Stretch marks... Removable?

stephanie_queen
stephanie_queen Posts: 24 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm kind of new to this whole weight loss thing and so far I've lost 10 pounds! I have been a little bit overweight for the past 5-7 years of my life, gaining a bit more than I should have each year. For me, this resulted in stretch marks. I have quite a bit on my inner thighs and 2-3 big ones on my stomach. I honestly didn't notice them until last summer when I went to Hawaii and put on a bathing suit. People kept looking :( Any natural ways for removing stretch marks? I'm not into any of that chemical stuff. Thanks so much :)

Replies

  • oh_happy_day
    oh_happy_day Posts: 1,137 Member
    Nope. Time will fade them but not remove them. There are things which might temporarily reduce their appearance though, like fake tan.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    Surgery. Sorry, but unless they are brand new and still red, no other way to remove them.
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    Various forms of cosmetic surgery (including the application of "chemical stuff" like retinol a) are about the only proven things to alter stretch marks, period.
  • bmayes2014
    bmayes2014 Posts: 232 Member
    Cocoa butter helps some people. It may be more "natural". I use a product called Bio Oil and I think it's helping a lot. Otherwise, just time, patience and a little acceptance of them. Most people have them - especially if they have had a baby or lost a lot a weight.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Sorry. They'll fade over time, but they're not going anywhere.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Nope, they're your scars now. Short of surgery, they're not going anywhere. As time goes by, they will fade, but they're not going to go away. No creams, no brushes, no nothing can remove them.

    Some people view them as badges of honor and see their weight loss success when they look at them. It's a good way to view them, if you can. :)
  • wkwebby
    wkwebby Posts: 807 Member
    I think vitamin E oil used topically helps too. It is a vitamin that is good for the skin. Get the gel capsules and prick a hole in it, then squeeze it onto your scar directly or onto your fingers and massage it into the areas. It worked, but was kind of messy. Time is the most effective though. Not even the vitamin E will totally get rid of these. Have you tried different swimsuits? Tankinis are great. Good luck! :smiley:
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    They'll fade and smooth out some, but they are scars and not going to go away. I wouldn't worry about it, almost everyone has stretch marks somewhere on their body.
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
    Battle scars - not 'stretch marks' :)
  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
    It's been said a lot here, but no removing, unless they are cut out (like a tummy tuck).

    But I bet people were not looking at your stretch marks while in a bathing suit. You may have felt they were looking, but they weren't.
    Usually if I'm looking at a girl in a bathing suit, I am looking at the style, the cut, her hair - and only because I like whatever it is I'm looking at. Now that I'm thinking, I don't know if I've ever noticed anyone's stretch marks while I'm at the beach... lol
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,262 Member
    ^^^ THIS.
    It's the last thing on most people's mind when on hols.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Nope. Keeping moisturized helps the appearance of them but they're there for good. I've had mine since I was a kid but they look a lot better now that I'm at a healthy weight. Not really concerned with them.
  • PrizePopple
    PrizePopple Posts: 3,133 Member
    You can't fix a stretched out rubber band. That's kind of what happens to your skin when you get stretch marks. There's no going back. My stomach looks like a jacked up road map. It is what it is.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    kr1stadee wrote: »
    It's been said a lot here, but no removing, unless they are cut out (like a tummy tuck).

    But I bet people were not looking at your stretch marks while in a bathing suit. You may have felt they were looking, but they weren't.
    Usually if I'm looking at a girl in a bathing suit, I am looking at the style, the cut, her hair - and only because I like whatever it is I'm looking at. Now that I'm thinking, I don't know if I've ever noticed anyone's stretch marks while I'm at the beach... lol

    This. No one was looking at your stretch marks - that's just your own insecurities showing.

  • VykkDraygoVPR
    VykkDraygoVPR Posts: 465 Member
    kr1stadee wrote: »
    I don't know if I've ever noticed anyone's stretch marks while I'm at the beach... lol

    Even as a guy, I'd say this is true. I mean, I never looked at my wife's stretch marks, or baby pouch and thought "ew." They are pretty normal, and not really a big deal.

    I have stretch marks too. But once I lost the weight, I realized no one cared, if they even noticed at all. Of course, they are more likely to notice my hairy belly than any stretch marks. Lol
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    PrizePopple wrote: »
    You can't fix a stretched out rubber band. That's kind of what happens to your skin when you get stretch marks. There's no going back. My stomach looks like a jacked up road map. It is what it is.

    Mine too, my tummy is horrid from my second pregnancy, and that was 17 years ago. They have faded, but pucker badly as a result of my 38 lb weight loss.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    arditarose wrote: »
    Nope. Keeping moisturized helps the appearance of them but they're there for good. I've had mine since I was a kid but they look a lot better now that I'm at a healthy weight. Not really concerned with them.

    Same here.
  • eleanorella1989
    eleanorella1989 Posts: 51 Member
    The thing is, pretty much everyone gets them. I didn't start gaining a ton of weight until over the last few years and I've had stretch marks since I was 10 or 12 when my body started to "change", I got them in the top half of my legs and my hips. Now I have them because of my weight gain and they're in places that really bother me, like under my arms, my stomach, and other places. All summer my family and other people were like, "what's that?" referring to the massive stretch marks on my arm. However, because I accepted the ones that I got from 15 years ago (which I didn't accept at first until 5-7 years ago, thanks to Google and Yahoo answers for helping me understand what they were, haha) I have now accepted the stretch marks I have received from my weight gain easier than the ones I had growing up, and when/if I have kids I will learn to accept those stretch marks as well. My sister even told me this summer when I was going on about my new stretch marks, that before our other sister had kids she had stretch marks as well, and she was always the type of person that could constantly stuff her face and not gain a pound.
  • sweetmandygreeneyez
    sweetmandygreeneyez Posts: 14 Member
    Eclipse Micropen. Google to see results; expensive but amazing. This would and should be done by a dermatologist not a spa.
  • gabycakes0769
    gabycakes0769 Posts: 6 Member
    I heard potato "juice" helps but I've never tried. But honestly we worry too much about little things like that, when in reality people are too busy with their own lives to worry about the appearance of others.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    sweetmandygreeneyez wrote: »
    Eclipse Micropen. Google to see results; expensive but amazing. This would and should be done by a dermatologist not a spa.

    Some new form of microneedling or dermarolling aka collagen induction?
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    become friends with them. theyre not going anywhere lol
  • leahcollett1
    leahcollett1 Posts: 807 Member
    these are my tiger stripes from carrying the 2 best things that ever happened to me - they are war wounds - of the time i spent growing them - i wear mine proudly :wink:
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  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    They fade with time...some people have had improvement with Bio Oil, I haven't tried this as I don't worry/care about having them.
  • benzieboxx
    benzieboxx Posts: 253 Member
    People were probably looking and thinking "Damn, there's someone who has their body under control. I should do the same." Trust me, the average person really doesn't notice the flaws as much as you may think. That's only your own insecurity coming through and trying to tear down your good mood. Be proud of yourself. I have stretch marks and I really don't care. I'm human.
  • Stacescotty
    Stacescotty Posts: 29 Member
    I went through a growth spurt at 8 where I grew 6" in less than a year and another one when I was 10. Those spurts left me covered in flaming red stretch marks. Now at 29 they're white but they're still here.... Cover those puppies with tattoos! :)
  • amb3rj0y
    amb3rj0y Posts: 47 Member
    I believe mostly everyone has stretch marks men and women. They can be caused by weight gain, pregnancy, and even growth spurts. They are a natural reaction to your skin stretching out. They may seem unsightly at first but they will fade. Mine are hardly noticeable now. I have them on my upper arms and stomach.
  • AndrelleJohnson
    AndrelleJohnson Posts: 47 Member
    Bio Oil is great for stretch marks. I used it after I had my son and it lighten up my tummy and my stretch marks are nearly visible. You can find it at Walmart in the lotion section or on Amazon.

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