THE PROBLEM

My daughter is aged 15 and has some strange red marks on the tops of her arms, hips and shoulders, she is self-conscious about them I want to help her, can you advice?

MY ADVICE

I have encountered these problems many times. This was a problem that I helped with prior to this lockdown.

I was able to see the young girl, who it seemed had had a growth spurt and the red marks were stretch marks, which are quite common in both males and females during puberty, also during pregnancy.

Elastic fibers in the skin can be weakened during the growth spurts and they look like red or pink lines or streaks across the skin. In time they will lose their colour and look more silver.

The best time to treat stretch marks is when they are red or pink.

I was able to treat the stretch marks very effectively using the crystal method of microdermabrasion over a short course of treatments. I also recommended to use a body oil twice a day. Bio Oil is excellent for this and not too expensive.

For more difficult stretch marks I use a combination of microdermabrasion, micro needling or IPL.

Completely getting rid of stretch marks is not always guaranteed, but if treated at the right time you can really improve the look of them.

I do recommend that all teens should apply a body oil or lotion after showering daily as it can really help to prevent stretch marks during growth spurts. Also during pregnancy when the skin is stretched quickly. 
Japanese Camellia Oil by Elemis is a safe oil to use during pregnancy. Another lovely oil is Clarins Tonic Oil.