Thread: Stretch Marks?

Hi! I still have stretch marks after my second baby (he is now age 5). I have tried Body Shop's Body Butter throughout pregnancy and other moisturizers since, but to no avail. Most noticeable is close to the bellybutton.

Problem was my waist went up to 42" just before delivery and now my waist is down to 26". I know I don't have a large abdomen and I do have a 2-pack showing.

Any tips to lessen the stretch marks? Maybe I'm just self-conscious?


Thanks!

Gentle exfoliation and good lotions can help smooth the appearance of your skin and if your stretch marks are lighter than the surrounding skin it wouldn't hurt to try a skin lightener to even it out. I have stretch marks high enough on my hips to show above my belts and after a couple of weeks of once a day or two application I can see an improvement. I stay out of the sun and use tanning beds so if I'm lighter it's not a big deal.

Otherwise, body glitter goes a long way to camoflauge some skin issues.

Hi Doozer,

Thanks! I've been using good lotions and there is some improvements slowly. I'm quite fair, but I do have some body glitter. Not tanning lotions and I avoid tanning beds.

That is why I like waist straps attached to my skirts.

Dear Jennah, if you haven't tried Bio Oil, I would highly recommend. I'm Latina and my skin is on the darker side and i had these terribly unslightly white stretch marks on my thighs (from a growth spurt as a pre-teen)- yea that was ages ago ;) I used bio oil for a month and honestly unless you're looking for them, you can't see them anymore. It was truly a miracle oil :) Hope it works for you :)

vitamin E. streach marcks will fade but never go away.

I like to think of mine as tree rings of growth. [yea, right]

Thanks PrincessNadirah,
I will try vitamin E cream first.
Thanks la soraya,
I will try bio oil afterwards.

Hi Bella Bella,
Actually, mine looks more like a spiderweb radiates from the bellybutton. ..l;,..l;,..l;,

I found some Crabtree & Evelyn's Jojoba Oil moisturizing lotion that I got as a gift (and had forgotten I had it) and started to use it tonight in the meantime. I'll look for more intensive vitamin E cream and Bio Oil next time I go grocery shopping. Thanks everyone for all the advice.

Did you know in some African countries (Uganda, Ghana etc) stretch marks are beautiful? It's not out of the question for little girls to draw stretch marks on their dolls. :)

For those of us in the west, I agree with using Vit. E and bio oil.

If you really want a permanent fix, you can get the white stretch marks tattooed the same colour as the rest of your skin.

HI Jenna, I've been doing some research on stretch marks and I found out that they're are now been treated succesfully with laser treatment ( $200 to 800 each treatment depending where you go, Epione promise to remove them with at least 3 treatments cost $3800 dlrs) depending on color, depth and how old they are. Also there's a cream not so expensive as others that seem to deminish the insighnly stretch marks, here's the link and click on the video for information about the doctor.

http://www.vivaplex.com/Home

Arabicdancer:
I checked out that link for the vivaplex! It's cheaper than the laser treatment but.....GEEZ, it's $80 for 6oz of cream/lotion!!! But I'd love to try it! OMG, I'd have to decide if I wanna reduce the stretch marks or eat that week, LOL.

I heard that laser treatment is good but...it's only good for folks with light skin tones....so if anyone is darker like me, I guess you're outta luck on that one! I know that when I even get a pimple..even if I don't touch it, when it heals I get a dark blemish on the skin (hyper-pigmentation), so I can only imagine that the lasers would be counter-intuitive for me....if I could afford it to begin with...that is. ;-)

I found that my stretch marks were much less noticeable after I stopped looking at them.

And the only other person close enough to see them was just happy to be near a naked woman! And he has bad eyesight anyway.

Originally Posted by BELLA_BELLA

I found that my stretch marks were much less noticeable after I stopped looking at them.

And the only other person close enough to see them was just happy to be near a naked woman! And he has bad eyesight anyway.

..l;, I'm sorry, but I had to laugh at this. My hubby says I look beautiful and not to worry as the stretch marks are not noticeable, it's just loose skin.

Actually, I think the stretch marks are improving as I am gaining a bit of weight.
.w.:

Originally Posted by Jennah

Actually, I think the stretch marks are improving as I am gaining a bit of weight.
.w.:

YES, oddly the fatter I am, the better my belly looks. When I lose weight, it looks like some rumpled old thing, but when I plump up it looks smoother & tighter.

Exfoliation definitely helps. I'm not very gentle about it. I use a nail brush in the shower, smarts a bit & the skin turns dark pink, like a sunburn. I figure doctors use lasers or microdermabrasion, sometimes injuring the skin until it bleeds! So I'm not shy about roughing it up. It seems to help, until I start losing weight again.

The ones around my navel bother me the worst. Wearing a costume with looong fringe draped from the center of the bra conceals it somewhat, or obscures it at least, and is flattering. (fringe all the way around the bra just adds bulk to your middle and shortens your torso.).

Belly covers help the most for performance. I like a sexy fishnet one that doesn't actually look like it's trying to hide anything.

Hi
Who makes the Bio Oil? Can you purchase it from a drug store or health food store?

Thanks

Originally Posted by Msshimmy

Hi
Who makes the Bio Oil? Can you purchase it from a drug store or health food store?

Thanks

Hi! In the US, you could buy Bio Oil at Walmart or Walgreens.
In Canada, I buy it from Costco and it is available at most stores with a pharmacy.

Hope this helps!

Or any CVS pharmacy

Same question for the Bio Oil : is there a brand or something that I can look for here in Europe?
Has anyone tried the Stretch Mark Improver from the Body Shop? Has it helped?

Hi! The box for Bio Oil only says "Distributed by Union Swiss" and is made in South Africa.
Click on the following link for Bio Oil:

Bio Oil

Has anyone tried that new Mederma lotion?

Originally Posted by BELLA_BELLA

I found that my stretch marks were much less noticeable after I stopped looking at them.

And the only other person close enough to see them was just happy to be near a naked woman! And he has bad eyesight anyway.

..l;, LOVE that quote, it made my day!

Originally Posted by Jennah

Hi! The box for Bio Oil only says "Distributed by Union Swiss" and is made in South Africa.
Click on the following link for Bio Oil:

Bio Oil

Thanks! Their site shows where to buy it in Europe!

I am so glad that someone has tried the Bio Oil and had success! I was wondering if $22 was worth the investment, I will pick so up today at the Rexall. I haven't had any babies, my stretch marks are from gaining weight, losing, gaining again over my lifetime, so I don't think I will ever be free of the stretch marks but it would be nice if they weren't so noticeable.

One of my teachers had a baby about a year and a half ago and she hasn't a single stretch mark, but she was faithful in applying this stuff from my favourite store. Rocky Mountain Soap Company - Belly Butter is good for preventing stretch marks, so if you know someone who is pregnant, do her a favour and let her know about this stuff. My niece was very happy when I sent her a supply for her last pregnancy.

Originally Posted by Jennah

Hi! In the US, you could buy Bio Oil at Walmart or Walgreens.
In Canada, I buy it from Costco and it is available at most stores with a pharmacy.

Hope this helps!

Thanks Jennah!