[Nevaeh]

I am extremely motivated to lose weight and I look forward to meeting my goal however it is a minor set back to just know that those stretch marks will STILL be there. I have them on my stomach from rapid weight gain and I have done research and having a tummy tuck done would take probably about 60% of them off however I still have some a little bit above my stomach. Is there ANY type of surgery or anything that would get these horrific things out of sight?!

I want one of my goals to be to be able to wear a bikini but there is no way I am walking out of my house in a bikini with stretch marks on my stomach.

I'm desperate!

[ItstimeforME]

MY stretch marks are coming out more since I have lost. I have them on my belly, hips, top of my butt. I gained alot with both kids and then gained more weight after having them and now they are showing up as well. I have been seriously thinking of a tummy tuck even if I can get rid of most on my belly I can live with the rest.

[Nevaeh]

Yeah, I have them on my thighs and I can live with those, but the stomach ones NEED to go. And I have a feeling that they really aren't going anywhere...

[Luciole]

Humankind can currently land probes on Mars and Titan, smash atoms, and successfully transfer organs from one individual to another; however, it seems we still haven't found a decent cure for the unslightly stretch mark Not that I think the world's best scientists should be working around the clock on this--but I'd be lying if said I didn't wish for a miracle everyday because I'm covered in them too.

Not only do I have them on my stomach but I have them on my sides, back, arms, breasts, shoulders (to which I say, "what the .... ?!?!"), behind my knees... Sometimes I feel like one of those tattooed people who have ink on every part of their body stopping just short what a business suit will cover

Over the past few years I guess I've mostly come to accept it. I've heard that tummy tucks drastically improve their appearance as well. Unfortunately, money is a concern for me and if I ever break down and have surgery it'll be in the form of a breast lift because my saggy chest bothers me more than anything since I can notice it through my clothing and I'm sick of wearing a bra 24/7, 365.

When the stretch marks really started showing up I also did some research. I have seen laser therapies advertised/reviewed for their removal. Some of these are, as far as I have read, actually pretty effective. The catch is that they're really slow and extremely expensive. I think it's something like 3-5 treatments per mark, $300 per treatment. Procedures do decrease in price over time though (look at how cheap corrective eye surgery is getting!) so maybe it's more affordable now. However, while I was looking for some information for you I found the following on http://www.infoplasticsurgery.com/stretchmarks.html :

[Beware Laser Removal of Stretch Marks

Although some physicians claim that lasers are effective in removing stretch marks, there is no evidence to support this. Most plastic surgeons think that lasers are ineffective in treating this problem. Lasers are effective in removing, vaporizing, and breaking down tissues. They do not generally repair tissues. Stretch marks represent torn tissue. Hence, improvement should not be expected from laser treatment. Moreover, clinical studies have shown no improvement in stretch marks after laser treatment.

So, who knows.

Personally I've gotten pretty good at hiding them: I can wear a tank top and shorts and still have 75% of them hidden. If I wear a skirt with nylons instead it's closer to 90% hidden. If I buy a short shirt, as long as it comes within an inch of my pants' waistline the marks aren't really noticeble. There are also a lot of "sheer" options for the summer and nights out where semi-transparent cloth covers your arms or belly. A lot of those shirts look very sexy and that small amount of filmy cloth can hide a world of sins. At the pool or beach I wear a tankini suit and because I'm not extremely overweight anymore it doesn't really look like I'm "hiding" something, even though I am So there are some ways to cope with them without surgery as well.

You're doing a great job losing weight. No matter what you decide to do, be proud of yourself and enjoy the success that you've found!

Best of luck Nevaeh!

[tahiti]

I have found that using Palmers cocoa butter for stretch marks really helps lighten them. They dont fully go away but if you use it everyday they look more white and less red. I found staying tan also helps blend them into your normal skin color as well. I havent lost any weight yet though (actually Im gaining ), so i dont know what happens when your losing... Its a cheap way to atleast get thema little less noticable, Better the jumping into surgery in my opinion. I dont like the thought of surgery... but I see how it would help to actually get rid of them, at least on the stomach.

[aphil]

I have stretch marks on my belly, hips, and thighs from two pregnancies. I used every sort of stretch mark cream there was during pregnancy to PREVENT them. It would have probably worked if I had normal 7 pound babies...but since mine were 10+ I still aquired them.

I'll tell you something that I have learned. Stretch marks don't ever go away....BUT you can do things to drastically improve their appearance. The first thing you can do is to make sure you are doing some sort of strength training exercise (either traditional strength training like weights, crunches, etc. or a method like Pilates) while you are losing and then ultimately maintaining your weight loss. If you are gaining muscle mass and your figure is getting shapelier and firmer-things look so much nicer. Stretch marks over a really flabby body don't look good...but stretch marks over a firmer figure don't look near as bad.

The second thing is to realize that the red color fades over time to pretty near what your skin tone is-maybe a shade lighter or darker. When your weight gain, teenage growth spurt, pregnancy, or whatever caused them is pretty recent (past couple years) they are more red or pink-but they do lose their redness over time.

The third thing is that you can really make them look better by using a moisturizing cream all over your body every day after your bath or shower. Massaging the cream into your skin will help keep it more supple, and the "ridgy" texture isn't quite as ridgy to the touch and sight when the skin is continually moisturized and massaged. It blends in with your skin much better over time.

I belly dance for live audiences and I have stretch marks. I personally (only my personal opinion-I realize and respect that others feel differently) feel that I would be JUST as self conscious with a scar running along the entire bottom of my adbomen from a tummy tuck as I am with my stretch marks-so I have elected not to have any surgery. I strength train religiously, and I massage my skin with cream every day-and they look much, much better than they did a couple years ago.

I wear a two piece bathing suit-but I don't wear a string bikini. I wear boy short style, or a bikini bottom that comes a little higher up on the belly rather than the really low rider style. (Most of my marks are below the naval) If I wanted to wear a lower cut one, I would just buy a little sarong/tie on skirt cover up thing to wear with it. There are lots of things you can do to disguise your flaws.

Good luck to you
Aphil

[almostheaven]

I tried the Palmers cocoa butter, didn't do a thing. I probably went through 4 bottles of that stuff on a daily basis and noticed no change. I do keep lotions on though, I just don't go in for anything that claims to remove stretch marks. Have even tried the expensive scar creams that claim they can lighten stretch marks. Nope...not a bit lighter. A good tan seemed to help cover them a bit, and the more my tummy tightened up, the better they seemed to appear. And like Aphil, I've found I could still wear a 2-piece. At first, I used one with a skirted bottom. Then I was able to go to a regular 2-piece but opted for a higher waste on the bottoms, rather than a lowcut bikini. And no one is going to see my stretch marks unless they're way too close and personal. LOL

We tend to think they look worse than they really do. But the average Joe can't see your stretch marks unless they have their eyeball literally glued to your thigh. They just don't stand out as much as we think they do.

[jennie934]

I have stretch marks all over. Its awful but I've had to just live with them since I can't cover up everything. I wish they were just on my stomach but they are on my arms, sides, back of knees, and chest. It seems so unfair. I keep telling my self that once I hit my goal and stay there for a year or something that I will look into a surgery for maybe chest lift or tummy tuck. But I kind of doubt I will spenf the money. Does any one know how much those things cost? The whole thing kind of depresses me and makes me wish I had not allowed my self to be fat when I was younger. ahhhh....if I had only know.

[Nevaeh]

Thank you for all of the replies everyone - I appreciate the advice. I will most definitely be taking it all into consideration.

jennie934 - That is exactly how I feel. "If I just didn't allow myself back then... I should've started losing earlier".. but we really can't beat ourselves up about what we didn't do. Look what we ARE doing now... ya know? I guess as much as it bothers me I really should not be worrying this much about stretch marks. There are a lot of other more serious issues going on... we just need to stay focused on getting this weight off now!

[2frustrated]

I use Palmers cocoa butter cos i just LOVE the smell! and I think it has made my scars a bit smoother. Mine are actually quite silver now since I got most of them at 13! I know I had some on my armpits and backs of my knees that really aren't there at all now!

I think if your bod's really nice and toned and WOWZA! Then who's going to be looking at your stretchmarks?

[kaliannah]

I've also used Palmers cocoa butter for stretch marks. I didn't really see an improvement (er disappearance), but like the others say, it smells really good!

I've recently been turned onto Shea Butter Soufla (sp?) that was made by a small company in New Orleans with ingredients imported from Africa. It's almost all natural, but kind of costly. I paid $20 for a med. size jar. It smells good and feels like it's working (or is it a mind thing?). LOL.

[barbygirl43]

I've stretch marks since about birth it seems like. I was 8 when someone actually pointed them out to me and the've pretty much been a non-issue with me. As the years have gone by I've gotten tons more in all sorts of places. The ones that bother me the most are the ones on my boobs because they are the biggest and deepest and the only two people seeing those are me and hubby so I don't worry about them.

You've been give some great advice.