well as i gained some weight, my breasts went up a cup size, but my skin wasn't ready for that... and we all no what that means :mad:

stretch marks...

do they go away once the weight is gone.. or does it depend on how long they were there or anything, or will they NEVER go away???

anything i can do? :gl: to me...

As I have come to understand it, if you are really good about moisturizing, it can help to minimize them. I have had strtch marks for...11 years from a growth spirt during puberty, and I still have them every bit as bad as I did at 12. I know that isn't what you wanted to hear, but if you find a miracle cream that works, let me know! :D

As I have come to understand it, if you are really good about moisturizing, it can help to minimize them. I have had strtch marks for...11 years from a growth spirt during puberty, and I still have them every bit as bad as I did at 12. I know that isn't what you wanted to hear, but if you find a miracle cream that works, let me know! :D

ok well let me ask you this.... mine are kind of a purplish color... does the color go away, just so you can see the mark, or does the color stay??

ok well let me ask you this.... mine are kind of a purplish color... does the color go away, just so you can see the mark, or does the color stay??

I have some stretch marks...they used to be purple. Now they are the same color as the surrounding skin and are barely visible. That should make you feel a little better.

I have some stretch marks...they used to be purple. Now they are the same color as the surrounding skin and are barely visible. That should make you feel a little better.

it does... they are mainly on the side and would be able to see them if i wore a bathing suit :o but that makes me feel better! thanks

ok well let me ask you this.... mine are kind of a purplish color... does the color go away, just so you can see the mark, or does the color stay??

Mine are flesh colored now.

Since your stretch marks are still purple it is the best time to try to treat them, they will eventually turn silvery - and blend into your skin, but I have heard that Retin-A can make a difference, I was told to use it after I had my baby, but I never got the chance. You will have to go to the dermatologist though because it has to be prescribed to you. Good Luck.

There is also a 20 % glycolic solution that is supposed to help by a line called Novita Spa....

http://www.bebeautiful.com/detail.aspx?ID=7041

I got pretty fat pretty quickly in college and my sides are covered in them. Mine (I'm a guy, for the record) are a couple of years old now and are actually silvery/pink also and do stand out from the skin. I'm told I should have treated them when they were new, but I've been putting Vitamin E lotion on them recently and I'm waiting to see where that goes.

I think there's some Retin-A in the house, I may try that out.

I got pretty fat pretty quickly in college and my sides are covered in them. Mine (I'm a guy, for the record) are a couple of years old now and are actually silvery/pink also and do stand out from the skin. I'm told I should have treated them when they were new, but I've been putting Vitamin E lotion on them recently and I'm waiting to see where that goes.

I think there's some Retin-A in the house, I may try that out.

i bought some vitamin E cream today from walmart... we will see if that helps if i can't get to a dermatologist...

From what I understand from the articles Ive read about stretchmarks, yes, indeed the best time to treat is when they are still reddish. With laser, you can get a very high success rate of getting rid of them. But once they are fleshtone the chances or getting rid of them are slim to none.

From what I understand from the articles Ive read about stretchmarks, yes, indeed the best time to treat is when they are still reddish. With laser, you can get a very high success rate of getting rid of them. But once they are fleshtone the chances or getting rid of them are slim to none.

thank you :claphigh: i am starting the lotion on them tonight when i get out of the shower.... i will put it on there as often as i remember throughout the day

I have really bad stretch marks. I got them first through lifting and then through gaining fat, I think more due to poor skin than incredible periods of growth. Mine are for the most part still purple and after hearing this I'm gonna make some initiative to start being more vigilant. I had used a product called Strivectin, I didn't use it quite long enough to get the results but I am thinking of starting again. It's touted as a miracle cure for stretch marks. The catch? $140 a bottle, that lasts about a month, and I'm looking at no less than 2 months. Also apply 3x a day. AND, the user reviews I've read online are inconclusive. Some people claim great results, others say its a total rip. This could entirely depend on how vigilant people were about using it but it is unsettling...

I had heard that lasers didn't really work well - not true?? I would seriously consider using them. My dreams of being skinny and all are seriously overshadowed by how bad my stretch marks are.

For reference, they first appeared under my armpits and like across the front of my shoulder. Now? All across the front of my stomach in arranged rows, all along my sides. The space between the top of my side marks and bottom of my pit marks is probly only 3-4 inches. I have dense patches of little marks that start from my shoulder and prettymuch cover my bicep, just short of my elbow. I have marks that run from the front of my chest along the edge of my pit and onto my arm that are like 1/2 inch wide at points and so thin in skin that you can practically see whats going on underneath. Sorry to get so graphic but I had to get it off my chest.

As I hear it, these will probly stop growing in response to weight loss but will not get or look any better. My oldest stretch marks are back to a flesh color but thats like 2.5 years old, 90% are still nice and fresh.

Ladies, I'm not looking for undue sympathy or morale boost, but relative to how much I'd be willing to spend to fix them, how unattractive are stretch marks? To take the extremes, if they were a 100% nonissue for women I would do very little, but if they were the absolute worst thing possible I would spend quite a lot of time remedying them as best I could. Where would you assume they rate in between these extremes? I don't think stretch marks would ruin a girls physique for me, especially having them myself and knowing how it is, but at the same time I'd sure admit that I'm a big fan of girls' nice smooth belly, and I know that mine feels like I've been a burn victim. Sorry to drag on, its just an important topic to me :)

try tanning them. it will help make it less noticable.

I would at least got to 3 different doctors for a consultation and see what they tell you. Youve got nothing to lose. I think it would yield far better results then the strivectin.

a tan helped for me....I got them like crazy all over my body and the tan makes them much less noticable.

I went to a doctor like two weeks ago specializing in, well it looked like Botox judging by some of the perma-smiles in the office, but he also did a lot of laser skin work. He told me that the lasers they use are only good for fresh stretch marks (still purplish) and will reduce the color greatly, but not the length or depth. His price was $300 for 15 minutes, which he said would be enough to get both my arms (like biceps) and into my shoulders a little bit.

They also heavily recommended Strivectin, and I told them about the bad press I had heard and my wariness at the price tag. Their explanation was that the bad press had come from people attempting to use it to reduce wrinkles and lines on their face. For financial reasons the company has decided to market it as "Better than BOTOX!" and focus primarily on that market. That's where 90% of their sales are coming from now. Apparently it is not a miracle cream for faces by any means. However, it was initially developed as a strectch mark cure, and apparently works quite well in reducing color, length, and depth - especially with new marks. The woman I talked to said she used it and it worked for her, twice a day with real results coming around after about 2 months. They were NOT selling Strivectin in any form, and put no pressure on me to sign up for anything, it was a totally free consultation. So I got some and have been going faithful, I will let you know how it works but everything I've read said it does take some time before the results really show.

Ladies, I'm not looking for undue sympathy or morale boost, but relative to how much I'd be willing to spend to fix them, how unattractive are stretch marks? To take the extremes, if they were a 100% nonissue for women I would do very little, but if they were the absolute worst thing possible I would spend quite a lot of time remedying them as best I could. Where would you assume they rate in between these extremes? I don't think stretch marks would ruin a girls physique for me, especially having them myself and knowing how it is, but at the same time I'd sure admit that I'm a big fan of girls' nice smooth belly, and I know that mine feels like I've been a burn victim. Sorry to drag on, its just an important topic to me :)

Should I post my stretch mark pics and see how many people gag?

I hate them, hate them, hate them.

Funny... as a guy I never thought this topic would affect me... but I removed some body hair yesterday and bam! Stretch marks, on my hips. Nothing that noticeable, in fact, if you don't look close, they might as well not be there, but still... I was kind of in awe that I actually had them. Of course, my waist was about 8" larger than it is now...

Actually, the tanning is a good tip. I don't usually tan my stomach, because I'm too embarrrassed to actually expose the stretch marks, but with the self-tanner I used, the marks are quite a bit less noticeable.

I'm about 40lbs under my peak weight and have had two babies as well. Mine run from under my arms to my breasts and on my abdomen where I still store the spare tire. They only appear once you contract.

The best medicine for them is TIME. They do eventually go away if they are not re-used. The ones from the two babies in two years are pretty much gone (my youngest is six years old), but have only vanished this year. The ones from areas where I expanded when I was much fatter and took off weight in 2001 are fading fast. I think this happens because our bodies completely remodel themselves about every 7 years.

I'm not exactly fair skinned and tan incredibly fast, so I don't sweat it much. I also have loose skin, so the marks are not so much the issue for me as the Shar-Pei effect.

Most of the celebs you see have them too - they just hide them with tanners and careful lighting, etc. Even if they have not had babies or cycled in weight, many very skinny folk get them at puberty when they get their growth spurts.

Anyway, just think of all the smooth-skinned folks out there who are the size and tone that you used to be. Do they have stretch marks? Probably not. :rolleyes: Would they kill to swap bodies with you without the work? Probably. :nod: They are a badge of honor and a mark of progress! :tucool:

Here's my experience with stretch marks:

*They do show up when you are overweight but are hard to see.

*They will eventually go away after you loose weight. I used a moisturizer daily but some of these newer treatments are probably better.


It's strange to think of men as having stretch marks. That's something that I always expect women to have; our cross to bear but, Duh! Of course men would have them too if they had been overweight.

Bo, I wouldn't get too worried about yours. A woman who wouldn't like somebody because he has stretch marks is too much into looks over substance.

just as a note...
when they are still all ugly and purple you have a chance to minimise their later appearance...

if you go for the vitamin E...
best bet is to just get the pills/capsules and break them open.
it works better than lotions with E added, IMO.

i'm very fair skinned, and so the silver colour mine are now are barely noticeable.