Stretch marks, How do you deal with them?
 

Mine are long and go all of the way up to my stomach and there's not even an inch space before the stretch marks on my breasts start. I have them from my armpit all of the way down to my elbow on the insides of my arms, and they're all over my thighs and behind. Really... there's nothing you can do about them. You just need to learn to come to terms with them.

stretch marks or moms? :D
i have a few on the 'underpart' of my stomach where they're pretty deep red, i had them on my hips but those ones have faded quite well for some reason.
boyfriend put his foot in his mouth once when he was talking about a friend of his who had been away and came back about 4 stone heavier - "he actually has stretch marks on his stomach!! it's bizarre!" yup, i'm also about 4 stone overweight, with stretch marks...

i've seen stretch marks on skinny girls though (the relatively thin, silvery kind though). apparently you can get them during puberty too.

i havent had any stretch marks from weight gain, but i got them when i went through puberty, wich was horrible.. my breast, my hips and my thighs were covered with bright red stratch marks.. they have all faded now though to silvery white lines, and im pale so it blends in well with my skin, but it was so horrible then, i couldnt wear shorts for like 5 years because they were all the way down to my knee. (i have huge thighs)I am sure your stretch marks will fade too, as your skin heals.

I have a lot of them on my inner thighs and underneath my upper arms (by the flying squirrel wings :rolleyes: ) that have been there since I put on 100 lbs in two years back when I was 19-21. I'm now in my mid-30s and they're pretty much the same color as the rest of my skin, but the texture of the skin there is different and they look like deep gashes. As I lose weight, the skin in those areas just gets weirder and weirder, makes it kind of challenging to shave the bikini area. I have stretchmarks from my pregnancies (3 pregnancies, 9-10 lb babies) but they aren't nearly as bad as the ones from my weight gain.

lol, thanks everybody :]

I even have them on the backs of my knees from growing so tall so quickly when I was a kid. But once they fade really only I notice them...they will get better. I too am so pale that I hardly see them, but I've also read before that getting a spray tan can help blend the silvery ones. I'm not sure whether that works or not. :)

Personally I have never met somone that doesn't have at least one strech mark. I have them all over. A lot on my stomach from pregnancy. I've come to terms with the fact that they are going to be there forever and doesn't bother me anymore. Once they start to fade I think you will feel better about them. Also I can't believe anyone would be so mean about them, especially your boyfriends mom. Sorry for that. I guess some people don't think about others feeling before they speak.

In time they start fading....I have a lot of them on my stomach from carrying 3 kids ;) I have shed a few tears over them at first but as time goes on, while they are still there, the good news is that they fade to the color of the rest of your skin. The only difference is that they have this shimmer effect lol

Funny thing about my stretch marks, i've never really paid them much attention. I mean, i know i got them..somewhere...i just never really paid them all that much mind. I don't remember them ever being red...or anything. I think i mainly have mine on my hips...and inner thighs. Shoot, i think i even remember playing with my stretch marks on my inner thighs when i was bored sitting somewhere (obviously i had shorts on). yeah...i'd just run my nails down the little grooves. I just have never really given stretch marks much thought. And i know i've noticed them on other people before...but again, never really gave them much thought. I guess i just always figured they were as natural as having boobs. Never gave much thought to when i got em, how big they were...

But i'm really sorry your bf's mother didn't have more class than to recoil in such shock. Their stretch marks for gosh sakes...not snakes!!!! Some people are just so stupid. I'm sure she has them too. What an idiot. Sorry.

But know that they will get better over time. And you won't even notice them anymore either. Well...you might...but you'll come to terms that they are just there... You can either be fat and have stretch marks, or you can be thin and have stretch marks. I definately choose to be thin and have them.

On a side note...if it makes you feel any better...think of it this way...stretch marks can be covered up and hidden with clothing. I had acne as a teenager and therefore i have alot of scars. I can't leave the house without a complete face of makeup on. I have a lot of red undertones in my face so if i go out without makeup on, it's like a neon sign saying...look here...i'm all red and dented!!! I'm very self conscious of my face. So, i'm sure i sort of know how you feel. (i was teased alot in school for my acne).

Yes, I don't really give them much thought anymore. I think the ones on my inner thighs bother me most, but ehhh there's nothing I can do about them. Most people don't see them and if my DH is close enough to be seeing them up close and personal, then I'm probably not thinking about stretch marks at that point. ;) And he's never even said anything about them or asked what they were.

You guys have made me feel so much better! Thank you! :]

Sweetie, I'm sorry she was so rude to you!! What she said/did was uncalled for!
That being said...my stretch marks were horrific: several inches wide, angry red and all over from right under my boobs to my pubic bone. I got them when I gained 100 lbs with my first pregnancy and another 40 with my second. My oldest child is 18 and my youngest is 8. They are all but invisible now. You can see that my skin is not smooth or tight but the red color of the marks is gone and they've filled in a little. They never go away unless you get a tummy tuck and they cut the skin off but they do get better!!

Unfortunately, stretch marks fade or almost disappear but ugly, mean spirited, thoughtless people don't.

The stretch marks on my abs are horrid. From pregnancy. I had twin boys that weighed over 6#'s each.

They fade with time. The wrinkles don't but Oh, well.

One time in public swimming pool dressing room a teen age girl asked me if I'd been in a fire, that's how bad they were at first. I told her it was from having babies, hope I scared into abstinence until marriage.:rofl:

I would say your boyfriend's mom is rude and she probably has stretch marks and denies it or she is just very gifted. Even my 140 lb, 5'11" husband has stretch marks.

I've had stretch marks since I was a child so they have always been part of my life. Honestly, they don't bother me. They do get a bit better with time but its just me.

Having strech marks after reaching your goal weight are just proof of all your hard work!

I'm 17, and I use Strivectin-SD. It works really well, a tube of it has lasted me over 3 months, and my stretch marks are skin colored and not as deep. I still have another tube of it, and I will continue to use it until its gone.

I gained about 70lbs in about 8 months, and then lost 30lbs pretty quickly and ended up with horrible, deep, dark purple stretch marks on my thighs, stomach and chest. I moved home after that, and my best friend came over, saw me in a bathing suit, and asked if I had given birth in the year I was gone.

I cried for a week.

When I went through puberty, I got very red and long stretch marks on my hips and thighs...oh, and on my breasts too. For some reason, I didn't get any with my pregnancies or weight gain as an adult. But the ones on my hips and thighs are almost invisible now...I have pale skin and they are narrow, silvery lines. The only ones that bother me are the ones on my breasts. They are skin colored, but as I have lost weight, they "rumple" when I'm in certain positions...they are not terrible, but irritating. Anyway, you have to come to terms with them because they won't ever disappear completely, but they will get lighter and lighter and will likely get less noticeable over time.

As for the BF's mother, what an awful thing to do. It was plain mean and unnecessary. LOTS of people have stretch marks. What was she thinking?

she wasnt thinking she seems like kind of an idiot. but some stretch marks are worse than others and some people get them at different times, that is just the way it is...sorry :(

Ain't that the truth!

a treatment for stretchmarks
 

As a midwife I deal with lots of women with stretch marks, worries about stretch marks, etc.
I can guarantee you that if you do nothing they WILL fade over time. BUT,
time can be long.
Some people are more prone to them (probably genetic) but prevention is stuff like, getting adequate protein and good fat (surprise again, it helps for healthy skin outside not just healthy insides!) and to some extent, moisturizing. So no, rubbing oil on yourself isn't guaranteed to stop them, but may help. Lots of pregnant women swear by belly butter.
BIO-OIL is a product that has been studied and shown to iimprove the look of stretch marks and scars that are present.
I don't have any new ones with the weight loss, got some on the low belly and lots on the breasts with first pregnancy, not much since.
I call them "arrows to the good parts!"

I have them all over. My upper arms, the back of my knees, my thighs, my breast, all over my stomach. But they're all skin color and just a different texture. I embrace them. They're just like scars - and they show how far you've come.

This woman was totally and completely out of line. SHE should be the one to be embarassed. Not YOU. :hug:

I have them, lots of them, from being pregnant 2 times with big babies and from weight gain and from puberty. I honestly could careless about them. I have lots of other parts of me that I hate more than stretch marks...lol My husband who is very slim, has them on his tush from puberty. He grew 1ft in like 3 months. Some people are more prone to them than others, like of your mom has them, odds are you will, if your mom doesn't, you might not either. my mom has them worse then me...lol

Thats true, thanks I never thought about it that way,
And thanks everybody, I'm so glad to know that eventually they will fade and now be dark red-purple ;_;

Hi,

I totally know where you are coming from. I am pretty much covered in stretch marks. I gained some on my inner thighs when going through puberty. Then a few years later I started to gain alot of weight quickly, so then I got them on my hips, lower stomach, outer thighs, lower back, boobs and my upper arms (on the tricep right next to the armpit).

That was about 8 years ago, so all of them are now faded to a white/silver colour. In the past year and a half I managed to lose 3 stone... and then gain back the 3 stone plus an extra 7lbs! So now I have even more stretch marks. Obviously, because they are new they are pink/purple and show up alot more than the old ones.

They really upset me and depress me. I suffer with depression anyway, but the new stretch marks made me not leave my house for the past 3 months. I got so depressed and down, I was sleeping 19 hours a day because I couldn't bare being awake because all I thought about was my stretch marks. I also became suicidal because of it.

They can take over really bad. Even though I had loads already for 8 years... they had never upset me so much until now. I think it's because I let it take over. You need to not focus on them too much and try your hardest to accept them. No amount of feeling down or sad is going to change them right? so you may as well just get on with life... that's what I am trying to do now... I admit, it isn't easy.

Your bf's mum was extremely cruel with her reaction to your stretch marks. And I can actually quite believe she is one of the lucky people without any stretch marks, or at least very minimal ones... because I find the people without stretch marks do tend to react like that when they see people with stretch marks. They don't understand them. They don't know what it's like to feel ugly because of them.

If it was someone in the same situation as you... someone with stretch marks seeing yours, I bet they wouldn't have reacted the way your bf's mother did... they wouldn't have said anything... because they would understand.

As far as my stretch marks go, I know they will never disappear... but I am trying to lose this 3 stone I gained. I am taking vitamins (A, C and E) and Zinc too, making sure I drink plenty of water... so hopefully that might help in some way.

Just remember. Not only overweight or pregnant women get stretch marks, men do too and so do "thin" people. They form because of so many different reasons. Weight gain, weight loss, pregnancy, puberty, taking steroids, medical conditions, poor elasticity, genetics, growth spurts and so on.

That is AWESOME!!! i love it. My hubby agreed

i was mortified when my junior year of high school i gained 50 pounds and got them from my hips up to my belly button. i'm the only one that knows about them, besides my boyfriend, because i'm not quite ready to share them with the world. but i've been tanning in a tanning bed, and they are beginning to fade. it's working so far, so i'm going to keep going. but don't worry. you're not alone. i thought i was for a while. :] keep up the good work and don't worry about what that mom said. she's just trying to make herself feel better.

I am like a giant stretch mark. I have had them so long that they aren't as easy to see any more, like there are no longer any red ones, but I still hate them all. The most embarrassing ones for me are on my arms, they go clear down to a few inches past the bend of my arms. Those paired with my severe keratosis pilaris make it really hard to find shirts with sleeves long enough to make me confortable. But in general I deal with stretch marks by keeping them covered.

I just close my eyes.


=D

I had two babies in two years and have the battle scars to prove it. Before having children, I tanned in a tanning bed. I had the most beautiful white dolphin jumping over my belly button--(I put a stricker there each time I tanned). Well, now my button is demolished, my dolphin has long since swam away and I will never show my tummy again. I try not to worry too much about my stretch marks. Clothing covers them well most of the time. I am considering a tummy tuck but I don't know if the surgery will improve them or not.

As to your boyfriend's mother--YUCK. I hate women that can only feel good while they are standing on someone else's back. WTH was she thinking? Sorry, I just have a bad taste in my mouth for leeches like that! My own MIL has said for years, "I was 112 when I was married and I am 112 now." Well, that's great and all but SHE LOOKS LIKE A BULLDOG!

Lol, Thanks I really needed to laugh today :D .. to think about it.. she does kind of resemble a.. .. nevermind :devil:

From the age of 21-23 I gained 125 lbs and went through 2 pregnancies and I have stretch marks all over my body. I have come to terms with them a lot, not all the way but I don't cry and turn away when I see them. Mine are all about skin color now but still visible since they are wide and long. It makes me feel good to know that so many people have them. I think it is pretty normal to have some stretch marks.

I had tons of stretch marks on my breasts, hips and thighs when I went through puberity and I remember being so self concious about them for years. But then they faded and I forgot all about them. Then I got new ones from my rapid weight gain a few years ago on my love handles and on the insides of my thighs and I'm self concious again. But they are fading and I am slowly but surely shrinking and I'm sure I'll become indifferent to them in the near future as well.

Oh good lord, I have them all over - some are more noticeable than others. I had my kids 20 months apart and gained way too much weight with the first one, so I have them from under my breasts to under my belly button and they're bad. I also have them on my thighs, behind my knees, breasts and light ones on my arms. I'm pretty sure I'll never wear a bikini again but at least one day I will feel great about being in a bathing suit!

Doe anyone on here have stretch marks that are NOT from pregnancy??? I've never been pregnant or had a baby. My stretch marks are just from being FAT. How gross. When you have stretch marks from pregnancy, keep in mind that you've only held onto that weight for 9 months. What if you've been overweight for 9 years? Do 9 year old stretch marks fade like pregnancy ones do? One of my friends told me that her stretch marks from pregnancy went went away, and she didn't put any cream on them or anything. I put cream on mine, and nothing is really happening.

Sweetie don't worry, they will fade with time and they will get better. I just cant believe how rude she was too you. I can guarantee you that she dose have stretch marks. She aint NO WONDER WOMAN, (and I even bet Wonder woman has some too..lol)
Hun growing up i had stretch marks on my lower back and still do but its part of your body. They do fade an fill in a little with time. We are all human and it happens. We all have them, but just know that you, and I and everyone on here are still beautiful!!!

SO SMILE
Cece

I think her reaction was very rude...and it reminds me of my mother in law!! Just flat out rude and dont know how to talk to people! I know very few people with no stretch marks. Even my 20 year old sister in law have stretch marks!

So keep your head up.

That was really rude what she said to you. Completely un-called for!! Ugh people like her make me very mad!! :mad:

Anywho, I forget that I have strech marks, they are there, they will always be there just lighter and I deal with them. It will always be a reminder of how far you have come!

Keep your head up and dont let people like you BF's mother get you down, she must not be comfortable with herself or she wouldnt have said that! :hug: