A Narrative Review of Current Striae Treatments

Abstract

Striae (striae cutis distensae) are a common disfiguring skin condition, characterised by the appearance of linear bands on the skin, with an atrophic look. The striae development is still unknown, being more common in women than in men. The prevalence of this condition ranges from 50% to 90%. Regarding treatment, there are various treatment strategies currently available for stretch marks, including topical preparations such as tretinoin and glycolic acid, and also laser. The goal of this work is to discover the main treatments available for striae management. For that, a search was performed based on the definition of specific scientific keywords, by exploring PubMed, ScienceDirect and Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS). MeSH thesaurus (Medical Subject Headings) descriptors were used. The results indicate that, to date, no treatment is fully effective. More clinical trials are needed to validate the efficacy of these therapies and their long-term use in this type of skin lesion.