I got some stretch marks about a year ago that are raised on my hips. They have turned white since, but they're still raised =( It makes them look even worse. Does anyone know typically how long it takes for strech marks to completely flatten?

I have the exact same thing on my hips. They have been there for more than a year now and they' re still red and raised so I' m not sure if they will flatten with time. What is for sure is that stretch marks really don' t look that bad after a few years and you can still do laser surgery (if you' re rich) later on. I' d like to know the answer to your question as well though, as raised marks in the light really look bad.

Try keeping your skin hydrated, that is what i do and most of the time it tends to look better. I got stretch marks near my biceps and my shoulders and they dont look that great. I've been putting vitamin E (from the gell pills) on the stretch marks and i think it is helping a bit but i've only been putting it on for like a month or 2 so i can't really say =S. yea about the stretch mark thing, it is with you for ever unless u have money like xyz101 said for that laser surgery, so i guess u just have to accept them like i did XD. Most importantly drink a lot of water to keep your skin hydrated and put some lotion on that contains vitamin e!!

I saw my dermatologist about the fact my stretch marks were raised and he said that was very normal. I had stopped using Retin-A on my stretch marks because one night I put it on, and I swear it looked worse the next day. He told me to just be persistent and keep putting on the Retin-A. I've been putting it on for abouit 5 days now again, and I can definitely see some great results. Goign to continue applying the retin-A. My stretch marks are 1 year old, and they still are very raised, he said I'm still looking at another 6-12 months before they flatten. Although with the retin-a use they look drastically better within less than a week.

But one of the other posters was very right, in most cases stretch marks really don't look too bad at all once they've faded. For me I'm going to use retin-a until the marks completely fil in (or I'll probably use it for the next year to get as goo dresults as possible, Retin-A is covered under my prescription coverage). Hopefully that will completely fill them in, then I will start an exfoliating regimen on them to try and normalize the color of them as much as possible. It has been said that Retin-A only works on very new stretch marks, but I'm trying them on some mature ones for several months to see if it has any benefit.

Also, the whole using moisturizer after you have gotten stretch marks in order to improve their appearance is ridiculous. There is absolutely no truth to that statement. You need to use something which stimulates collagen growth and remodels the skin. No over the counter moisturizer will do that. You need something that goes to the deeper layer of your skin. Retin-A goes very deep, similar to laser surgery, although the results are not as immediate. The only thing moisturizing can do though, is temporarily make the stretch marks look good (for as long as the moisturizer is on the skin) because it prevnets the stretch marks from ggetting extremely red.