Share: are you bothered by stretch marks at all?
Is it safe to say most women have stretch marks regardless of whether they have been pregnant or not? I know I have them and I have never been pregnant, just that I’ve lost quite a bit of weight from my teenage years, resulting in the stretch marks on my thighs. I have to confess, they used to bother me when I was younger and I would apply anything that claims to lessen the marks. But now, I find myself not caring anymore to the point where I don’t even bother to do anything about them.
What are stretch marks?
Stretch marks are usually a result of sudden weight loss or sudden weight gain. It happens when the dermis is unable to retain the elasticity after the skin has been stretched to a certain extent. It can also be the result of hormonal changes in the body that occurs during puberty, pregnancy, and when taking hormone replacement drugs. Sometimes stretch marks can appear red or purplish but with time, they tend to fade to a whitish, off-white hue. The most common areas for stretch marks to appear are body parts that contain fatty tissues, such as the stomach, thigh, buttock, breasts and upper arm area.
What causes stretch marks?
Hormonal influx within the body can cause stretch marks, even though the most common reason is weight loss or weight gain as the skin gets stretched beyond its ability to withstand, leading to the tearing of the skin in deeper layers, causing stretch marks. Athletes who do a lot of sports, or body builders and gym goers, may find stretch marks on them as well, as the muscles they gain from the exercising will result in tearing of the skin too.
Can you prevent stretch marks?
Personally, I feel it is almost impossible to naturally remove stretch marks because it is, after all, tears in the deeper layers of skin. If you think about it, some stretch mark causes are inevitable, such as pregnancy. Although impossible to totally avoid having stretch marks, I believe you can help lessen appearance of stretch marks and stop them from getting worse by making sure your skin is moisturized enough from inside out. It helps to drink lots of water and eat foods that boost the skin’s elasticity and growth such as berries, eggs and nuts.
What can lessen stretch marks?
Applying body oils that contain vitamin E and massage the areas prone to stretch marks also help in blood circulation, and in turn, helps lessen stretch marks from worsening. Getting sufficient sleep and not being stress helps in prevention of stretch marks too.
Are stretch marks heredity?
Some doctors are also saying that stretch marks are sometimes heredity and if your mother and grandmother have it, chances of you having it are higher. Even though it could be genes that determine your chance of getting stretch marks, not many scientific researches are able to thoroughly prove it yet.
Are stretch marks unhealthy or just unsightly?
Although unsightly, stretch marks do not pose any serious health risks nor are they signs of an unhealthy skin or body. I think that unless your skin is exceptional, stretch marks are common to most people, men and women. While it is difficult to remove stretch marks entirely, it is possible to lighten or prevent them from worsening the moment they are spotted. I find the stretch marks on my thighs fascinatingly weird at times because I find it hard to comprehend that the body allows elasticity in the skin, but not enough to the point your skin can tear and cause stretch marks, especially for stretch marks that occur during pregnancy.
What’s your say?
So ladies, do you have stretch marks? Where are they? And do they bother you a lot? If anyone has any remedy to prevent stretch mark formation altogether, do share as I’m sure many of us are interested to know too.
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I really hated mine:( Whenever I wear shorts, you can see them. I have stretch marks mainly in my lower half of the body, mostly in my thighs.
Oh my, where do I start? My left thigh or right hip? :p
I have stretch marks on my hips ’cause I gained and lost weight several times in the past. I also have naturally dry skin and previously, I didn’t care and didn’t apply any lotion so when my skin stretched due to the weight changes, it became damaged right away. Now, I’m thin again so my stretch marks are very obvious. I don’t think there’s much we can do once they’re there but just like what you said, we can just improve how they look like by making sure the skin is moisturized and that we don’t develop new ones. I think having a diet high in essential fatty acids would also significantly prevent stretch marks.
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i have stretch marks mainly in my butt…and it really makes me sad and makes my confidence -1000 even though people can’t see it.=(
I’ve had ridges of stretch marks down my thighs and calves ever since I could remember. I don’t know how I got them, because I’ve never gone through any substantial weight gains and losses. They do bother me slightly, but because I don’t see them and I don’t tend to wear skirts or shorts, most of the times I can make myself forget about them. I’m trying to keep them better moisturized now, though. ?
Mine are also in my lower half of the body but I still wear shorts ?
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Sometimes I forget the skin on my legs are dry and tend to neglect moisturizing them. But most of the time I’ve grown used to the sight of my stretch marks. hehe.
Don’t be! It’s hardly anything to make you feel less confident about, especially since most ladies have it, whether it’s visible or not. ?
It’s good that you aren’t bothered about them! ?
I also have quite a lot of stretch marks from my overweight period. But I really don’t care now. haha. I tried Vit E oil from Palmer’s and BioEssence. But that’s it. As soon as I read that it’s almost impossible to get rid of it unless I go for surgery, I gave up.
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I have stretch marks at my tummy and upper thighs from my pregnancy days, in fact I still have the linea nigra at my tummy. I tend to be insecure if my outfit reveals them but other than that, out of sight out of mind. lol
I hate my stretchmarks. They are A LOT. On my hips down to the back of my knees. And they are very red. I hate them. I went to the derm and one night I apply a acid and the other night I apply a regenerating cream. It sure helps. I just need to keep doing it everyday which I usually forget.
I have lots of stretchmarks on my butt but not noticeable because i don’t show it haha! There are some on my left knee but not too noticeable. Haha that’s it! I gain and lose weight easily and almost yearly T.T
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I have strechmarks on my butts and upper thighs during my teen time, mayb i got it back when i studied in US, i gained 10kgs (food was so yummy hehe), weather was so dry and cold, i remember one night the skin on the butts n thighs was so itchy, so i scratched it like no tomorrow hehehe… So i guess it caused the tear of the protein tissues as a results the appearance of our dear friend strechmarks.
So.. Fst fwd to my both pregnancies.. I tried not to gain weight abruptly, put lots lots lots of moisturizer on my tummy and just giving it soft rub on the tummy when it itched like hell… Results.. Well.. It wasnt perfect but i managed to down size the damage to small strechmarks on right n left side of pelvis..not much noticable, my friends always thought i never got strechmarks from pregancy hehehe… Well ladies who never got pregnant before… Remember… Resist the temptation to sratch, always put tons of moisturizer n dun gain so much weight in a short time, give your skin time to stretch so that the protein tissues dun break ?
Yeah the same thing pretty much happened to me. As soon as I found out there’s no way to remove stretch marks without cosmetic surgery, I couldn’t care less about them. ?
Good attitude! ?
I think they’re red cause they’re still ‘fresh’. After a while it tends to fade to a whitish, almost non existent colour. Keep moisturizing and don’t worry about it! ?
Perhaps your skin is more sensitive to the insignificant weight gain and weight loss. But it’s good that it doesn’t bother you. ?
i have stretch marks on my thighs too, but never really been bothered even though im a ‘hot shorts’ girl. think we really need to love our own bodies rather than be bothered about what other people think. ? that’s my opinion lah.
on the note of pregnancy, i’m not mum yet (although hoping to be one soon) but i heard from my friends that application of rosehip oil will reduce the aftermaths of the stretching. no first hand experience, but will share when i become mum!
I am 22. I have the worst stretch marks you’ve ever seen due to a medical issue that caused me to balloon up with water – they are rips an inch wide in some places, and cover my body entirely from my ribs down to my toes. It’s not exaggeration, either, you’d cringe to see them! I used to be very depressed because of it, but I’ve had a couple years to think a lot about it since it happened, and I’ve come to terms with it. I am with an amazing man who loves me and thinks I am beautiful, inside and out, and it definitely helps! But because of the “disfigurement,” it makes me feel very sympathetic to all women who are insecure about their stretch marks, and I hope every women will realize that scars tell a story about your life, and only add to your beauty!
Sesame, I just discovered your blog and have read about 40 pages in so far, and it’s wonderful! You are a gorgeous woman, and present information about beauty in such an interesting and thoughtful way! I look forward to what you have to say in the future. ?
PS – I apologize, I skimmed some things and didn’t realize Cassie has posted this topic! I love your posts as well, Cassie, please forgive me! ?
I have them too. All along I thought I was alone in getting them (even though not pregnant). I got them since young, probably the growing up period when I suddenly shoot in height and increase in hip size. Nothing seems to work. I’m probably gonna try shea butter next.
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I really haven’t come to accept them quite yet. I really hate them and they are everywhere: Arms, stomach, thighs and butt. I even found a few on my calf’s. Ughhhh!! ?
Wow that sounds impressive! For two pregnancies, the amount of stretch marks you got away with is very little!
I agree very much about loving our own body! The body oil sounds like a plan, but do remember to get oils that are safe for pregnant ladies. Also, waiting to hear the good news from you soon. ?
Hey, it’s okay! ? And I’m happy to hear you found the man for you. External appearances aren’t everything, and i’m glad you’re over the stretch marks. ?
For the longest time I thought I was the only one with stretch marks too, and when I got older and found out pregnant ladies have it, I freaked out even more. But I was only 16 then, thinking back it was funny how worried I was. ?
If you are really bothered by them, try moisturizing daily after your shower, it might lessen their appearance. ?
Hi Rinny: Thanks for coming by and I’m glad you’ve enjoyed some of the info posted here. Come back often – we have updates almost daily. ?
During my last pregnancy I could not have lived without the Stretch Mark Cream from Apothederm http://apothederm.com/shop-products/body/stretch-mark-cream/
It was very effective for my past stretch marks and the new marks I got. I would recommend it!
Oh, I certainly do have stretch marks and absolutely hate them! I had a massive growth spurt at age 10 – 12 so I was left with these huge stretch marks that are all over my bum, hips, side of my thighs, inner thighs, knees and back of my knees. It is an absolute nightmare! I did and still do get bullied for it and it’s just embarrassing since it’s so noticeable that a lot of people point it out and I have soo many at such a young age. I have olive skin so they show up tremendously since they have gone white. Currently I’m 16 and my mission is to laser them off in the future, even if it’s not going to completely get rid of them, a significant improvement would cheer me up ? Technology is getting more advanced these days, why can’t they just find a super effective treatment/cure? -.-“
I think they do offer treatments to get rid of stretch marks but it’s very costly I believe.
I’m trying to accept mine but I REALLY hate the ones on my calves!!! Thighs and butt, alright, but why calves?! ?
On your calves? That’s kind of strange…
I have it on my BREASTS!! This is because my breasts are quite big for my thin frame, I think. My right one has more stretch marks though. I used to be concerned of them because when I first developed stretch marks, they were purple and itchy, and I got no idea what they were. Now, the stretch marks are white. Sometimes, I am quite concerned of it because when I wear low cut tops, the stretch marks on my right breasts would show. I don’t think guys really mind them but I am most concerned of what the girls would think or say because girls are actually the worst critics ?
Oh…I didn’t know it can appear on our breasts! Have you tried using any sort of stretch mark creams?
Im 14 and have got really terrible stretch marks on my Stomach, upper thighs and upper arms. They are the thing I’m most embarrassed about and I cannot wait until they hopefully fade as they are a raw bright red at the moment. I’ve had them for several years and they are showing no signs of changing . I’m over weight and I cant believe that I have done this to myself indirectly by not loosing weight. i’m just hoping one day they wont bother me!
Hi,
Wow, awesome article & very helpful. Anyone can prevent or cure stretch marks from this article. Anyone can know the causes and prevention of stretch marks. I want to say thanks for sharing this article with us:)
Nice Article!!!