Scared of my stretch marks

rhichi

So, I have really bad stretch marks from rapid weight gain. And when I say really bad, I don't mean "Oh, there are three on my thigh over here!" or something like that. I mean that it looks the bottom half of my stomach suffered third degree burns (please don't read this as me comparing myself to a burn victim; that's not the intent). There is more scar tissue than normal skin there, and the marks reach up past my navel. Honestly, it looks like I tried to hug a wildcat a few years ago and it nearly eviscerated me. I am repulsed to the point of being afraid of them, because my stomach honestly looks like some sort of Freddy Krueger grotesque lump of flesh and it really grosses me out.

I have stretch marks all over my body (hips, thighs, calves, arms, you name it), but the ones on my stomach are the only ones that really look disturbing. I'm now noticing them more and more as my stomach flattens and I can see more of them, and it doesn't feel good that I'm scared of my body.

I know that there really isn't much to be done about making them go away completely, but is there at least anyone who has been in a similar situation? How do you handle it? It's really upsetting to not be able to look down at my stomach because it looks like a horror movie to me.

jgic2009

I got some pretty gnarly marks on my stomach from rapid weight gain as well -- much redder and uglier than the ones I've had on my hips since puberty.

Since losing weight, the color has faded significantly and they aren't very noticeable any more.

sho3girl

on a superficial level fake tan I always think skin looks better with some colour ..... they probably look worse to you that you think

rhichi

Oh, yes, I should note that the color has faded on mine as well, so it's not that they're purple and gross, it's just that it looks all torn up there and it's creepy. I feel like I sort of wrecked my body.

Struckhoff

They fade with time. First the color goes, and then slowly they become more subtle. Your body renews itself. There may be things to speed that up, but the good news is it takes care of itself.

AmberJslimsAWAY

I have stretch marks, from kids, and I don't give a **** about them. Do people look? Oh yea! Do I get self Conscious? For sure! BUT!! I don't let them define me. I still rock bikinis every.single.summer. They are part of who you are, there's no getting rid of them. Embrace it.

KourtneyP83

I have the same problem. However...I have had them since I can remember at age 12. Mine are still very pink and awful looking. I have them on my tummy, on my sides coming from my chest and from my chest going towards my underarms. The ones going towards my underarms have faded to the point I am not so bothered by them anymore. I was interested in possibly trying that Mederma for stretch marks, but I haven't done it yet. I'd love mine to at least fade. I think most everyone has a stretch mark or two, so at least if they were faded I'd feel normal. I know how you feel, don't be down on yourself though. I have hope that they will be less noticeable one day!:)

BAMFMeredith

I have stretch marks, from kids, and I don't give a **** about them. Do people look? Oh yea! Do I get self Conscious? For sure! BUT!! I don't let them define me. I still rock bikinis every.single.summer. They are part of who you are, there's no getting rid of them. Embrace it.

Word. IDGAF about mine anymore. They're just a part of my skin, whatever. Anybody who has an issue with them isn't worth your time anyway! As they say, those who matter don't mind and those who mind don't matter

TigressStripes

I've got them as well - as many as you described. I try to put cocoa butter on them daily, though I don't know if that makes any difference.

Something I read that made them a little bit easier for me to 'stomach' (don't pardon the pun, it was intentional!) ...

To have overcome what you have in order to have those marks, you are a tiger. Simply think of those as the stripes you have earned.

phillieschic

My 14 year old son has stretch marks on his back from growing too fast. He went from 5'7" to 6' in less than a year...and there's nothing he can do about them. Oh, and he weighs all of 130 pounds...not an ounce of fat on him!

I think most people have stretch marks on their body. Mine are from having kids and I hate them, but there's not much I can do about them. I actually have a really ugly one that is about 1/8" wide and starts on my stomach and goes all the way down to my who-ha! Tanning helps and I do that...but screw what the world thinks.

I will always loathe my stretch marks, but I love my new body more and more every day.

Somethings you can control.
Some things you can't. I refuse to stress about the things I can't.

SWEETS1234

I know where you're coming from, I have them all over my stomach, thank you pregnancy, and of course I'm self conscious. However it has been years and though the colour has faded and the lines did shrink up a bit. They still look like scars and the skin looks thin and pulled and all scratched up.

That being said I still wear a bikini because I can. I wish there was a magic cream to make all the pulled skin return to normal and look all smooth and beautiful but there isn't. So I live with it and try not to think about it and focus on the fact that my abs are flat.

epixed

I think there are some over the counter stretch mark creams you can buy at your local drug store that helps moisturize and renew the skin and help stretch marks fade. I've also heard Palmer's Coco Butter lotion being recommended for stretch marks. Try talking to your doctor or the pharmacist at the drug store. And actually for something like this, your pharmacist might know more than your doctor, since they know how the ingredients in these types of products work better than a doctor does.

Dethea

I have terrible stretch marks all over my belly, up almost to my boobs from when I was pregnant. They get better with time. Most people don't really care about your stretch marks.

raerae514

They're tiger stripes, girl!!

Also i'm pretty sure plastic surgery can fix it if you've got money to burn.

_Elemenopee_

zCarsAndCaloriesz

I have one's on my stomach that have been fading since I started exercising and what not, but I also use Bio oil on them (and some of my scars) and it does help. But It's no miracle product, and it takes time to work.

MissMom3

Love this!!!! I had 3 kids in less than 4 1/2 years so my tummy is FULL of stretch marks. I have always been ashamed of them but now I might just show them off with pride....hopefully in a bikini by the end of summer!!

ElleOQuent

At some point you're going to have to realize that they are not going to go anywhere. This is when you learn to embrace them as a part of who you are and continue living your life as confidently and happily as you deserve.

CoryIda

Freddy Krueger attacked my tummy.

Nothing I can do about it.

Life moves on.

Yanicka1

thank to 6 pregnancies. It is what it is but it never stop me from being the best I can be.

MacInCali

You will be hard pressed to find any woman ... not girl ... WOMAN ... without stretch marks somewhere on her body ... be them from pregnancy, growing too rapidly during childhood, or weight gain. The majority of mine are on my hips, both sides, some I've had since childhood when I decided to grow too quickly one year, then the rest were added by pregnancy and weight gain, which also added a few to my lower tummy as well. In fact, I have one on each hip that are VERY wide and look like I was sliced open a few inches and allowed to heal naturally with no stitches. Do I like them? God no. But they are merely marks on my skin, they do not define me or my worth.

There will come a time when your focus will stray from your stretch marks and center around all of the wonderful things you DO like about your skin and body, I promise!