Recomendations for getting rid of Stretch Marks

I thought I was safe since no one in my family got stretch marks from pregnancies. My mom told me that she got some on her thighs, but that they disappeared after a while. But she said mine looked different from the ones she got. SIGH.
I think I am going to try strivectin to lighten the color as much as possible and then get tanned to even out the skin tone. If they are still here after a year, I am going to try laser and get the suckers out as much as possible. SIGH SIGH SIGH.
 
I didn't get stretch marks until right at the end of my pregnancy, and I got some on my lower tummy that were BAD right after delivery. I was really bummed out about them for the first month or so, and thought I was going to be stuck with them... after a while I actually forgot about them, until this thread got bumped!

I'm happy to report, 4 months later... they disappeared on their own! :biggrin: Which I guess they lightened over time and that's why I stopped thinking about it. I did use a stretch mark cream for the first month and a half, I'm not sure if that helped or if it just took the time for them to go away.

So for ladies that just had your babies, there's hope! I was REALLY bummed out about how dark and prominent these were after I had her... and now I just checked, you can't see them at all! :nuts:
 
Don't tan, LV!!! Tanning breaks down the elastin in your skin further, which is what's happened in the first place to cause the stretch marks... plus you'll be greatly upping your risk of skin cancer... unless you mean some spray tanning...
 
They won't go away with tanning either. They'll always be a different color than your skin.

Why don't you just accept the fact that you have stretch marks and see them as the battle wounds from your pregnancy???
 
I can still see my stretchmarks, even after tanning. They're very light and close to the skin color but if you really look you can still see them :smile: I don't think anyone else can see them though.
 
There's nothing you can really to to prevent them and there's definitely nothing you can do to make them go away. The only thing you can do is make them lighter and that will happen with time anyway.

Yes to this. Nothing you do or don't do affects stretch marks. Your skin has a certain amount of stretch, and if you go beyond this, you get these darling marks. Laser is probably the only thing that will help.

Don't worry about something you can't do anything about. Enjoy your baby!

Jen
 
Time will help them fade, but I really think it matters how well you heal/scar. I am very fortunate- I have light marks- but I can def. deal with them. Not bad at all (which surprised me bc I have dark skin). My sister, on the other hand, doesn't scar badly and is light skinned, but has pretty significant stretch marks. It surprised me to see.

ANd, in the grand scheme of things, who cares!? You have a WONDERFUL NEW HEALTHY BABY!!! CONGRATULATIONS, MAMA!!!! :woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:
 
I, unfortunately, have plenty of stretch marks before having children so I am dreading what pregnancy will do to my body. I had some hip problems and was unable to be active for almost 2 years and put on about 35 pounds so I'd love to find something that really works to help them fade.
 
I've almost used up Mederma stretch mark therapy. I think it is helping, the color has faded quite a bit, but I am switching to Strivectin. These stretch marks, along with other body issues, are doing a number on my self-esteem right now.
I like that strivectin is concentrated so you don't need to put a whole lot. I hated that Mederma felt like it was sitting on my skin and I had to allow at least 10-15 minutes for it to dry before I could put clothes on. With a newborn, who has that much time to just wait around??
 
I've almost used up Mederma stretch mark therapy. I think it is helping, the color has faded quite a bit, but I am switching to Strivectin. These stretch marks, along with other body issues, are doing a number on my self-esteem right now.
I like that strivectin is concentrated so you don't need to put a whole lot. I hated that Mederma felt like it was sitting on my skin and I had to allow at least 10-15 minutes for it to dry before I could put clothes on. With a newborn, who has that much time to just wait around??
How has the strivectin been working for you? It has been 16 months since i had my son and I have tried so many things, they are lighter but the texture is horrible.
 
^^Strivectin was a lot better, but I still have stretch marks *sigh*. But it's hard to tell unless you look really closely. My DH says he can't see at all (**rolling eyes** lol sorry can't do emoticons on this computer).
They have faded a lot and are 'smooth' now, so it might work better for you than for me. My main issue right now is color, not texture.
 
I too heard about stretch marks being hereditary but after different experiences from 2 pregnancies I don't think so anymore. With my first, not a single stretch mark during pregnancy and post partum. With my second I have them in abundance. I've faithfully applied Palmers lotion, oil and cream twice daily while pregnant before they started appearing, and have continued post partum and I still have them, so angry!!
 
hi ladies so i had my baby girl 16 months ago and i feel your pain. i am currently pregnant with #2 and from first bubby i have stretch marks absolutely EVERYWHERE. boobs, bum, love handles, hips, thighs, tummy, bikini line.. and probably more but there the big purple ones. :'( they brought me down for a while too. i tried everything. palmers oil coco butters, bio oil. nothing worked so i just gave up. n now that im pregnant again they will just come back anyways. if this is a boy then no more kids for us. if its a girl we might if im lucky try again for a boy. but if not then thats it for me.. so then i want to get back to a size 8 and hot again. being a tight size 12 small 14 with flabby bits just grosses me out. course oh doesnt mind coz hes stuck with me ahahaha, but hey.. anyone got a miracle cure. id LOVE to know.. :biggrin: :heart: xox
 
^^Strivectin was a lot better, but I still have stretch marks *sigh*. But it's hard to tell unless you look really closely. My DH says he can't see at all (**rolling eyes** lol sorry can't do emoticons on this computer).
They have faded a lot and are 'smooth' now, so it might work better for you than for me. My main issue right now is color, not texture.
Did the Strivectin help with the texture? My problem is the texture not so much color!