Stretch marks..

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littlebre33
littlebre33 Posts: 318
in Health and Weight Loss
Just wondering how people feel about stretchmarks and how they "Deal" with them (ie.lotions etc). I am 4'11 and have had 2 kids in the last 3 years, both being 8lbs and my tummy was pretty much torn into shreds! I am soo embarrassed with these and wonder if anyone has some tips? Do they go away as you lose weight??

Replies

  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
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    When I had my first child, stretch marks took over my entire stomach.. with the 2nd child, there were already stretch marks but they became red again.

    I currently mix pure almond oil (or you could broken Vitamin e liquid capsules) with Vaseline Cocoa Butter lotions (any lotion is you trust is good) and rub it. It has certainly made a difference - especially as I am losing weight.

    Unfortunately - to answer your question- the stretch marks never go away, they become less noticeable as you lose.
  • sleibo87
    sleibo87 Posts: 403 Member
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    Personally mine have faded with time. I didn't get them from kids, just from being fat :) sooo they weren't too bad just a few around my navel but I just think of them as a reminder of what I never want to be again.
  • newloafofbread
    newloafofbread Posts: 46 Member
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    Unfortunately I've heard that stretch marks are largely genetic and there isn't really something topical you can do for them. I've talked to my dermatologist about it because I have them really bad too, and she has told me that once you have them you pretty much have them, although they will turn white and get smaller as your skin shrinks.
  • Dulcemami4ever
    Dulcemami4ever Posts: 344 Member
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    Exfoliate and then vitamin E oil may help. Regardless if it doesn't go away, you can probably lighten it up. Remember we are harder on ourselves then others. You are beautiful regardless of any of that anyways.
  • Linli_Anne
    Linli_Anne Posts: 1,360 Member
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    There isn't anything you can do about them.

    I got many when I hit a growth spurt in junior high...then both pregnancies added to them

    They are faded now, hardly noticeable...I just use a regular old body lotion.
  • Jennloella
    Jennloella Posts: 2,286 Member
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    the only thing that got rid of mine was a tummy tuck, cut them all off! I tried everything - they fade over time but are always there, they are like scars. some people say tanning helps them blend in more, for me tanning made them more noticeable.
  • cricket_77
    cricket_77 Posts: 165 Member
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    They will fade, but never go away unless you have surgery to remove them. You might try some self-tanning lotion. That will help hide them.
  • cryswest57
    cryswest57 Posts: 141 Member
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    I have them so bad throughout my stomach. I use cocoa butter, and I got Bio-oil, but I'm not sure how well it works because I'm not consistent enough with it. I have come to just accept them. I'm working on getting my flat stomach back.
  • leopardjunkie
    leopardjunkie Posts: 149
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    I use coconut oil as a moisturizer, and take great lakes geltatin in the green can, along with biotin. They are less noticiable from what I can tell.but not gone.

    I have heard that Tanning makes them stand out more, but self tanner helps them be less noticable. so I use sunscreen on mine in the summer and use self tanner to blend.

    in the end not sure what the exact answer is and I am "ok" with them vs fat :) so

    I have seen some people use coffee ground and oil as a scrub, but I am sure it is just a temp fix like wraps vs a long term
  • WendyBlendy
    WendyBlendy Posts: 124 Member
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    I don't do anything...the thinner I get, the lighter and smaller they get, so it's like a reward to see them shrinking :)
  • WAHMto5
    WAHMto5 Posts: 375 Member
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    Unfortunately, they never go away:( They do fade in time but always just there.
  • BonnieFife
    BonnieFife Posts: 104 Member
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    I got of lightly with stretch marks with my first 2 kids at 8lb & 10lb but baby number 3 another biggie left me with them on one side of my stomach & a slightly podgy belly which i didnt have before i had bundle number 3, i was gutted lol ~ mines are now starting to fade they are silvery white & exercising everyday ive noticed my belly is now starting to bounce back, there is hope for the return of my flat belly as for stretch marks they'll always be there the tiger stripes i earned for carrying my not so wee bundles for 9 months :)
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
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    Cocoa butter has been shown to be no more effective at fading stretch marks than a placebo

    http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/15/health/15real.html?_r=0

    Things like Vitamin A and E are what help stretch marks fade, I've been using Bio Oil for about a month and I've already seen results. It has different botanicals in it as well, you can look at the ingredients here:

    http://bio-oilusa.com/en-us/product/ingredients

    Even if you don't have stretch marks, you should use some kind of moisturizer on the places you have the most fat to lose, that way your skin has a better chance of tightening along with your body.

    Bio Oil is really no better than cocoa butter (and expensive for a small bottle), you get great results just using Vitamin E oil or some other natural moisturizing oil. Just in case anyone out there read this and is trying to save money.
  • HonoriaLucasta
    HonoriaLucasta Posts: 24 Member
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    I have them all over my upper thighs and hips from growth spurts/being fat as a teenager - though they're faded enough that I don't really notice or care about them anymore, I remember being miserable about them when I was younger - so I'm clearly prone to them. I was SURE I would get them bad on my stomach when I got pregnant, but I was religious about using a Bio-Oil knockoff (Walgreen's house brand, I think) and various body butters and scrubs and I made it out alive with a 9-pound baby and nary a stretch mark. I am not generally the type to evangelize about a product (and am clearly not spamming for them since I'm advocating a knockoff) but I really do think this stuff helps to prevent them; I'd think it would do a decent job hastening their fading as well. (Time will do it for you eventually anyway, say my never-to-be-perfectly-smooth-but-now-perfectly-acceptable thighs. :))
  • ril0riley
    ril0riley Posts: 54 Member
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    Mine have faded away a lot but I wouldn't make them go away entirely even if I could
    They're a reminder of where I've been, and where I will never go again.
  • fvolley
    fvolley Posts: 124
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    Sadly there is not much you can do to "get rid" of them.

    I have them and also a lot of other scars from a C-section and some stomach surgeries in the past.

    I have noticed with a lot of women the smaller they get the less noticeable the markings become. I have seen many before and after photos where the markings are very faint and hardly there.

    I personally don't give a hoot about my scars. They are what they are. I also have quite a few "spider veins" from standing on my feet a lot when I was younger. Can't do anything about those either.

    Embrace your body, it is great the way it is, scars and all.

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