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!