Scared of my stretch marks

rhichi
rhichi Posts: 133
edited December 22 in Motivation and Support
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.

Replies

  • jgic2009
    jgic2009 Posts: 531 Member
    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
    sho3girl Posts: 10,799 Member
    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
    rhichi Posts: 133
    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
    Struckhoff Posts: 4 Member
    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
    AmberJslimsAWAY Posts: 2,339 Member
    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
    KourtneyP83 Posts: 319
    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
    BAMFMeredith Posts: 2,810 Member
    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 :smile:
  • TigressStripes
    TigressStripes Posts: 33 Member
    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
    phillieschic Posts: 615
    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
    SWEETS1234 Posts: 243 Member
    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
    epixed Posts: 8 Member
    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
    Dethea Posts: 247 Member
    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
    raerae514 Posts: 171 Member
    They're tiger stripes, girl!!

    Also i'm pretty sure plastic surgery can fix it if you've got money to burn.
  • _Elemenopee_
    _Elemenopee_ Posts: 2,665 Member
    8dtb4s
  • zCarsAndCaloriesz
    zCarsAndCaloriesz Posts: 348
    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
    MissMom3 Posts: 101 Member
    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!! :smile:
  • ElleOQuent
    ElleOQuent Posts: 429 Member
    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
    CoryIda Posts: 7,870 Member
    Freddy Krueger attacked my tummy.

    Nothing I can do about it.

    Life moves on.
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    11614737_1881.jpg

    thank to 6 pregnancies. It is what it is but it never stop me from being the best I can be.
  • MacInCali
    MacInCali Posts: 1,012 Member
    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!
  • rhichi
    rhichi Posts: 133
    Hehe, thanks for all the encouragement guys, but I'm not actually self-conscious about them. I don't mind other people seeing them; my problem is that they actually scare me. They look like gore to me and I'm very squeamish. I'm going to look into some of your suggestions and in the mean time hope that I can get over my fear of, as I call it "THE ZOMBIE STOMACH" (*bum bum buuuuuuum*). Thanks again.
  • LatentColors
    LatentColors Posts: 36
    They fade in time.

    Just think of them as battle scars ;D
  • nyteyz82
    nyteyz82 Posts: 43
    I have them as well, on my stomach and back, they will fade with time, Vitamin E cream helps, supposedly, as does Bio-Oil, again supposedly.
  • MsMargie1116
    MsMargie1116 Posts: 323 Member
    I say wear them with pride!!! :happy: You gained weight, yes, but you also lost that weight; which is why they are more noticable!!! :happy:
  • tbetts23
    tbetts23 Posts: 303 Member
    8dtb4s
    This
  • JustTrying2Live
    JustTrying2Live Posts: 1
    I too have some fairly gruesome ones. My mom calls me The Zebra as they are all over my body. I got mine during my pregnancy. No, getting them on my tummy just was not enough. At times I feel like I'm the only one in the world who looks like this and have to cover up under layers of clothing. You can emagine just how out of place I look as I live in the tropics and always in a cardigan. But worst of all is the depression and self-loathing that comes with it. I try really hard not to dwell on it but it's a struggle every time I remove my clothes. I would give anything to feel carefree and attractive again instead of feeling like a leper. I wish I could just shed my skin....
  • botheredbridetobe
    botheredbridetobe Posts: 19
    I have had them for ever-literally started getting ones on my inner thighs and hips when I was about 13, then chest, then a few on the back of my arms. I literally wept when they finally spread to my stomach-I only had one there for ages and stupidly dug at it so I have a scar there too. Now I have horrible looking ones on my stomach, REALLY horrible angry looking ones on my left bicep, virtually none on my right bicep (???) and most recently on the outside of my thighs.

    Currently trying emu oil and seeing a little improvement on my arm. Also weight loss will help I think, hopefully they fade before I have to wear a wedding dress... :s
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