Stretch Marks - Surgery - General Discussions

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LosingBig
New Member

Joined:	16 November 2005
Location:
Posts:	10

Hey there- I have stretch marks and was wondering what you all use? Does Mederma work? Coco Butter? Shea Butter? Help :)

serberus
Senior Member

Joined:	20 October 2005
Location:	Phoenix, AZ, USA
Posts:	59

I have come to some acceptance of my stretch marks. When I got pregnant with my first child I weighed 110lbs. I was 215 when I delivered her. I know that is a lot of weight. I got the worse stretch marks. They were big and red and looked like someone had cut me. Today they aren't so bad. They are still there and I can see them, but they are faded.

LosingBig
New Member

Joined:	16 November 2005
Location:
Posts:	10

Yeah--I was thinking of maybe getting tattoos over them--that's a lot of ink:) but seriously, I haven't had kids yet --but I remember a lady at the gym asked me if I did--I was so embarrassed, then she asked why my stretch marks were so bad-- I think that was kind of rude of her

Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com

Joined:	2 May 2005
Location:	Vancouver, Washington USA
Posts:	4175

Kind of? ;)

Peter :monkey:

110orbust
New Member

Joined:	22 August 2005
Location:	Connecticut USA
Posts:	22

I have them all over and I'm only 16... it's terrible. Someday, if I have the money, I think I'll get them laser-removed.

fantasia31
Senior Member

Joined:	3 October 2005
Location:	San Marcos, California USA
Posts:	113

I have also come to accept them as part of who I am. Some have battle scars, I have stretch marks. It's a mark of my battle of the bulge. The important thing for me to remember is that I will win that battle, and when I do may the stretch marks remind me of the trials I have overcome!

But that is just me :)

rutty1982
New Member

Joined:	30 December 2005
Location:
Posts:	12

I never had strecth marks b4 i feel pregnant, bit of celluilte yes :shock:

I got stretchmarks at 37 weeks gone, just a few on my leg, and i used bio oil, it worked for me and about 2 months later ithey were gone, they went real red and purple, and bio oil worked wonders for me :thumbsup:

Really recommend it :D

kathleenyork
Senior Member

Joined:	31 October 2005
Location:
Posts:	32

what exactly is bio oil and where can i find it?

RedLeave_85
Member

Joined:	3 October 2005
Location:	Amman, Jordan
Posts:	24

Can't you lose them by exercises alone? :question:

kathleenyork
Senior Member

Joined:	31 October 2005
Location:
Posts:	32

no, they are scars...they fade but dont really go away...they go from purple or red to silver or white, but can be very unappealing, depending on the weight gained...its very sad.

PrincessPanda
New Member

Joined:	9 March 2006
Location:	Preston, United Kingdom
Posts:	11

LosingBig wrote: Hey there- I have stretch marks and was wondering what you all use? Does Mederma work? Coco Butter? Shea Butter? Help :)
I know its an old post.. but I have cocoa butter, and it smells delicious! I'm not sure if it works or not though, only been using it a few days. My Mum sent me some through the post.. :)

Lori
Senior Member

Joined:	14 February 2006
Location:	Moranbah, Queensland, Australia
Posts:	177

I have them on my tummy.. (from being pregnant ) and i can tell u now, they will never completly go away. They will fade tho.. and i find a bit of sunlight, and a bit of a tan on the area they are on does wonders but a word of warning DONT GET BURNT especially on ur tummy cos oh my goodness u will pay for it !!

Good luck ..

Lori :heart:

lisa2000
New Member

Joined:	5 June 2006
Location:
Posts:	2

Hi everyone, I have heard a about "Shea Butter" for stretch marks, does anyone has any experience?
Thanks

clarinetgurl
Distinguished Member

Joined:	20 April 2006
Location:	Smalltown, Tennessee USA
Posts:	2377

Boy, I feel stupid, 'cuz i just asked about this in anothe thread...never even though about looking here.

Sorry for clogging up the forum, Peter **embarrased emoticon that we don't have**

clarinetgurl :music:

Coopr
Member

Joined:	5 May 2006
Location:	Tucson, Arizona USA
Posts:	56

I have also heard getting a tan can really help cover these up or make them less visible. But be careful and use some sunscreen on them as I have heard stretch marks can burn quite easily.

purplebay8448@aol.com
New Member

Joined:	9 August 2006
Location:
Posts:	1

hey does any one know what bio oil is and where i can buy it from???? i saw it on an earlier post..........very interesting lol!!!!

Mauzeraut
New Member

Joined:	25 March 2007
Location:
Posts:	2

During my highschool years through a nasty combination of laziness, poor eating habits, depression and choice of employment (fast food at the time...), I whaled out and gained fat at a massive rate.

Fast forward a few years when I got a hair up my #%@&! to do something with my life and join the military. Well, I had to lose a ton of weight to join and meet the standards. Somehow I found an incredible motivation for this that I didn't know I possessed and within 6 months lost over 100lbs by eating like a rabbit and running like one too. This is the wrong way to go about weight loss, of course, but due to the amount I was overweight I lost mostly fat. If I were to do this now (I tried, sadly) I would quickly plateu and get nowhere or worse, damage myself.

Sorry, got off track. Point being, I started seeing stretch marks after the massive weight gain, and then after the massive loss I had a lot of extra skin. The end result made me look normal in clothing but #%@&!ed if I'd ever take my shirt off. I'm still self-concious about it.

I've considered surgery to get rid of the extra skin and laser therapy for the scarring, but the latter has largely negated itself. From what I'm told the only natural way to get rid of the skin is through time. You can compensate by filling it in with muscle, but I haven't built myself to where I still don't have a noticable sag in spots, particularly around the chest, arms and thighs.

Does laser surgery really help with the scarring? They're "old" scars now, and blend with the skin much better than they used to, but I still hate 'em and was curious about this.

Fatale
New Member

Joined:	9 April 2007
Location:
Posts:	133

I have three kids and I gained 60 lbs each time I was pregnant. I got lucky and have barely any stretch marks. Possibly because I stayed active during my pregnancies, I walked a lot. I used different lotions and creams, but I think it’s mostly a matter of luck!

I’ve got a tattoo on my stomach. When I was pregnant, it blew up like a drawing on a balloon! It’s gotten back in shape too. :smile:

crcolt
New Member

Joined:	6 September 2006
Location:
Posts:	98

I heard breaking open an vitamin E capsule and rubbing it on your stretch marks reduces them.

princess
New Member

Joined:	30 May 2007
Location:	VA
Posts:	22

Palmers Coco Butter has worked for me. It has lighten them up a lot but you can still see signs that they were there.

alexish3664
New Member

Joined:	23 August 2007
Location:	Elmhurst, Illinois USA
Posts:	1

you know, stretch marks will never ever ever dissappear, ever.

so dont ever get your hopes up that they will. thats jsut begging to be dissappointed.

i have them all ever my sides because puberty hit me like a train and i blew up. im fit and healthy now, and thats what is important. lotions and what-not have never made even a tiny difference, so i say just accept them and work with/around them, and they wont bother you.

i dont even think about mine anymore, honestly.

Sassykat
Distinguished Member

Joined:	14 February 2007
Location:	Smalltown, Colorado USA
Posts:	1379

I would have to agree, I don't think stretch marks ever disappear. There are some things we need to learn to accept about our bodies.

JoeKingss
New Member

Joined:	26 November 2007
Location:
Posts:	11

I see a lot of women posting on this one, but stretch marks for guys are real too, especially around the stomach and upper arm area. The Mederma is what I've been using, as well as regular generic lotions, and they seem to be fading. during the summer though it helps with the tans, fade the marks even more.

Beth
Distinguished Member

Joined:	9 January 2008
Location:	SmallTown, Mississippi USA
Posts:	1008

I saw a mention of shea butter for stretch marks.I mix pure shea with jojoba oil and use it from head to toe. It is a wonderful product. I have about 80 lbs to lose and am concerned about loose skin. I'm hoping the shea will help some with my skin's elasticity. I am accident prone and scar prone. I have burned myself twice with my hair straightening iron. I immediately applied shea and it healed quickly and left no scars. I am sold on shea - absolutely. I do not sell it - I just order it twice a year off ebay.

DaniMae1
Distinguished Member

Joined:	18 December 2007
Location:	Deep South!, Mississippi USA
Posts:	564

I bought the Bio Oil 2 weeks ago. It probably takes time to work but so far my skin is so darn soft! I started getting the stretch marks at about 4 months pregnant and I only gained 30 pounds! Nothing worked at the time....I guess if you're gonna get them you're gonna get them.

cportwine
Distinguished Member

Joined:	24 March 2008
Location:	Muscoda, Wisconsin USA
Posts:	4433

I got really bad stretch marks on my legs from growing so much in a year when I was a kid. Now, I can hardly see them.

I hope the same happens with the ones I have from gaining and losing weight, and I hope it don't take thirty years for it to happen.

The stretch marks don't even bother me, it's the extra skin from losing that is driving me crazy :angry:

Ricky
New Member

Joined:	26 August 2008
Location:	Charles Town, West Virginia USA
Posts:	11

I have them on a couple different areas of my body. Good thing I'm into tattoos. They cover them right up. :cool:

I still use Palmers cocoa butter on the insides of my arms where the newest stretch marks are. It can't hurt, can it?

kay1971
New Member

Joined:	27 August 2008
Location:	Tulsa, Oklahoma USA
Posts:	3

I know its a bit late to reply, but I found the bio oil at walgreens.com

ipal
New Member

Joined:	1 September 2008
Location:
Posts:	2

You can remove it by laser surgery or you can minimize it by applying some vitamin e. If you are pregnant, try to apply some lotion to make your skin elastic. My sister is using shea butter.

Last edited on 1 September 2008 09:18 pm by

HealthyLiving8
New Member

Joined:	5 October 2008
Location:	United Kingdom
Posts:	10

I get the strongest Vitamin E oil in capsules (1000 iu), punch a hole in it with a pin, and apply it topically twice daily. It takes a bit of time, but it will fade. I do not think that anything will completely remove it.

MattsJen
Senior Member

Joined:	30 July 2008
Location:	Idaho Falls, Idaho USA
Posts:	66

From my understanding per my dermatologist-Stretch marks are hereditary and there is ou can do to prevent them. You should keep your skin moisturize as much as possible but once you get them they don't just go away because the are scars. Don't waste your money on oils etc...

Now there is a degree of stretch marks too- some are much bigger than others- the smaller shorter and thinner ones tend to disappear. The bigger ones, those tend to sag and turn into deep wrinkles when weight-loss is achieved. There are options for removal as I am looking into them now as I am over half way to my goal weight.

Jen :horse:

ShannonOfDoom
Distinguished Member

Joined:	15 May 2008
Location:	Gold Coast, Australia
Posts:	480

Nothing CURES stretch marks but some things can help people reduce their appearance. Here are a few:

Yes to Shea butter & coco butter, they both help improved the skins condition & can help reduce the appearance of big purple stretch marks.

Dry brushing, so before you jump in the shower, you use a big dry bristly brush to exfoliate all over. as a bonus this can help celulite a lot as well ( i know it helped my wiggly thighs)

Bio oil is available from chemists (do americans call those drug stores? I heard it on tv) Im under the impression bio oil works the same as coco butter & shea butter, keeping the skin in good nick & deeply moisturising.

Laser dermatology (yes the same thing that removes tattoos) can also be used on stretch marks with varing degrees of success.

the best treatment is acceptance generally. once they fade theyre not so bad, even skinny people have them.