stretch marks, do they go away?

CamaroGurl · Tue, April 13th, 2004, 10:14 PM

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

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?

to me...

Chim-Chim · Tue, April 13th, 2004, 10:24 PM

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!

CamaroGurl · Tue, April 13th, 2004, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chim-Chim

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!

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??

mattyt · Wed, April 14th, 2004, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CamaroGurl

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.

CamaroGurl · Wed, April 14th, 2004, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattyt

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

but that makes me feel better! thanks

Chim-Chim · Wed, April 14th, 2004, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CamaroGurl

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.

CrysmBug · Wed, April 14th, 2004, 11:13 AM

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.

Lisa Stone · Wed, April 14th, 2004, 01:41 PM

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

derm · Wed, April 14th, 2004, 02:10 PM

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.

CamaroGurl · Wed, April 14th, 2004, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by derm

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...

AndiMAC · Wed, April 14th, 2004, 09:05 PM

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.

CamaroGurl · Wed, April 14th, 2004, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndiMAC

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

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

Bo Jones · Thu, April 15th, 2004, 06:11 PM

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

piel2000 · Thu, April 15th, 2004, 09:58 PM

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

AndiMAC · Wed, April 21st, 2004, 12:46 AM

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.

jfreels · Tue, April 27th, 2004, 02:33 PM

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

Bo Jones · Tue, May 18th, 2004, 05:17 PM

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.

guava · Tue, May 18th, 2004, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bo Jones

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.

Bluestreak · Wed, May 19th, 2004, 08:50 AM

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...

guava · Wed, May 19th, 2004, 11:22 AM

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.