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Journal of Applied Cosmetology, Vol. 39 iss. 1 (January-June, 2021) 2-13
Striae distensae (SD) are dermal lesions that cause an evident and unwanted imperfection. They may occur on arms, shoulders, breasts, abdomen, gluteus, and legs, usually during puberty and pregnancy. At an early stage they feature a reddish-purple colour (striae rubrae) with an inflamed appearance; at the second stage, which is defined as the chronic stage, they are also marked by hypopigmentation and dermo-epidermal atrophy. During the past twenty years, various technologies have been put forth in the treatment of striae, which has even shown encouraging outcomes in some cases. This retrospective study has been conducted on 917 patients who presented stretch marks on their body. Patients have undergone a treatment based on the synergy between electromagnetic fields and vacuum; from 6 to 9 treatment sessions for each body area were performed once or twice a week. The clinical evaluation has been carried out at the end of the treatment cycle: patients and doctors separately rated their level of satisfaction on a scale from 0 to 100%. The outcomes have been documented by the biopsies taken on 20 patients. All patients have demonstrated an improvement of stretch marks: 83% of the patients declared being very/extremely satisfied with the result; the results of the biopsies have shown a reorganization of the skin layers and a qualitative and quantitative increase of collagen and elastic fibers. The results have been obtained in total absence of side effects. The uniformity of the results, patient's compliance and the lack of adverse reactions proved that the synergy between electromagnetic fields and vacuum is an effective and safe treatment for stretch marks.