Stretch marks when gaining weight, I can understand. Stretch marks when yo-yo dieting I can understand. But stretch marks from losing weight??

It's incredibly hard to find good quality information when searching google about stretch marks, because far too many people are trying to sell me the impossible. I'm pretty sure this is the truth, but I'd like to know if I should be applying a vitamin E cream after every shower for any reason when I'm losing 1.5lbs a week:

1- Stretch marks occur only when gaining weight.

2- They are associated with losing weight because yo-yo dieting can cause stretching.

3- Stretch marks are more visible when weight is lost. (I can prove this by sucking my gut in in front of a mirror.)

4- They will invent a cure by the time I have my mid life crisis. Also a cure for balding. Also a cure for aging, kthx. (Maybe a cure for a midlife crisis will do the trick!)

In all seriousness, I looked at myself in the mirror and saw red lines. I think it's just a reaction to shaving, but I am willing to be more patient if that's what my skin is asking for.

Am I correct in saying that weight loss by itself cannot cause stretch marks?

I have not heard of weight loss causing stretch marks. However, during my transformation, I gained stretch marks! It wasn't due to the fat loss, but rather the muscle gain. I got stretch marks right by my arm-pit, from my back developing faster than the fat elsewhere was dropping! So it can happen. I know that keeping up on your healthy fats and exfoliating often can help to allow the skin to regain elasticity and minimize the impact of stretch marks.

Jeremy

stretch marks definatly happen when you lose weight.

Not becuase you are stretching the skin, but becuase you already stretched it when you were overweight and now you are lossing weight, it's going loose again and the marks show.

Did I hear this right? My stretchmarks are gonna get WORSE as I lose weight?????

Did I hear this right? My stretchmarks are gonna get WORSE as I lose weight?????


possibly :confused:

My abdominal stretch marks are horrible, plus I have loose skin. It really doesnt bother me that much because I've come so far in my fitness that a little cosmetic thing like that doesnt seem to be a big issue. I'm not planning on being a Men's Health model any time soon, I just want to be in as good shape as possible for my genetics.

My doctor told me that when you lose weight rapidly, you will have stretch marks. Same thing when gain too fast, then lose it, just like women after labour.

Fuck man, I have some real serious stretchmarks all across my stomach and around my shoulders and most recently in large patches across my biceps. It's such a shitty feeling when people see them and you know they are just like "What the hell happened....". I'm looking forward to imrpoving whatever my situation is though, gotta stay focused on making it better.

Hmm... an additional point that apparently took some sleep to figure out.

I say I'm losing 1.5lbs a week, but there's no guarantee of me losing fat as slow as that, as long as I'm putting muscle on at the same time. The scale is stating the bare minimum, most likely, as I could possibly be putting on a small amount of lean mass since I lift 4x a week and eat 40/40/20, even though I'm producing a small calorie deficit at the moment.

I'm with Vortex - my stomach looks worse than it did when the skin was covering a larger area, but it really is a case of losing the battle but winning the war. I don't care hardly as much as I would had I not made massive appearence gains already. Let's see how it tans this summer.

As Jeremy mentioned, it is definitely possible to gain marks while bulking. A couple years ago, my pecs and my bicep unfortunately aquired a few stretch marks. It's funny how you feel different about gaining them under the different circumstances. I almost had to convince myself to take action to prevent further stretch marking at that point, whereas the fat gain ones caused me to resolve to change my ways almost immediately.

Every stretch mark thread has someone realising that this is a permanent imperfection. I would strongly recommend not letting this deter you too much from your fitness goals. As someone who has lost a fair bit, the best case scenario is still good. Outside of these forums, you probably have a shirt on anyway. I still get hit on about once a month from women who are strangers when I'm minding my own business in public, and THAT never happened before. :)

A friend of mine recommended a diet containing oats when bulking. He didn't mention which property assisted in the prevention of stretch marks, so this may be a bit of voodoo, but apparently it makes the skin have a bit more of an elastic property.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=54

I feel my stretch marks are getting less visible while losing weight. Maybe I'm just lucky? :jumping:

Anyways, I've noticed before that heavy lifting will definitly cause stretch marks. My theory is that we aren't actually built to work out the way some of us do, and therefore, the skin is not prepared to handle the extra volume of muscles during a heavy session in the gym. I do not believe that it is the muscle growth over time that cause the "muscle related" stretch marks, but rather the immediate reaction of a muscle under heavy stress.

This is what causes my stretch marks, when I don't get them from fat (which I hope is a thing in the past now...).

One of many remedies out there is to use Coca Butter. If you are losing weight or gaining muscle, rub a generous amount on your stomach, on your chest, by your armpits and shoulders, and anywhere else you want. This actually helps prevent stretch marks.

If you already have them, you can still use Coca Butter, or you many want to see about a product called Mederma. It is supposed to reduce scars, burn marks and stretch marks.

One of many remedies out there is to use Coca Butter. If you are losing weight or gaining muscle, rub a generous amount on your stomach, on your chest, by your armpits and shoulders, and anywhere else you want. This actually helps prevent stretch marks.

If you already have them, you can still use Coca Butter, or you many want to see about a product called Mederma. It is supposed to reduce scars, burn marks and stretch marks.

I think it's a myth. Some people use almond oil, I guess it wouldn't hurt trying.

I have pretty bad stretch marks on my stomach, and the odd few near my arm pits. I've accepted that they aren't going to go away and I guess will be a perminant reminder of how I have abused my body over the last couple of years, which will hopefully spur me on further to do something about it.

I think more people than you may imagine may have stretch marcks, you just dont see that many people up close that often. A couple of my past girlfriends have had stretchmarks on their sides despite having a reasonable figure, and if you're ever close to a girl wearing hipsters you can often make out stretchmarks around the hips/waist.

I think more people than you may imagine may have stretch marcks, you just dont see that many people up close that often. A couple of my past girlfriends have had stretchmarks on their sides despite having a reasonable figure, and if you're ever close to a girl wearing hipsters you can often make out stretchmarks around the hips/waist.

Stretch marks strike both sexes during puberty, when your skin can't adjust quickly enough to your growth. Therefore, they're quite common even among those who've never been overweight.

i have some marks, but they are slowly going away.

congrats on losing weight. for the stretch marks, i dont know of ways to turn them around except that they get better with time. also, a good tan will help camouflage them.

I have just started using a product called StriVectin, it's being marketed now as a miracle cure for eye wrinkles but was developed as an "intensive repair for existing stretch marks." My mom is a nurse and she had heard great things about it. I used it for about a month, about a month before my program start and didn't see much results but I didn't do it for quite long enough either. Hopefully this treatment in addittion to my weight loss will be a decent start. You're supposed to use it 3x a day but I can only really get 2. The major drawback here? $140 a bottle, lasts about 5-6 weeks I'd say. This stuff better work, I haven't got that big a bank to break, but I will test it out and let people know if its any good.

anyone heard of exfoliation by massage?


basically, you start off by taking a bath/shower and soaking the area.

you need 4 different lotions/creams.
- a pure aloe
- a collagen elastin lotion
- olive oil/safflower oil
- and some type of scrub, something with some grit in it, for exfoliating.

then you need massager that has flexable pegs with balls on them.

mix portions of the scrub, aloe, and oil, then put it on the area. then massage gently for 3-5 minutes. Use your own judgement, after awhile, the skin should be tingly, after that it starts to get red. You should probably stop after it starts getting red, but im no expert, and i didnt buy the program.

after that, mix aloe and collagen, and rub it into the area.

do it every 3 days or so.

this is the only thing ive heard of that sounds like it might work. Sounds more plausable then a magic cream anyways. Someone wanna give it a try, i did it like 3 times to my arm, but i just never have time when i take my shower before class.

my stretch marks from the fat are looking better, they used to be purply now they are fading.. you can see em still, but not nearly as much

w00t

I am the stretch mark Queen.

As many people pointed out, there really isn't a way to get rid of them. I have had some minor success in them fading by using Vitamin E cream. Nothing ground breaking though. I honestly don't mind them, they are a minor trade off to losing weight, becoming healthy, etc. They are marks of achievement, rather than scars.

:spaz:

Let me save you some money ! :)
having lost now 104 lbs since last week in july 03 I have gone cocoa butter route and its been huge waste of dollars. Just like everything else out there for stretch marks its scam. I was using up 5 bottles of Palmers a week to cover my stomach, my armpits, my arms, sides, etc. I actually got biggest stretch mark of my life while using it. I have not touched it since nor have I gotten anymore marks, though there is not much left to me where is isnt one. Now I just use good skin toner like aveeno and deal with fact that my fantasy of going to beach one day soon looking to die for will be abit dashed. But thats way life is, hey only alternative is ruin your life and self esteen like those women that believe in every new product in hopes looking 18 again.

Let me save you some money ! :)
having lost now 104 lbs since last week in july 03
Woah! 104?!? I just HAVE to see your before and after pictures. Where can I see some? 104 lbs is a whoooooole lot of cheese... :spaz:

Mind if declare you a god? :jumping:

I've been trying to fight my stretch marks too. I have them on my biceps and on my sides. It was caused by a rapid weight loss when I was in high school, and I have been ashamed to take my shirt off ever since. I'm a very athletic guy, so it sucks to be the only guy playing volleyball or playing football who won't take his shirt off.

But... I read a news article dated in February about a doctor in California who is doing a new type of surgery called "CoolBeam". Apparantly the laser promotes callogen growth (I guess thats why they form??? Callogen problems?) and got a little interested. I gave the office a call and talked to two seperate nurses and they claim a 75% to 100% reduction of stretch marks. Only catch? For my problems (Bicep Area + Hip Area) would cost me about $4000 dollars plus travel expenses to get to california. I asked a few more questions, and the surgery happens in a number of treatments. The $4000 is for 3 treatments and depending on your satisfaction you can choose to do more. The nurse said most people are happy by 3, but many choose to do 4 or even 5 to completely eliminate the marks. The cost is $500 per area for each additional treatment. They say light colored skin is best, and to not tan before the surgery as it cuts down on a very very rare discoloration risk (which she said they will fix if it happens I guess).

The verdict? I don't know. $4000 dollars plus travel fees is pretty steep to fix a problem... but I know if any of you are like me -- a guy who loves the pool and enjoys the sun -- it would be worth twice that. If I ever choose to get the surgery done (which I probably will after this summer), I'll repost some pictures and let you know how it goes. If you want more info do a search in google on Coolbeam, it should bringup some press about the surgery as well as the doctor's website. On the doctor's website is a pretty informative video made by a news station showing some before and after video of a patient. Pretty impressive I must say. Oh well, if anyone knows more about this then I do post away... just thought I'd let people know about some new alternatives out there to this crappy problem of ours.

Matt