Will my stretch marks fade?

rebprest
rebprest Posts: 149 Member
in Getting Started
So I'm approaching 15 lbs of weight loss including the 2 lb I lost before I started logging. It looks like this time I might be in it for the long haul, so I'm thinking longer-term. I have had hideous stretch marks since high-school, so bad I can't even bear to wear short sleeves because my upper arms are just awful. I know that it shouldn't necessarily matter to me if they fade/go away since my real goal is health, but what can I say, I'd like to comfortably wear short sleeves in the summer without feeling self conscious. Anyone lost over 50 lbs and had their stretch marks fade noticeably? (pretty please?)

Replies

  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
    Mine have faded tremendously, my stomach is pretty well covered, I have bikini pics in my profile where you can barely see them
  • Cerakoala
    Cerakoala Posts: 2,547 Member
    I had so many stretch marks all over my body. Some are still there but most especially on my stomach have faded so much :) Most of them are barely noticeable :)
  • rebprest
    rebprest Posts: 149 Member
    Well thank goodness. I think stretch marks were what initially started making me hate my body, not my weight, since I got them before I was significantly overweight. It makes me feel might be the final piece of the puzzle in getting over my body image issues as well.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    Got a ton of them but they faded to skin color and aren't that big of a deal anymore... I really don't even pay them any attention, I am just glad to be rid of the 300+ lbs.. lol
  • jennk5309
    jennk5309 Posts: 206 Member
    Yes. They'll still be there, but will be really light colored. You're fair-skinned, so unless you hit the tanning booth, they'll blend in. It just takes time for them to fade. I'm hoping the ones on my belly won't turn pink/red again as it expands (I'm pregnant), so that I don't have to wait for them to fade again.
  • beautifulwarrior18
    beautifulwarrior18 Posts: 914 Member
    yes they'll fade
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,268 Member
    well they will always be there but hey its your tiger stripes and all. I will tell you that with scars and stretchmarks that more you eat healthy and drink lots of water is the more they will fade. That I promise you. Try cocoa butter too, it seems to help to keep your body hydrated inside and out when trying to get scars or stretchmarks to fade.
  • splitdog79
    splitdog79 Posts: 106 Member
    Well, good news and bad news in my experience. I'm covered in them. Stomach, chest, shoulders, upper arms, and even down to my forearms. They've faded quite a bit but I still notice them every time I see myself. The good news is that, and don't take this the wrong way, but nobody pays as much attention to us as we do so most folks likely don't even notice and those that do are usually too polite to say anything. A lot of the folks in your life probably know where you're coming from and understand what they are and why they're there.

    I've even come to notice them on a lot of people who aren't terribly fat. It's just that I've spent so much time looking at mine that I notice them on lots of folks here and there now.

    Basically it all boils down to yes, they do fade a bit. Not a whole lot, but enough. Eventually I've come to see them as the high price of a new lease on life. Almost a Faustian bargain, you might say.

    It's totally worth it, I must say. The real enemy is loose skin, which I also sadly have in spades. That said, you're starting pretty small and you're young yet. Your skin may yet snap back just fine :) You're off to a great start so don't let any potential side-effects dissuade you. Despite them all it's a wonderful path you're on!
  • nilbogger
    nilbogger Posts: 870 Member
    I have had stretch marks all over my butt since puberty and they're very faint now.
  • rebprest
    rebprest Posts: 149 Member
    Starting small??????? I respectfully disagree, lol. I could be bigger, I guess, but being 80-90 lbs overweight doesn't seem small to me or my doctor. Thanks for the advice, however. I work with teens and occasionally children, neither of which really have filters. I walked in with a new haircut and responses ranged from "I am not a fan" to "what have you done!!!!!!". If I do end up showing my arms at all, they will ask me what is wrong with them and I have no idea how to respond to that. Part of me feels I should explain it to them, since I'm a librarian, but the other part wants to say "mind your business, children".

    Any opinion on losing slower to keep from having as much loose skin?



    Well, good news and bad news in my experience. I'm covered in them. Stomach, chest, shoulders, upper arms, and even down to my forearms. They've faded quite a bit but I still notice them every time I see myself. The good news is that, and don't take this the wrong way, but nobody pays as much attention to us as we do so most folks likely don't even notice and those that do are usually too polite to say anything. A lot of the folks in your life probably know where you're coming from and understand what they are and why they're there.

    I've even come to notice them on a lot of people who aren't terribly fat. It's just that I've spent so much time looking at mine that I notice them on lots of folks here and there now.

    Basically it all boils down to yes, they do fade a bit. Not a whole lot, but enough. Eventually I've come to see them as the high price of a new lease on life. Almost a Faustian bargain, you might say.

    It's totally worth it, I must say. The real enemy is loose skin, which I also sadly have in spades. That said, you're starting pretty small and you're young yet. Your skin may yet snap back just fine :) You're off to a great start so don't let any potential side-effects dissuade you. Despite them all it's a wonderful path you're on!
  • Mitsuo8
    Mitsuo8 Posts: 27 Member
    They will fade, might take a couple years (if they are fresh) but they will. I never used coco butter, but that might speed up the process.
  • aledba
    aledba Posts: 564 Member
    They'll fade. I have had tremendous success with exfoliation and moisturizing in an attempt to minimize some marks on my arms.
    Just make a sugar scrub with some oil and scrub in circles with your hands.
    This speeds up removal of the top, dead layer of skin. Rinse off with warm water and seal in moisture with cocoa butter or coconut oil. You can do this a few times a week. It certainly won't hurt.
  • DianeinCA
    DianeinCA Posts: 307 Member
    My standard feeling about stretch marks is: "You know what a guy thinks when he sees stretch marks? 'She's naked and I'm going to have sex.'"

    They will fade. And even if they don't -- they're part of who are. And if they really bug you, there are options for how to deal with them.
  • tarcotti
    tarcotti Posts: 205 Member
    Starting small??????? I respectfully disagree, lol. I could be bigger, I guess, but being 80-90 lbs overweight doesn't seem small to me or my doctor.

    Keep in mind you are responding to someone who according to his profile used to weigh almost 400 lbs. And has lost over 170 lbs. (Awesome loss by the way!) So yes, you are starting a lot smaller by comparison to a bunch of people here.

    Also, there are home remedies that are natural to get rid of stretch marks now. They've worked a little for me.
  • JustSomeEm
    JustSomeEm Posts: 20,284 MFP Moderator
    I've lost about 60 pounds over the course of more than 2 years (40 of it has been in the last year). I have stretch marks and some seriously lose skin in my stomach region - gained far too much with my sons AND they both weighed over 9 pounds. I don't know if its the slow loss, but my stretch marks have all but disappeared (you can only see them if I stretch the skin with my hands) - on my butt and thighs anyway... I don't think the ones on my torso will EVER disappear. My skin isn't loose at all except in my stomach region (thanks, pregnancy). So, I've lost weight slowly and don't really have much excess skin AND don't really have noticeable stretch marks on my arms and thighs. I don't know if the skin would have stayed loose if I'd lost quicker, but slow and steady worked for me and I feel great about my body. :flowerforyou: Congrats on beginning your journey. :)
  • ILoveGingerNut
    ILoveGingerNut Posts: 367 Member
    Just read your post, and had to check myself in the mirror to see if my stretch marks are still there or not! I had horrible red stretch marks on my bum as a teenager... really imbarassing! I spent a fortune on creams at the time. Yes, they are still there (I'm 38), but they faded so much I don't notice them any more, as they are the same color of my skin. It takes years, but they go. Be patient....

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