As I gained weight, I got stretch marks. And I got them like when I gained 15 lbs back in college. I remember seeing this tiny red line and wondering what it was, and then realizing it was a stretch mark. I also remember my boyfriend at the time asking what it was. Embarrassing!!
And it did get bigger, and then when I really gained weight, I got more and more. At my highest weight, it looked like I had gotten mauled by a bear. My stomach was covered with vertical red lines all over it. It was obscene. I hated looking at my body. It also affected my relationship at the time because I didn't want him to see my body really either. I would even try to get dressed without him seeing me.
I also got some on my upper arms, like kind of underneath by my arms pits. Not that I didn't know it already, but the stretch marks really made me see how much I was gaining, or had gained. They are so bad!
I bought Bio Oil (didn't do anything, over a period of 3 bottles) and then Mederma for stretch marks (didn't do anything, over a period of 4-5 lotions, at $40 a piece).
However, as I have been losing weight, they have gotten less red. They are still there and I can definitely see them, especially in the light or when you look at it from an angle. I still HATE them, but at least they are not as noticeable.
I just hate it. It makes me so self-conscious. I'll never wear a bikini even at my goal weight because of them. I'll always wonder if a guy is looking at them.
Other than my ex, I haven't talked to anyone about them or shown them to anyone. Even writing this post is uncomfortable! So I understand if no one wants to comment, but do you guys have stretch marks? How do you feel about them? Have they ever gone away? Anything you do to hide them or get ride of them?
16 comments:
Try to look at them as a symbol of where you have come from! They do lighten up some though.. mine were really bad when I first got them and now they are must lighter but yes something that will stick with us forever. Unless of course we can afford surgery for them! lol Don't stress though.. you keep up the great work and forget about them things!!
-krystle
skinny-jeans-dreams.blogspot.com
Mine aren't red but I sure do have them..have had them forever, will have them forever!
I have them from my pubic bone right up to about 2 inches above my belly button. I don't mind them too much because a lot of them are from when I was pregnant with my children, a bit like a badge of honour. They have faded a lot over the last 3 months but I know they will never go completely.
I agree with Krystle, try to think of them as a sign of how far you have come.
I have them all over my stomach and used to have them on my chest. I haven't lost enough weight yet to see them fade, but I did have a breast reduction once and the stretch marks almost entirely went away when all the extra weight was off of them. So, there's hope that as weight gets dropped, they'll start disappearing!
Urrrgh! Stretch Marks. I have so many I look like a road map of Europe!. Mine are white, not red, but I have them just about everywhere and I'm not seeing any improvements.
In one way though, I don't care really. I mean these are not new, I had them from previous diets and 2 babies. Currently I feel I have 2 choices, covered in stretch marks and hugely overweight or covered in stretch marks and a size 18UK and dropping.....mmmmm easy really!
I gained the most weight in 2008 and got red marks on my arms, stomach and inner arms. With time and weight loss, it's lessened considerably and there are light white/silvery marks still but I try not to focus too much on it.
I am happy to see the ones on my arms fading. The stomach ones probably will always be there. My mom got a tummy tuck to get rid of that and her sagging pooch.
I have strech marks, they appeared during my first pregnancy and have just gotten worse. I used to want to get a tattoo of flames on my stomach when I got to my goal weight to cover them up, but now that I am 27 and in the process of having a tattoo of a dragonfly removed from my chest, I realize that is not something I want.
I can only hope that they fade.
I do have stretch marks at the side of my belly and hips and the inside of my thighs. But I don't make too much of it... they're simply there, like freckles or moles. My sister swears by wild rose oil/lotion to reduce them (at least in appearance), but I haven't tried that one yet.
I have white stretch marks pretty much everywhere and I am really embarassed of them. I am considering buying Strivectin just to see if it works- it's expensive but if it worked it would be worth it to me! I've had them since I was a teenager. Hate them!
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Stop that negativity!!! The stretch marks are a beautiful reminder of where you've been, and where you are going!! They are "battle scars" for fighting through your weight loss and WINNING!!! Any guy who can't acknowledge that isnt worth your time. Srsly.
I completely agree with you. I have them on my arms, they aren't red..more like flesh color, but they bother me too! The one's that bother me the most are on my sides....i have a fairly flat stomache, but like you would NEVER EVER wear a bikini when i reach my goal weight b/c of these things!
Well, as you get a little older you'll realize they aren't such a big deal. They truly are "battle scars" and most women will have them at some point. Trust me, you won't find stretch marks very embarrassing after you have a kid. It's really all about you, and what YOU think of yourself. You can't allow the way you perceive your stretch marks to interfere with your relationships, honey.
I don't care about my stretch marks (and I have plenty), but my friend swears by vitamin E oil. She buys the soft gels, cuts them open, and applies the oil to her stretch marks. I don't know if it works for everyone, but I thought I'd give you the info.
I'm covered in stretch marks, and I've lost 125 pounds. The marks definitely faded with my weight loss, but now they just make my skin look extra wrinkled--they're not red anymore. I hate them, but I'm stuck with them, so I try not to dwell on it :)
I've got lots of stretch marks on my stomach and some on by breasts. I don't mind them, just like the other scars or marks on my body, it's just part of who I am. When I first got the stretch marks on my breasts I thought 'oh no! big boobs were supposed to be a good thing!', but I just accepted it and now I kind of like them.
I know they aren't beautiful to the general public, but if a guy doesn't like them then he doesn't deserve to see your body at all. Look at them as a weeding out process...if a guy complains about your stretch marks he's not worth the energy. At least that's how I see it. Love yourself and others will follow...and if they don't, it's still more fun to love yourself.
I'm finding this Dr. Seuss quote appropriate for everything today, even used it in another comment this morning -
“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.”
So just remember - those that truly matter to you will not mind about them.
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