post that linked to photos taken out of a peer-reviewed scientific journal. 

Those researchers aren’t photoshopping! So that was what convinced me to actually give this a shot. 

Newer stretch marks respond quickly to microneedling and will disappear more quickly than older stretch marks. For me personally, though, my youngest child was 3 when I started doing this and all my stretch marks were silver, and it still worked. I had to be a little more patient. 

The image below is what that blogger posted — this is the result of only one treatment!

Can you do microneedling for stretch marks at home?

Yes! The blog post I linked above gives directions for doing so. 

If you feel like you can do this yourself, or if it’s not affordable to you to do it in office (cost info is in the next section!), you can do this at home. 

You have a couple options for microneedling tools: you can get a dermaroller for under $20, or you can buy a device for dermapen treatments. 

If you get the dermaroller, you’ll get about 4-6 uses out of each one. (Other bloggers say 10-12 but I always bent the needles! Maybe you’ll do better than me.) 1.0 mm length is about right for stretch marks–that’s what I linked above.

I started with the dermaroller to make sure I could actually do it to myself and wouldn’t wimp out, but after I had gone through a few dermarollers and seen results, I spent the money for a microneedling device–I got the dermapen.

I do think I get a more effective treatment out of the dermapen, and it’s much easier to keep clean and sanitary. But you should start with a cheaper device like a simple hand dermaroller to make sure that you’re actually going to continue with the microneedling pen treatments. Some people also buy a numbing cream but I never did, and the pain is bearable. 

I would point you to that blog post above for full directions (I don’t feel super qualified to give them!) But basically you put rubbing alcohol on the stretch mark area, use your dermaroller or dermapen to do your microneedling treatment, going over each area multiple times, and then use hyaluronic acid to rehydrate the area. The other blog says Vitamin C serum will also work but I don’t usually do that and I’ve still seen desired results. 

My experience

For me, it took about 6-8 treatments each of my belly, hips, butt, and breasts to reach 90% reduction. I suspect that I would have gotten it done in fewer treatments if I had gone into a medspa to have it done by a professional, because I am definitely not a professional. But at-home microneedling cost me $200, for my dermapen, to completely resurface my body. I still treat them every once in a while to see if I can get them completely gone. 

I’m currently working on my upper arms, which have had stretch marks since puberty, and have been treating my face as well to deal with some fine lines. I don’t think I would have bothered if I had to go into an office and pay hundreds of dollars per session, but at-home microneedling is so cheap, why not? (Girl math: I bought this for my stretch marks so treating my fine lines is free.)

Because it’s such an effective treatment that’s been useful in so many different skin concerns, I would totally recommend it. One of the best parts is how it has firmed up the skin surrounding the stretch marks, too. 

Should I get it done in an office? What does microneedling for stretch marks cost? 

Okay, but I 100% recognize that not everyone is able to put needles into themselves (even little fine needles!). 

​You can definitely get a microneedling session from a treatment provider. In fact, there are a few people who absolutely should not do this at home:

• People prone to keloids or other healing challenges
• People with clotting disorders. 
• Anyone who is going to need medical advice from a healthcare provider before treatment.

Choosing to do the treatments in an office can be desirable for some people. You probably get better results from each individual treatment when it’s done by a professional. So, if you have an event you’re getting ready for you, you may have more visible results by your event if you go in office. 

There may also be areas of the body that you can’t treat effectively yourself, depending on your body shape and mobility level, or the size of the area. 

A skin care specialist in a medspa or dermatologist’s office can also do some cool “extras” to microneedling that you can’t do at home. Like 

• platelet-rich plasma (PRP), where growth factors are taken out of some of your own blood to speed your healing. 
• exosomes, which are supposed to be spread across the skin’s surface to sink into the micro wounds and nourish your skin. 
• microbotox, where Botox is mixed into exosomes and spread over the small punctures to smooth and even the skin’s texture (though this is typically on the face!)
• and radiofrequency, which has been very popular lately combined with microneedling. “RF” is supposed to make microneedling more effective by adding heat. No one seems sure how much this increases effectiveness, however. 

The best practitioners can also mix custom topical formulations of the above and even more ingredients that will meet your own custom needs. 

All of these trendy new skin treatments are highly reviewed and hard to do to yourself, but they’re available in offices. 

As for the actual cost in 2024 in large and smaller cities(real costs, from reputable medspas): 

• In New York City, microneedling costs $365 for one session
• In St. Louis, microneedling costs about $350
• In Madison, WI, microneedling costs about $325

I was honestly so surprised at how little the costs varied from large urban areas to smaller cities and suburbs. In fact, I looked at a lot of suburban medspas, planning to include those costs for this article, and was surprised to find that I couldn’t find an option in Coral Gables, FL (population 50,000) that wasn’t $400+ — more expensive than NYC! 

So if you’re looking to have it done in-office, you’re probably better off in a city. 

Microneedling is also available on Groupon. I won’t say to never consider Groupon….I’ll just say that you need to make sure that a spa is scrupulously clean before you decide to go there on a Groupon. Remember that you are making HOLES in your SKIN. If it’s a clean place and you feel comfortable, then it’s all good. 

​How long is downtime after microneedling?

For most people, a few hours where you look like you’ve had a significant sunburn: a simple rash with slight swelling that should go away the same day. 

If you had an unusually deep treatment (and if you do this in office, they should discuss this with you before beginning the treatment!) you may experience some lasting redness, almost like bruising, under the skin for 3-4 days. For stretch marks, this is not usually a significant issue and you can plan to wear clothing to cover it for those days. 

Microneeding absolutely should not weep, continue to bleed, or release any fluids after treatment. If you see any of these symptoms, apply an antibiotic ointment and see a doctor. 

What are alternative treatments for stretch marks?

If you truly can’t bear the idea of dermapen treatments or needles in your skin in the first place, at home or in an office, there are other options. 

If you have a significant amount of excess skin in addition to your stretch marks, some people may opt for surgical procedures like the tummy tuck instead. These surgeries can be good treatment options for people with more excess skin than can reasonably be firmed up by microneedling, or for people who are looking for more instant results. For the stomach specifically, it can also help women with diastis recti postpartum, as the muscle repair can be built into the surgery. However, surgical options will be much more expensive than microneedling and will require more recovery. 

Laser therapy can be effective for stretch marks. It’s generally more expensive per treatment than microneedling is, and you’ll experience about the same amount of pain. Laser can be very effective for many different skin issues and I have done it myself to address blood vessels on my face. But generally, it gets set to one wavelength for a treatment and treats only that one issue, so you end up paying for more treatments in the long run. (I was disappointed to learn I was going to need to pay for another session to address sun damage!) People with darker skin tones should be caution about lasers, as they are generally developed for white skin. 

Chemical peels are also effective! You need a fairly deep chemical peel to address stretch marks, and that can lead to significant downtime. Chemical peels can also be done at home, but in my opinion you can make a lot more mistakes with peels than with microneedling. To potentially burn the top layer of your skin or damage the treated area is a significant risk, and the possible side effects have put me off attempting a deep chemical peel at home. 

All of these are good options for some people — microneedling was simply the best option for me. 

Getting microneedling? Finally brave enough to order the dermapen? Let me know in the comments.

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