Stretch marks are "torns" in the epidermis when our skin is stretched.Usually if the stretch marks are purple you will be able to remove them. But if they are white it's permanent sadly.

Skinny people also get stretch marks. My cousin who is about 110 has them.

I've also heard that you can have them removed if they're purple, but I've never heard how exactly. Any advice, melodymist?

Actually, I would be happy if I could simply find a way to make them not-purple.

I have a llotttt of stretch marks and they haven't gone away as I've lost weight. Good ole moisturizer helped them fade slightly and they weren't as noticeable, but they're still there.

I've resigned myself to the fact that I'll always have them. I also refuse to let them stop me from wearing a bikini once my stomach flattens a bit.

If they are still fresh-looking and red, you can use cocoa butter and/or vitamin E oil twice daily to help fade them. I did this consistently throughout both my pregnancies and don't have one stretch mark on my tummy. I'm not kidding.

i put Palmers Cocoa Butter for stretch marks on mine. Its got an image of a pregnant lady on the front lol It doesn't make them go away completely but when i actually apply it religiously it does make them fade and be less noticeable.

Hi there FitMom! To clarify, did cocoa butter take care of the stretch marks you got while you were pregnant, or did it keep you from getting them?

You can try Mederma Stretch Marks Therapy Advanced Cream Formula. It has gotten some good reviews.

Also, dry body brushing has faded and even gotten rid of stretch marks on some women, but the results take months to see and you have to be consistent. I've only been dry brushing for a little over a month; although, I forget to do it some days.

I hate the smell of Cocoa Butter yuck..

Don't know about removing them but oils and lotions rich in Vit E helps.

I have never heard of "dry brushing"... is this what it sounds like..? Brushing your skin with a hair brush? Would like to know.. as I have lots and lots of stretch marks that I would like to get rid of..

Basically, yep, that's what it is. But not with a hairbrush. You know those brushes people use in the shower with the long handle to reach their backs? You can use one of those, or you can buy another natural bristle brush with a short handle (medium firm natural bristles work best; you don't want to use plastic or metal bristles, yeow). I got mine online at Iherb dot com for a few bucks.

It hurts a bit at first to dry brush (at least it did me, but I have fibro, so that could be part of it), but your skin gets used to it quickly and your complexion glows as you keep doing it over time. A good time to do it is right before your shower. Can't say I've gotten rid of stretch marks yet, but I can see how it might help, since blood flow to the area is how your body heals regular old scars from wounds, too.

Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!!

I figured vitamin E might help because when I was 14 I had major back surgery and my mom would split open a vitamin E gelcap and rub the oil on my scar. It's still visible, but it doesn't show up in photos and you sort of have to be looking for it to see it from a distance. Not a big deal.

I asked my bf to pick me up some today, but I wasn't really sure how much it would help. But THANK YOU! You've given me a bit more faith in it, and right now I really need that. I have a few minor, white stretch marks on my inner thighs, but they're not all that visible. I just started getting these BIG ugly purple streaks on my belly and I can actually *feel* them! It's been really upsetting me. 12 years of being perfectly at ease (and frequently proud of) an 18" scar straight down my back, and these relatively small purple "scars" on my belly are the ones giving me a complex...

I'm SO happy to know that there's a solution! Even if they don't disappear completely forever, I would be happy if they were less noticeable...

Again, THANK YOU!