Table 1.
A table summarizing the studies available for topical treatment for striae distensae and the levels of evidence for each study
| Author | Treatment | Type of treatment | Type of striae | Dosage | No. of subjects | Outcome | Adverse effects | Study design | Level of evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kang45 | Tretinoin vs. placebo | Therapeutic | Rubrae | 0.1%, Daily, 6 months | 22 | Reduced length and width of SD with tretinoin. No significant difference in dermal collagen and elastic fibres in treatment compared to placebo. | Erythema or scaling first 2 months (55%) | RCT | 2 |
| Rangel34 | Tretinoin | Therapeutic | Not stated | 0.1%, Daily, 3 months | 20 | 20% reduction in length of SD. Significant improvement from baseline. No control and norandomization. | Erythema or scaling in first month (55%) | Case series | 4 |
| Mallol35 | Trofolastin (Centella Asiatica) vs. placebo | Prophylactic | Not stated | Daily, 12th week pregnancy until labour | 80 | In women with a history of SD during puberty, the treatment cream gave a significant absolute prevention of SD during pregnancy compared with the placebo (89%). | None stated | RCT | 2 |
| Ud‐Din39 | Silicone vs. placebo | Therapeutic | Not stated | Daily for 6 weeks | 20 | Increased melanin, decreased haemoglobin, collagen and pliability with both gels. Collagen levels were significantly higher and melanin lower with silicone gel compared to controls. | None stated | RCT | 2 |
| de Buman36 | Alphastria vs. placebo | Prophylactic | Not stated | Unknown | 90 | 10% in prophylactically treated compared to 70% in placebo treatment developed SD. | None stated | RCT | 2 |
| Osman37 | Cocoa butter vs. placebo | Prophylactic | Not stated | Daily, 12–18 weeks gestation until delivery | 175 | No significant difference in development of SD between groups. | None stated | RCT | 2 |
| Buchanan52 | Cocoa butter vs. placebo | Prophylactic | Not stated | Daily, 12–15 weeks gestation until delivery | 300 | No significant difference in development of SD. | None stated | RCT | 2 |
| Taavoni38 | Olive oil | Prophylactic | Not stated | Twice daily, 18–20 weeks gestation, for 8 weeks | 70 | No significant difference in development of SD between treatment and control groups. | None stated | RCT | 2 |
| Timur53 | Almond oil with massage vs. almond oil alone vs. control | Prophylactic | Not stated | Cream very other day, 19–32nd week gestation | 141 | Significant difference in frequency of SD between groups: almond oil and massage 20%, almond oil alone 38.8%, control 41.2%. | None stated | Non‐randomized comparative study | 3 |
| Pribanich46 | Tretinoin | Therapeutic | Not stated | 0.025% daily for 7 months | 11 | No difference between treatment and controls. | None stated | Double‐blind controlled study | 2 |
| Hexsel47 | Tretinoin vs. dermabrasion | Therapeutic | Rubrae | 0.05% daily for 16 weeks | 32 | Both treatments effective but no difference between treatments. | Pruritus, erythema, scaling | Prospective randomized open‐label | 2 |