another loose skin and stretch marks thread.

shearer_is_king

Wow mate, I am touched by your reply. Also thanks for signing up JUST to reply aswell, I'm sorry for what you went through, it sounds very tough. We are quite similar actually. In your first picture I can barely see your stretch marks. I am now using the cocoa butter cream for them aswell. I also have been told alot recently (and read online) that majority of girls won't care about stretch marks, I think it may of been mentioned in this thread too. I'm also the same, one minute I'm like yeah if a girl has a problem with my stretch marks, I'll find someone else but then not long after, I'm the opposite and think I'm doomed forever because of them. I have a couple that have faded-ish, on my sides. I literally have them everywhere though :-/ so I am too oneday considering laser surgery, I think It's expensive but still worth it at the same time. Thanks for the creams/treatments you listed, I will find out more about them. It's appreciated. And chin up mate (-: I will look out for your reply, also have a good Birthday.

Cheers bud

I tried to edit my first post to add another pic which shows the stretchmarks on my stomach in a more natural light, as you can see they are visible, kind of silver:

http://imageshack.us/a/img9/997/pbxk.jpg

like others have said they start to fade usually within a year, maybe 6 months or so if I remember.

Also I hear what you are saying about most people saying they will not be bothered by them at all, but I don't know about you but I find that hard to believe. Maybe we are to harsh to ourselves I don't know, everyone says to look at them like battle scars and to be fair you could probably say that for your arms, but the ones on your stomach, to me they represent my shame. Its like I am wearing my shame from getting overweight and that shame will never go away no matter what. I understand women get them mostly from being pregnant, and without trying to sound like its acceptable for women to get them and men not to, having these marks on my stomach make me feel less masculine for having them if you know what I mean.

Another thing I read was that girls are probably way more worried about how they look to even notice our marks, again I still think they will notice though

In the pictures I have a spot on my belly, it sounds ridiculous but that was actually from an ingrown hair because I was shaving my belly thinking I could get loads of hair to hide the marks! Spot wont seem to go away now haha. So laser treatments aside I thought two options, try and get hairy like a gorilla or put in a monumental effort and get abs/six pack. I guess if you were really toned and showing abs you can say the marks were from hard work, only then I think you could call them battle scars.

I was focusing too much on my bad stretch marks I almost forgot about some of the others I have on my legs, hips, biceps, triceps, shoulders. Maybe there is a positive from that, if I forgot about those little ones, then surely if we could reduce the worst ones to be less noticeable like the others we can keep them out of our minds. Sometimes, or should I say most the time it is pretty hard to get positive, and stay in a positive mood about them, I dwell on them way too much.

All I can say really is try not to let them get you down and be more positive, but then I am been a hypocrite because as much as I try they get to me all the time. Why does life have to be so cruel, I've seen some people who are like 30 stone and not a single mark on them!

And yes I guess you could say we are very similar, my marks looked almost identical to yours when I first got them, its a blessing they don't stay red or purple forever.

MrsBozz1

Remember everyone has their flaws. And if a woman doesn't want to be with you for such petty things as loose skin and stretch marks, she probably isn't worth your time anyways!!!

This! There are soo many more important things, like you being strong and healthy! If this would be a big deal to a girl I say :-P There are lots of girls out there who wouldn't mind. It wouldn't bother me at all!! I have stretch marks and some loose skin from having 3 babies. I don't know if the little bit of loose skin will ever go away (my babies are worth it!!) but I am older than you, at your age I'd be surprised if it didn't bounce back with a little time. My stretch marks have faded considerably, you can barely see them. Good luck on your journey! :flowerforyou:

ScottIan11

The stretch marks will fade, and the loose skin will tighten and resolve as you lose weight and gain muscle. You are so young, your skin can handle the stretching. Older persons with less skin tone have more trouble losing the loose skin. Good luck and keep going!!

I REALLY do hope you are right. Thank you!

ScottIan11

Wow mate, I am touched by your reply. Also thanks for signing up JUST to reply aswell, I'm sorry for what you went through, it sounds very tough. We are quite similar actually. In your first picture I can barely see your stretch marks. I am now using the cocoa butter cream for them aswell. I also have been told alot recently (and read online) that majority of girls won't care about stretch marks, I think it may of been mentioned in this thread too. I'm also the same, one minute I'm like yeah if a girl has a problem with my stretch marks, I'll find someone else but then not long after, I'm the opposite and think I'm doomed forever because of them. I have a couple that have faded-ish, on my sides. I literally have them everywhere though :-/ so I am too oneday considering laser surgery, I think It's expensive but still worth it at the same time. Thanks for the creams/treatments you listed, I will find out more about them. It's appreciated. And chin up mate (-: I will look out for your reply, also have a good Birthday.

Cheers bud

I tried to edit my first post to add another pic which shows the stretchmarks on my stomach in a more natural light, as you can see they are visible, kind of silver:

http://imageshack.us/a/img9/997/pbxk.jpg

like others have said they start to fade usually within a year, maybe 6 months or so if I remember.

Also I hear what you are saying about most people saying they will not be bothered by them at all, but I don't know about you but I find that hard to believe. Maybe we are to harsh to ourselves I don't know, everyone says to look at them like battle scars and to be fair you could probably say that for your arms, but the ones on your stomach, to me they represent my shame. Its like I am wearing my shame from getting overweight and that shame will never go away no matter what. I understand women get them mostly from being pregnant, and without trying to sound like its acceptable for women to get them and men not to, having these marks on my stomach make me feel less masculine for having them if you know what I mean.

Another thing I read was that girls are probably way more worried about how they look to even notice our marks, again I still think they will notice though

In the pictures I have a spot on my belly, it sounds ridiculous but that was actually from an ingrown hair because I was shaving my belly thinking I could get loads of hair to hide the marks! Spot wont seem to go away now haha. So laser treatments aside I thought two options, try and get hairy like a gorilla or put in a monumental effort and get abs/six pack. I guess if you were really toned and showing abs you can say the marks were from hard work, only then I think you could call them battle scars.

I was focusing too much on my bad stretch marks I almost forgot about some of the others I have on my legs, hips, biceps, triceps, shoulders. Maybe there is a positive from that, if I forgot about those little ones, then surely if we could reduce the worst ones to be less noticeable like the others we can keep them out of our minds. Sometimes, or should I say most the time it is pretty hard to get positive, and stay in a positive mood about them, I dwell on them way too much.

All I can say really is try not to let them get you down and be more positive, but then I am been a hypocrite because as much as I try they get to me all the time. Why does life have to be so cruel, I've seen some people who are like 30 stone and not a single mark on them!

And yes I guess you could say we are very similar, my marks looked almost identical to yours when I first got them, its a blessing they don't stay red or purple forever.

Yeah I do have a couple on my side that are silver/white. But I still find them rather visible so I hope they might fade a bit more. Honestly, your torso really doesn't look bad mate. They have faded well! I really doubt you will have trouble with getting a girl. (-: I do however also find it hard to believe when girls say they don't care about them, no matter how many times I read it haha :-/ "having these marks on my stomach make me feel less masculine for having them if you know what I mean" - I feel exactly the same. I wish I could go back to the past and slap myself lol. I too plan on getting tones, I would go for laser surgery, but it seems they are really only for the new-ish pink/red ones, some of mine are still pink/red, but by the time I can afford the ridiculous prices of laser surgery, they may have gone white. Fingers crossed it's not long until there is better technology. I have a friend that is 20+ stone, he has NO stretch marks, so he says anyway. Genetics I suppose. We were just the unlucky ones lol. Good luck anyway mate, and don't let it get you down, from those pics I can honestly say they don't look bad. (-:

ScottIan11

Remember everyone has their flaws. And if a woman doesn't want to be with you for such petty things as loose skin and stretch marks, she probably isn't worth your time anyways!!!

This! There are soo many more important things, like you being strong and healthy! If this would be a big deal to a girl I say :-P There are lots of girls out there who wouldn't mind. It wouldn't bother me at all!! I have stretch marks and some loose skin from having 3 babies. I don't know if the little bit of loose skin will ever go away (my babies are worth it!!) but I am older than you, at your age I'd be surprised if it didn't bounce back with a little time. My stretch marks have faded considerably, you can barely see them. Good luck on your journey! :flowerforyou:

True, you have both eased my mind a little. Thanks a ton for your reply, fingers crossed I won't get any, I have a long journey ahead of me.

nwg74

My stretch marks have faded in colour so they are still there but less noticeable.

ScottIan11

Sorry for going on and on and for bumping this thread, but with these new pictures, what would you say my chances are of loose skin and could I actually get these stretch marks to fade much more?








I just feel very self conscious.

ScottIan11

My stretch marks have faded in colour so they are still there but less noticeable.

That's good to know. Thanks for posting.

shadus

I've lost upwards of 800 lbs in my life (yoyo between the high 100s and low 300s)... if you lose it rapidly you will have loose skin if you lose a lot of weight, but as you stay at the lower weight longer it'll get a bit better. The end of it getting better is about the 2-3 year mark somewhere... after that I've never seen improvement except by gaining muscle mass to take up the loose skin.

The stretch marks however WILL get much better than your pictures, give them time... right now you have a lot of pink and red stretch marks, after maintaining a lower weight for a while they'll become the same color as your normal skin and won't show up much at all.

Keep at it, it only gets better... and getting in shape after you lose the weight will help get rid of any extra loose skin.

nwg74

Loose skin is when you can pinch quite a lot of skin and still be around 5mm thick. Any more than that then there is still fat.

I lost 14.5 stone in 23 months and maintained for the last 4. My back and sides have gone tight but I still have loose skin either side of my belly button. Above and below there still some fat but is also loose. One way is to lie flat on your back. when I do it, I can feel under my ribs. That is because the skin is heavy and gravity pulls it downwards. If it was tight or had more fat underneath that that wouldn't happen.

From your pics, you look like there is just fat and that will go.

ScottIan11

I've lost upwards of 800 lbs in my life (yoyo between the high 100s and low 300s)... if you lose it rapidly you will have loose skin if you lose a lot of weight, but as you stay at the lower weight longer it'll get a bit better. The end of it getting better is about the 2-3 year mark somewhere... after that I've never seen improvement except by gaining muscle mass to take up the loose skin.

The stretch marks however WILL get much better than your pictures, give them time... right now you have a lot of pink and red stretch marks, after maintaining a lower weight for a while they'll become the same color as your normal skin and won't show up much at all.

Keep at it, it only gets better... and getting in shape after you lose the weight will help get rid of any extra loose skin.

Before I was aiming to lose 3 lb a week and now I'm aiming for 1 lb a week, to help my skin. With my young age I hope it won't be too much of a problem though. Thank you for the information about stretch marks, it's good to know they get better as they bug the HELL out of me. Very helpful reply, thank you.

ScottIan11

Loose skin is when you can pinch quite a lot of skin and still be around 5mm thick. Any more than that then there is still fat.

I lost 14.5 stone in 23 months and maintained for the last 4. My back and sides have gone tight but I still have loose skin either side of my belly button. Above and below there still some fat but is also loose. One way is to lie flat on your back. when I do it, I can feel under my ribs. That is because the skin is heavy and gravity pulls it downwards. If it was tight or had more fat underneath that that wouldn't happen.

From your pics, you look like there is just fat and that will go.

5 mm? OK don't think it's quite that much, a little less I think, it still however feels like loose skin but with fat still underneath obviously. 14.5 stone? That's amazing, well done. I hope you are right anyway, thank you!! (-:

ScottIan11

Thank you everyone for taking the time to reply and thanks for the advice and help.

shearer_is_king

Yeah I do have a couple on my side that are silver/white. But I still find them rather visible so I hope they might fade a bit more. Honestly, your torso really doesn't look bad mate. They have faded well! I really doubt you will have trouble with getting a girl. (-: I do however also find it hard to believe when girls say they don't care about them, no matter how many times I read it haha :-/ "having these marks on my stomach make me feel less masculine for having them if you know what I mean" - I feel exactly the same. I wish I could go back to the past and slap myself lol. I too plan on getting tones, I would go for laser surgery, but it seems they are really only for the new-ish pink/red ones, some of mine are still pink/red, but by the time I can afford the ridiculous prices of laser surgery, they may have gone white. Fingers crossed it's not long until there is better technology. I have a friend that is 20+ stone, he has NO stretch marks, so he says anyway. Genetics I suppose. We were just the unlucky ones lol. Good luck anyway mate, and don't let it get you down, from those pics I can honestly say they don't look bad. (-:

Sorry for delay in replying got caught up in other things, and funny enough have not really thought much about the marks for a while now probably been so busy, but now they are playing on my mind again dammit!

To be honest, and I wish I had pics of mine when they were new they looked horrible, and in some locations worse than yours, I guess that is some encouragement to show how much they have faded.

As for the laser options I understand the dilemma, same for me financially it would take some time to save that spare money, and for you the rest would have faded too, but fear not - the laser options I mentioned before especially the Fraxel laser one apparently works really well on new and old stretchmarks. Now I don't want to sound like some sales rep or anything so really do consider any options first. Sometimes I read those pages claiming the laser can zap the stretch marks away and I almost get suckered into believing them, my main concern is where they show before and after pictures of their clients who have had the laser, I have seen a few different companies showing the same photos so to me that looks a bit odd. If I ever did want laser and had a consultation I will be requesting photos that look more authentic.

Hope things are going well for you

grentea

I'm a girl, and I would not mind stretch marks on a guy. I have a few that I got when I went through puberty, but they have faded a lot. I think staying hydrated is something that should help your skin remain elastic as well as proper nutrients. They will probably fade with more time.

John27Doe

Hi, I'm a 16 year old male with stretch marks ALL OVER my body my stomach, sides of my body, armpit areas, all the way down my arms, and in the pubic region...I'm so embarrassed of myself, I can't even where a t shirt in gym without my marks showing so I have to use my moms makeup without her knowing... I'm 6ft 1 and 280lbs... I just don't get how I have so much when I have a friend that's like 6ft 2 and literally 340 lbs and I've never seen ONE stretch mark on him. I just need someone to give me advice because I think about everyday that I've ruined my life from having these and being embarrassed for the rest of my life. I've been starting to go to the gym and have lost about 10 lbs in 2 weeks, I intend to go more so I can lose more weight, I just think that my life ahead will be horrible because I can't even take my shirt off at my own house without being embarrassed (

kellymac518

palmers makes a cocoa butter formula specifically for stretch marks... it is marketed towards pregnant women but works for anyone really. i've used it and it made the color fade to my normal skin color. granted the marks are still there when you look more closely, not completely gone, but are less noticeable. i'd say its a huge improvement in my opinion.

Synamin

sorry you must get these threads alot. but i need some help/advice/some confidence put back in myself. my aim is to lose 5 stone, I am just over half way. I feel little bit's of loose skin on my lower tummy and under my arms, but I can definitely feel fat under there. those little lumpy things lol. anyway is this normal? if i can pinch loose skin now, does that mean i'm gonna get it? i can only pinch about 1cm or so. my overall weight goal will be 70lb, i have been told that most loose skin is common when someone is losing 100lb or more?

with stretch marks, i have them ALL over stomach, sides, under my arms, shoulders, etc. some have faded a little, but they are still there. this is where my confidence lacks. do girls care that guys have stretch marks? I'm trying to get them to fade but I'm not sure what's better, cocoa butter or bio oil? i was even thinking of having laser surgery oneday, has anyone else had it?

btw i am 22, 6ft and male. thanks

You are very young which gives you the best chance of avoiding loose skin and having your stretch marks fade. Genetics play a role in how quickly your skin recovers but I can give you some nutritional tips. Your skin is an organ and it requires nutrients to be healthy. If you are eating in a way that is deficient in certain macros, you will not be helping your skin respond to your weight loss. Protein, vitamins A, E and C are all very important for your skin as well as drinking plenty of water. A good way to get those particular vitamins is to eat your veggies in all colors as well as sticking to your protein macros. Tanning makes them look worse because it creates a greater contrast between the stretch marks and the surrounding skin.

I can tell you, as girl, that stretch marks on a guy does not bother me. Confidence is a total turn on.