Stretch mark demotivator :`(

lilawolf

This is half rant, half request for advice/encouragement. I appreciate your time

The stretch marks on my thighs were a big contributor to my "I need to lose weight breaking point'. I bought boy short style bathing suit bottoms to cover most of them, but I was hoping to get back into bikinis as they faded to white and my abs started coming out of hibernation. The stretch marks were on my inner and outer thighs, in the area that would be covered by short shorts. They seemed to be getting lighter as I lost weight, but I got out of a hot bath last night, looked in the mirror and almost cried. Not only did they look just as bad or worse than before on my thighs, but they had spread higher up to my (very) small "love handles" This won't be covered by boy shorts let alone a bikini. Maybe I should stop losing weight. I look good in clothes and I think most would consider me thin to normal. If a bikini will never look good, why bother???? Even at my biggest, I was only borderline overweight according to BMI, and had a respectable amount of muscle. Why do I have stretch marks? I have used almost an entire bottle of Mederma, but not sure if it is helping... I am also losing weight slowly, about a pound a week, with some heavy duty weight training/toning.

Height: 5'9"
Starting/highest weight: 172.3
Starting BF%: 30.2

Current weight: 165.6
Current BF%: 29.3

Goal weight: ~150
Goal BF%: ~22%

lilawolf

I thought this was the motivation and support board Maybe only for those with "bigger" problems than me?

lilawolf

Well. I'll bump one more time then, if no one answers, just deal with it on my own, I guess...

cmcorn26

Don't fret, the boards have been relatively quiet today...it must have been a nice day everywhere! Stretch marks, from what I've read on here....cocoa butter, lotion twice a day, stay out of the sun, hydrate your body inside and out. And I am a firm believer in mederma skin products. I am sure if you bump this tomorrow, there will be a wealth of information thrown at you.

mpmama2re

I have stretch marks and I'm sure they are very much worse than yours. But that won't keep me from exercising.
If your goal is to look good in a bikini don't let something small like stretch marks get in the way. Oh and there is no way to get rid of them.

nomorechub68

I hope that noone ever stops exercises or eating healthy out of fear that stretch marks won't go away....It is a bummer that stretch marks happen...but they do. All the creams, lotions, hydration, voodoo and praying you do will never make them do away. They may fade or slightly change in color, but a stretch mark is a stretch mark. Trust me...if there was a product out there that would make them go away I would be all over it. Skin is elastic up to a point and then streeettttccccchhhhhh mark forever. You are beautiful just the way you are!

Nerdy_Rose

Embrace them as part of your body and sport them proudly. I've had pretty severe stretch marks since I hit puberty at age 11 on my hips and breasts. Will always have them. They've never made me any less awesome or desirable, and yours shouldn't make you feel that way either.

WickedBean

Stretch marks don't just happen because of gaining weight. They can happen for a number of reasons - one being rapid growth.

I have had stretchmarks since I hit puberty (much like NerdyRose). They do not make you any less desirable or less of a person, they are just a part of life so embrace them and love yourself.

mjhedgehog

bump

kat191

Bio oil is really really good you apply it twice a day and will dissapear within three months I've been using it on my face as I have/had scars from acne and have only been using it about a month and my face is nearly clear now Try that It works really well.

anemoneprose

I have and hate stretch marks. They've definitely affected my self-concept. Here's what I've read:

Exfoliating & moisturizing only helps the skin look and feel better temporarily (& only helps a bit with texture). Marks can only be *maybe* helped *a bit* by expensive laser or infrared therapies. I think there's a tiny bit of support for Retin A, but it won't get you far. The doctors have nothing other than cutting them right out, which leaves new marks. No off the shelf product is going to 'cure' or even mitigate them.

The only reasonable way to minimize stretch-mark self-hate if you've got it (ie can't embrace them or whatever), imo, is to do it temporarily and cosmetically, with self-tanner, eg St Tropez. It can help blend them in a fair bit.

That and making things shapelier and musclier underneath - toned, tan-looking legs offer a lot else to appreciate other than those scars.

You could take Vitamin C & other things as you continue (there are threads on that here), and try to keep the rest of your weight loss slowish, to try to minimize more scars. I'm not sure how much it helps, but if you're using Mederma, might as well. (The scarring that makes stretch marks is too deep for that or Bio Oil or any other damn thing. Retin A can maybe get at the surface texture a bit.)

Also: As much as I hate my stretch marks, I'd rather have them (or, see them more clearly, as the case may be) and be fit than not.

lleelloo

Lol, I have stretchmarks EVERYWHERE (Thighs, back, tummy, arms, boobs...) and it doesn't stop me.

Why bother? Because you're not just doing this for vanity (or at least I hope not), you're doing this to make positive changes in your life and to your health. Just try shifting the focus from how you look to how much better you feel and be patient, because change takes time!

paintlisapurple

Don't be so down on yourself. Everyone can get stretch marks. Even my son, who is veryyyyy in shape has them! They are caused by growth spurts in your body that your skin just plain old couldn't "stretch" to accommodate adequately before essentially "breaking down".
Take care and try not to be so hard on yourself! :flowerforyou:

Rinkermann

all i can say is that as i've lost weight, they have become far less visible. it actually motivates me to keep going. by the time my bodyfat is at goal percentage, and i've toned up a bit, im sure i will be at peace with them.

and besides, wearing a bikini may be a standard dream for a lot of women but not looking perfect in one isn't going to hurt your quality of life. surely looking hot in a little black dress would be equally as motivating, and something you could wear more regularly? how often does anyone really wear a bikini anyway?

that said, im from wales. we get a newsflash whenever that big yellow thing in the sky appears!

bushidowoman

Be proud of what you've accomplished, and be confident at how great "fit" looks on you! Nobody who is worth your time is going to look at you all healthy, fit, and confident in your bikini and think less of you because of a few stretch marks. They probably won't even notice them because 1) they'll be too busy admiring how great you look and 2) pretty much everyone has at least a few of their own anyway.

ellyinflight

I gained massive amounts of stretch marks when I became obese, they're all over me! What I can tell you though is that in my experience (and as a qualified beautician) they DO become a little more prominent as you lose weight... AT FIRST. As your skin starts recovering they can look redder, more swollen, all that jazz. Don't worry though, give them time and they will fade to a whiter colour and be less noticeable. People who say they never go away aren't entirely correct, like any scars they fade over time and you can assist this with some vitamin E and try grabbing a skin and nail care multivitamin to supplement your diet.

They may never entirely disappear, and if they do we're talking a decade or more down the line, but you can go from someone covered in fluorescent purple stripes like I was to someone with just pale barely noticeable stripeyness if you give your skin time to adjust to this big change you're asking it to make!

Don't give up on your health and weightloss goals! I know that when you look in the mirror these things seem amplified, but honestly nearly every woman has stretch marks and the majority of people don't notice them! Keep strong!

shady81x

I'd like to say... if u are worried abt people noticing ur stretch marks while in a bikini, then distract them with ur abs

I've got no idea how I've gotten my stretch marks too, probably puberty. They annoy me sometimes but... most of the time I forget that they are even there.

bathsheba_c

I got my stretch marks from growth spurts in late elementary school. Am I the only person who loves my stretch marks? I used to pretend that they are scars from a secret surgery to turn me into a cyborg without my knowledge. Ah, the joys of being too young to know what these whitish lines on my hips are.

But, yeah, no one has ever actually cared about my stretch marks.

dutchess82

Ah Hunny. Yours cannot be anything compared to mine.
After ballooning during my pregnancy, I received all of them within the last 2 weeks I was already due.
I even have the nice ones around my belly button.

I have to be the one to break this to you unfortunately, but they do not disappear. So did my motivating doctor sister told me. They are simply put, broken deeper layers of the skin. They will fade, but never completely disappear.
Learn to love them, I named mine my warstripes.
And try to get used to the fact if you are really unlucky (but lucky in love), this is just the beginning and you will get way more.

Also it might make you feel better that other girls will love your imperfections (don't we all love to look at a woman who has stretchmarks worse than our own). So you make others feel better as well!

I feel your pain though!

JamieAlexandraX

Iv had them since i was young as i grew really quickly i had them on my legs mainly and have tried loads of lotions like bio oil it did help to fade them a little, they will never dissapear though, iv just learned to deal with them. iv now got them running up my stomach due to gaining so much weight and they are just starting to turn silvery. its something that a lot of us will have to just cope with and embrace them.
learn to live with them eventually they will fade to a whiteish silvery colour and they will be hardly noticable, i used to get a light spray tan to cover them if thats any help.

sandi117

I consider my stretch marks my battle scars, and think they make me look fierce! I have some just from growing (I even have them on my knees from growing so fast!), some as a result of puberty, and some from weight gain... But I still like to think every stripe I have earned, just like a tigress earns hers

chroniclesofthinoholic

These are what i personally feel will help:

workout!...Don't stop..the more toned you are the better!!

eat a healthy diet with lots of protein vitamin c and e!! good for your skin......!

before you shower for an hour or so massage your body ( where stretch marks have a habit of appearing) with olive oil + the contents of a vitamin e capsule +the contents of a vitamin a capsule..

cocoa butter: moisturize moisturize the more the better! (to prevent)

aloe vera gel : use this over your already formed stretch marks (I've heard they fade stretch marks in fact)

remember stretch marks don't fade away in a month...it takes dedication but eventually you will notice they're look less angrier!
hope this helps!

BerryH

I got out of a hot bath last night, looked in the mirror and almost cried. Not only did they look just as bad or worse than before on my thighs, but they had spread higher up to my (very) small "love handles"

Here's your problem - they looked worse as you'd just go out of a hot bath. As your skin was a nit pinker they showed up more, including highlighting tiny ones you don't normally see. They do fade with time, even if they don't disappear altogether, and losing weight makes them smaller and closer together as you simply have less flesh for them to show on!

I've never heard a woman criticise another woman's stretch marks, because we nearly all have them, and I've never heard a man complain about them because they just don't notice (unless pointed out by the owner!) and it means he's got a near- nekkid woman in front of him!

marsviolet

I got my stretch marks from growth spurts in late elementary school. Am I the only person who loves my stretch marks? I used to pretend that they are scars from a secret surgery to turn me into a cyborg without my knowledge. Ah, the joys of being too young to know what these whitish lines on my hips are.

But, yeah, no one has ever actually cared about my stretch marks.

HAHA I absolutely love this!!!!!!

Mine have improved drastically since using palmers cocoa butter. I have billions. They aren't going anywhere so I think worrying about them is pretty much pointless. There are worse things to have!

smit6211

I am dealing with the same thing as you and I am getting ready to go to the extreme to get rid of them.

I too thought losing weight would help mine, but it didn't in fact losing weight made them appear loose and now the skin where they are is very thin. I have stretch marks on my arms, back, stomach, hips, thighs, but, and behind the knees. I just recently went to a cosmetic surgeons office and signed up for 5 laser treatments.

They are going to remove (well reduce the appearance) the stretch marks on my arms,back,stomach, and sides.

If you would like add me and I can send you pictures of the results.

I have been researching this for a long time and even talked to many doctors there really is only 2 cures for this and that is laser removal or having them cut off via tummy tuck. Every dermatologists has told me the creams and lotions will not work. Maybe for some people it does but it hasn't for me.

I am sorry that you are going through this. Hope all goes well!

Hellavaloosa

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There are worse things to have!
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Indeed, it is disappointing - my lose skin and stretch marks will mean I probably won't ever wear a bikini - but that ain't gonna stop me rocking my toned bod in a one-piece - stretch marks beat a fat gut any day!

lilawolf

Thank you guys for all of your input.

My response to some of you is this: Yes, it is mostly for vanity that I am losing weight. I am not, and have never been, heavy enough to affect my health. My cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, etc have always been fantastic. I would be shocked if any doctor told me to lose weight (especially now that I am down the 7lbs). Certainly the search for my elusive abs is more than is necessary for my health. I may lose a little more to get back into my size ten jeans (probably another 5lbs), and reach a few of my fitness goals (Run an 8 minute mile relatively easily, be able to do 25 real pushups, and 5 deadhang pullups), but I don't know if I really want to aim for the 18-22% body fat that would be necessary for actual abs to show if I have angry red stretchmarks. Giving up some of my boob size for perfect abs that I might not feel comfortable with showing anyway seems like a poor trade. I'll probably let them fade and then see how I feel.

missymuffet459

I have stretch marks on my breasts (from puberty), on my legs (from my upper thighs to my knees), my arms (these I hate the most), on my stomach (from pregnancy). I have had a plastic surgeon tell me that I have some of the worst skin elasticity he has ever seen (went home in tears).

I HATE them. I LOATHE them. I have tried for years to get rid of them. Even though they are white I have been so embarrassed by them.

But you know what? I am learning to live with it. I go to the pool and I am not disgusted by other people's stretch marks. They don't even bother me. So why am I so worried about mine?

There is nothing I can do at this point. I would rather be skinny and fit with stretch marks than fat with stretch marks. It is something I just have to deal with. I hate it when people say "you have earned those stripes". No thanks! I would rather have a different reward. But I am at the point where I realize there are more important things in life to worry about.

okidoki7

unfortunately stretch marks are just that...there is nothing you can do to get rid, trust me i have plenty of my own, after 5 pregnancies i've a good array of them, in varying colours, sizes etc...and whilst i don't love them, or even go as far as saying i like them, they are probably the one part of me that i don't mind, as i have accepted them !!!!!!!!!!! even 4 years after having my last child, some are still quite pink, but im confident they will fade, and right now im in no hurry to wear a bikini lol...

whack on some cocoa butter/bio oil and carry on exercising, it will help...please dont stress over things you cant change, also as op says stun everyone with your abs, so they dont even notice the SM's...

shelleyspots

I got them during puberty. An incredibly unfair result of a speedy development in my bustline. They have been gone for years. Not entirely, but so faint, that you'd have to look for them to see them. Hope this helps.

DivineRED1

Palmers Cocoa Butter lotion has helped mine go away.