Stretch Marks

[pearlharbor1207]

This is kind of embarrassing to bring up, but here goes...

I know we deal with stretch marks from growth, but I have lost about 130 pounds of straight jack fat over the past several years as I have gotten into shape. The only area I have a problem with is my stomach. My belly looks like I have had 6 kids... And I'm a guy, not a good look!

Does anyone here have any experience with this? Any advice on how to make them go away even a little? I'm open to everything. I can't afford surgery, but I have even considered covering them with a large tattoo. Any advice would be appreciated.

[Sammich]

I've got 'em, although mine were halfway caused by a different mechanism than weight gain. They fade with time (and getting a tan can help immensely), but asides from surgery, nothing really helps. Any bullshit-sounding remedies are just that.

[RageBlanket]

Just get some silly putty and self tanner. Problem solved.

[nexa]

I notice the ones on my hips a lot less when I keep my skin hydrated and slathered in some type of lotion/oil. Obligatory YMMV and all that.

[SSC]

Agree with Sammich. I lost 150 lbs some years ago and have an astounding amount of left-over stretch marks. Time and patience are about the only solutions. I've heard a bunch of shit about cocoa butter and other various but creams but have not had any relief in the time I've tried using them.

[thedunhill225]

I have plenty, got them on my forearms.... They will fade over time. Keep your skin moisturized, tan can help some but more as they start to fade.

Until they really start to fade and the skin gets thicker there I would not go the tattoo route. Your skin is gonna shrink some so the great picture of your first born child may turn into looking like a tribute tat for your pug! Also hard to do when the area is going back and fourth from thick skin to thin skin.

Give it time and just realize that they look way worse to you than they do to anyone else

BTW. A good moisurized with vitamin E does help to prevent them but it won't reversing any that you have.
Peace.

[vkk]

The fun part is when they are all different colors. Ones on where my lowers abs adds supposed to be are purple and the ones in pec/delt tie in area are white, and I'm basically the tan that every girl aspires to be.

[liftweights]

I used to have a ton of them on my arms and the front of my delts, they have just faded quite a bit over time. I also suggest tanning, and saving up for that surgery.

[pearlharbor1207]

Thanks for the input, everyone...

No matter what, these marks beat the hell out of weighing well over 300 pounds!

[Sammich]

Thanks for the input, everyone...

No matter what, these marks beat the hell out of weighing well over 300 pounds!

Fuck yes. Just do what I do: 1)Don't care, 2)Think of them as battle scars from a very arduous past

[JohnnyBravo]

I've got 'em, although mine were halfway caused by a different mechanism than weight gain. They fade with time (and getting a tan can help immensely), but asides from surgery, nothing really helps. Any bullshit-sounding remedies are just that.

may I ask what that mechanism was (genuinely curious)? Growth spurt?

[steel1970]

My wife used cocoa butter during and after her pregnancies and she believes that it helped....I always scoffed at the idea since I always believed stretch marks to be permanent. She still has them but they were never that bad and she had a big belly each pregnancy....maybe it's the skin getting needed nutrients, maybe it's just bullshit, but she def has alot less than others I've seen.....

[ariachris56]

I also have these marks, and for removing them I use bio oil along with Trilastin cream, and I got a good result for using Trilastin products, t takes a while to take effect but I have really noticed a difference. They're lighter and my skin is smooth again. I suggest you use it, you will see the difference.

[Ken "Skip" Hill]

I won't discount your results but I will say this:

As far as I know, there is no topical that will work because stretch marks are not from the epidermis stretching and lacking elasticity but from the dermis stretching and not being elastic enough. The epidermis is the outermost layer of skin with the dermis being below that.

Now, I used to look into this a lot when my wife was pregnant and the last time that happened was 15-16 years ago. So, there may be advances that I am not aware of since then. However, if a topical is to work, it has to be able to penetrate the skin to get to the dermis.

Things like cocoa butter -- as previously mentioned -- simply cannot have an effect on stretch marks.

A lot of the research I came across back then was that if you were zinc deficient, there was considerably more risk of stretch marks. When women who were pregnant were given zinc daily, they ended up with significantly less stretch marks than the group that was not given zinc. Zinc helps to make the skin more elastic.

Skip

I also have these marks, and for removing them I use bio oil along with Trilastin cream, and I got a good result for using Trilastin products, t takes a while to take effect but I have really noticed a difference. They're lighter and my skin is smooth again. I suggest you use it, you will see the difference.