01:31 PM CDT on Wednesday, June 14, 2006

By Dr. David Marks / CBS News

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Courtney Wellet, although she’s 4-years-old, has already left an impression with her mother—stretch marks.

“They were very large, very wide, very saggy skin. it kind of just ruined my belly,” said Debbie Wellet.

CBS News

New treatment called Fraxel is being used on stretch marks

Wellet’s stretch marks got so bad after her pregnancy, she didn’t want to show her stomach to anyone.

Stretch marks usually occur after a rapid weight loss or gain and they are frequently associated with pregnancy.

There’s no cure for stretch marks, but dermatologists are discovering a new treatment called Fraxel is

Improving the skin.

“We’ve had a lot of success in treating stretch marks to date.  Were finding an average 50 to 75 percent improvement in stretch marks with a series of 3 to 5 treatments,” said Dermatologist, Dr. Mitchell Chasin.

Fraxel is FDA approved for age spots and wrinkles around the eyes.

But it is not approved for stretch marks and there are no large-scale studies proving it is effective.

Dr. Chasin said the eye doesn’t lie when it comes to the final results.  “There are some individuals that will find improvement right after the first treatment, others will take about 4 to 6 weeks to see the change

but the improvement continues for up to six months.”

Wellet said she has seen an improvement after four sessions of Fraxel.  “I’m very happy with the results that I have.”

Each treatment takes less than an hour, and costs about $600.