Stretch Marks!!

[Chic]

my thoughts on stretch marks is that a cure will come via internal means. i just dont see how external treatments will ever be able to successfully remove them, theyre simply too deep and work too intrinsically with the body. this sounds interesting and my personal belief is that the best help will come from the inside out. im not sure if this would work but to me it seems like a good its a possibility.

ive got to the stage now where i have so many stretch marks im struggling to treat them via any method. i can do certain areas with tca but certain areas i simply cannot perform a peel on and there are so many different areas and so large that im finding peeling very difficult. creams just do not work and as for laser... well its just out of the question. even if we invented a miracle laser that completely eliminated stretch marks in an instant i could never afford to have it done in a millions years.

so my biggest hope is that there is some sort of a pill that eliminates stretch marks from the inside out. i just cant see an out of body treatment ever being able to eliminate stretch marks as you have to change the entire way your body works to get rid of them. your body has to completely change the way it sees the tissue. with enough tca peels i think it would be possible but we are talking ALOT of peels.

personally an inside out method seems the most feasible. your enzyme theory sounds interesting. the only problem is i dont know how to develop it. for example lets say it would work, we need someone to tell us that it would work, we need someone to find a way to do it, we need somone with medical expertise in this field to help.

G

p.s. ive just found a whole load of new stretch marks that i didnt know i had, found a really thick and deep and long one aswell which is pretty devastating. these arent new, ive just never noticed them because im so covered in the things already. its all rather depressing

What I had in mind was topical applications or injections, however I did some research and there are some products (i.e. Naticor http://www.life-enthusiast.com/enzyme/ ) available that contain proteases, serrapeptase etc. They are used for heart disease, in muscle tissues etc... not sure about skin scars, but it might be worth a try?? especially for people with marks on their whole body.

http://www.beta-glucan-info.com/compare_enzymes.htm

Homeopathy may also help (graphite, silicea, helichrysum...)

[Guest]

Hey guys, i need some help. I bought 50 percent tca peel from nova and i diluted to 25%. i did the test patch and i felt absolutley NOTHING and it doesnt look any different than the rest of my skin. Maybe i diluted it wrong? how do you dilute properly, i jsut followed teh instructions on nova peels which said if you want to dilute to half its concentration than use one teaspoon of water and one teaspoon of acid. is this wrong, i dont think it is, its simply equal volumes of water and acid to dilute it to half its percentage. ? Should i just go ahead and do the 50 percent peel since 25 percent does not seem to do a thing to my skin? Any advice? thanks in advance.



Kelly

[Guest]

J, how many oz of TCA did u buy from PLatinumskin??

[Guest]

Hey guys, i need some help. I bought 50 percent tca peel from nova and i diluted to 25%. i did the test patch and i felt absolutley NOTHING and it doesnt look any different than the rest of my skin. Maybe i diluted it wrong? how do you dilute properly, i jsut followed teh instructions on nova peels which said if you want to dilute to half its concentration than use one teaspoon of water and one teaspoon of acid. is this wrong, i dont think it is, its simply equal volumes of water and acid to dilute it to half its percentage. ? Should i just go ahead and do the 50 percent peel since 25 percent does not seem to do a thing to my skin? Any advice? thanks in advance.



Kelly

The dilution amounts seem correct to me. You might not have applied enough tca to the area. I would suggest that you apply another layer to the test area, wait to see if mild frosting occurs. If not, after 10 minutes apply another layer to the test area. Don't try it at 50% until you are sure 25% has no result on you. You should feel a burning sensation, once you get to that point you know it is working.

To the other person that asked, I initially bought a couple of bottles, but then reordered and bought quite a few. I should not need to reorder anymore tca.

J

[DevonM]

Hi There,
Im male and 21 i no this is a website for women but theres not really any other website with so many people suffering from the same thing as me. Im 21 and have had stretch marks for about 2 years ive got them on my arms, lower back, thighs and bottom the worst thing is is that im only 10 stone im not fat at all and ive got them. They have stopped me from going out with my mates and having a good time, im to afraid to get a GF because of what they will say which is annoying as im not that bad looking so ive been told and when im out some times get asked if i would have a drink with some girls and i have to make up an exuse why i dont like them because i hate my stretch marks and worry what they would say. As i live near the beach i have to make up exuses to my friends why i dont like going to beach anymore and before i had them we used to go down there everyday please has any one got any advise or going through the same thing get back to me Thanks.

[nyc2008]

nyc2008

You said you've had a lot of carboxy injections - did you have them to treat the SMs, or for anther reason? I've heard that carboxy is "supposed" to be amazing for SMs, but it doesn't seem to be available yet in Canada.

I really want my old arms back....

Yes I did the carboxy for the stretch marks. They said that I would need 5 sessions, but that I'd see the biggest result in the first two sessions. They also said that it wouldn't help any of my small sm's, only the big ones. For me it didn't really help and it hurt. I did two treatments and decided to stop because I didn't see much improvement. The only improvement I saw was on one of the marks on my shoulder (it lost its shine), but it didn't last. When the marks healed, I decided to exfoliate in the shower one day, and the mark looked just like it did before.

Err...I feel that in order for you to see results you have to do many treatments. It's very popular in south america, in fact the doctor that did it on me trained with a doctor in Brazil (which by the way is the mecca for anti-cellulite/anti-sm treatments)... What I don't get is that I was told that I'd need five treatments here in the US, but I know for a fact that clinics in south america recommend 10-20 sessions for good results, but then again, it's much cheaper! About $30 a session, compared to $250 a session here. Ehhh I can go on an on.

[nyc2008]

so nyc2008, are u seeing a little improvement after u did ur first peels now that there some lines r running vertically through the STs?

They are running horizontally. I'm hopeful about it and will continue to peel!

[Guest]

Hi There,
Im male and 21 i no this is a website for women but theres not really any other website with so many people suffering from the same thing as me. Im 21 and have had stretch marks for about 2 years ive got them on my arms, lower back, thighs and bottom the worst thing is is that im only 10 stone im not fat at all and ive got them. They have stopped me from going out with my mates and having a good time, im to afraid to get a GF because of what they will say which is annoying as im not that bad looking so ive been told and when im out some times get asked if i would have a drink with some girls and i have to make up an exuse why i dont like them because i hate my stretch marks and worry what they would say. As i live near the beach i have to make up exuses to my friends why i dont like going to beach anymore and before i had them we used to go down there everyday please has any one got any advise or going through the same thing get back to me Thanks.

im sorry, i dont have a mircale cure for you, but i MIGHT be able to cheer you up...i am literally EXACTLY like you...im a 21 year old male who has bad sm's...im afraid to get a gf because it will inevitably only lead to sex or her finding out about them, and since i hate my body so much i just avoid the whole thing altogether. i too am in a rare situation like yourself because i am ALSO not fat, in fact im in very good shape, so it boggles my mind how i got such bad sm's. im also not bad looking either or so ive been told and its very frustrating because no matter how in shape or nice my face is, i still will never have the confidence to get a gf/go to the beach/ hang out with my friends etc.

its very depressing. someone on here mentioned how they think a cure will some day come from the inside out. i too believe that that is the only way. laser and anything else intended for the surface of the skin do not seem to work very well...we will have to wait more months/years in order to see a cure im afraid

[Guest]

Can I just ask... you mentioned in your post that "the marks are definitely still there, but they have lost that silvery colour". Before you did the TCA peel, were the stretch marks pink, purple or silver? What colour are they now would you say?

Hello, the marks were white when I started (silvery shiny white eww). For some reason, they never come out red!!! They just start white. Well in any case I've had them for a couple of years. Now that some time has elapsed from the first peel, I'm realizing that some of the sm's do actually come back to being shiny. I think what made them appear to lose the silvery color is the fact that the skin gets so dry after the peeling process. Despite that disappointment I still do see some improvement. The marks are there, but one of them on my stomach seems like it is breaking up. This was the first time I peeled, I left it on too long and burned my stomach. I was very scared I ruined my skin, but the burn mark peeled away. What I'm seeing is the SM, but with little lines going through it, little lines of normal skin. It's a very small change, but I have noticed it. It hasn't been that long since the first peel (about 4 weeks)...but I feel like it has heeled. I've been reading that everyone says to wait longer...but I want to do another peel soon because in 5 weeks I'm going to be away for a month in a hot country. I'm going to be in the sun everyday and I don't want to peel too soon and completely ruin my skin once I start getting that sun. My arms are ruined enough as it is lol

Oh by the way...I was very wary of doing the peels on my arms and shoulders because I was afraid I'd be left with a lot of hyperpigmentation. I ended up doing it, and my skin did darken considerably, especially on my shoulder (where I had a lot of carboxy injections). But when it peeled ALL of the dark skin went away. Btw in case you are wondering what my skin type is...I'm hispanic with light skin, that burns before it tans.

I'll check this page out with more frequency since I'm getting replies. Any questions just let me know

Hi nyc2008, and thank you for your reply!

Ohhh, yes I forgot about the hyperpigmentation. I should imagine most people on this board are using TCA peels on stretch marks that aren't visible... like their stomach, thighs, bum etc. I want to use them on the back of my upper arms... so if I got hyperpigmentation through using TCA it would obviously be visible to others as it's on my arms (unless I keep covering them up, which I don't want to do!)... but, if the TCA peels made an improvement to my stretch marks... maybe I would prefer having hyperpigmentation than having the stretch marks? Or would it make it all looks worse? People might see it and ask why I have funny dark marks over a load of stretch marks... so I could infact make my problem even worse... hmm

I doubt I will use TCA peel on any of my other stretch marks, mainly because they are too big of an area to treat. My whole lower stomach is covered, all of my inner thighs are covered, my back would be too difficult to get to, unless I got someone else to do it… which I doubt I would let anyone see them… both my hips/sides have about 5 long vertical (about 3 inches in length) marks spread fart apart (about an inch apart)… so I would be wasting most of the TCA on the “normal” unstretched skin in between the marks.

Like I said, I hate ALL my stretch marks… but mainly want something done about the ones on my arms as I refuse to cover up another part of my body. I will soon be buying a nuns outfit at this rate J

G

p.s. ive just found a whole load of new stretch marks that i didnt know i had, found a really thick and deep and long one aswell which is pretty devastating. these arent new, ive just never noticed them because im so covered in the things already. its all rather depressing

Aww , I totally know where you're coming from and how you feel.

A few months back I was having a shower, and for some reason I felt the need to look at the area below my breasts (the upper stomach?) and I noticed a few horrid purple lines! I was hoping they were marks from the wire in my bra or tight clothes... but nope. A few hours later they were still there! And I ran my fingers over them and they were indented, so I knew then exactly what they were. God, I felt so depressed... And about 3 months on, they have spread… they were in an area of about 1x1inch… the area is now about 4x4 inches, maybe even bigger… It's gotten to the point where I keep checking all over my body daily to see if any new ones are forming! I'm so paranoid and I REALLY HOPE and pray I don't develop anymore. If I do, I might as well be completely covered in them.
…

Oh btw, I went to see my doctor last Friday and guess what?
Nothing. That's what lol. She didn't even really take much notice of what I said. She didn't suggest anything at all. When I told her why I was there... she just said "well stretch marks form because you stretch your skin... through gaining weight" (like I have). I was like yeah... I do know that!
She said if you lose the weight the stretch marks will look better and become smaller as then they wont be under so much strain, and they wont be so wide because they wont be "stretched" anymore.
I dunno, I doubt it. Most people I have talked to who lost weight said their stretch marks looked worse after losing weight I can only hope eh?
I am currently dieting. I’ve been doing it for 2 weeks and lost over half a stone so far. So nly another 3 stone to go! Lol. Fingers crossed once I get to my goal weight my stretch marks will look better... seriously I mean it, fingers crossed.
So, she didn't offer me any help or any other creams etc... she just talked about the losing weight. I mentioned being referred to a dermatologist, but she basically said “they wont offer anything on the NHS…” so yeah, no point… unless I got my purse out and gave them loads of money I don’t even have.

So, I’m feeling even more depressed and upset now, like I said I would… so the other day I went _ and I bought the StriVectin - SD cream… for a fraction of the price wooooooooo! I will give it a go on a small area and see how it goes. It’s expensive so I will start off in a test area and see how it goes. If I see improvement I will then invest in some more of it. If I don’t see any improvement I certainly wont waste anymore money on that!

I’m probably going to start using the cream with my Derma Roller that I bought a while back but have never used. Also, I may invest in some TCA peel from Nova and try that too. So at the moment, I have some sort of hope in me that I can try a few things and wait and see what happens.

PS
I noticed earlier I am developing a few more new stretch marks under my left breast (on my upper stomach)… on the right hand side it’s covered in stretch marks (recent ones). So if I do get more develop on the left side, at least it will match with the right? Haha, joke. NOOO they need to stop forming.

bc8

[Guest]

I know how difficult it can be living with so many marks, lets face it I have them virtually everywhere and have never been overweight. I still believe that the best thing you can do is try and help yourselves with routines. I only say this from experience, I am older than most of you and have done the depressed thing and it really does not help.

What you need to bear in mind is that you can develop more marks, I certainly did in my late 20's early 30's, so doing a routine might help to stop you getting any more than you already have at the very least. It will hopefully improve the ones you already have too.

J

[Guest]

bc8,

Have you asked your doctor to check your hormones? Just wondering because the way you describe discovering large red marks underneath your breasts, would suggest to me a hormonal problem such as cushings syndrome, which cause those types of stretch marks. I take it you've probably heard of this before, but just thought I'd mention it incase you haven't. I got my cortisol levels checked after I started getting marks, though mines never start red, nor do I have any on my stomach, which is what usually happens with cushing, I just wanted to rule out any possibilities.

And to the guys guys, I'm 21 as well, and not overweight in anyway. My weight fluctuated throughout my teens, from chubby to really skinny, to very fit and toned. I had maintained the same weight for a year or two before any marks appeared, so I'm really baffled as to why I have them. Especially on the back of my arms, as I've always had slim toned arms. They all gradually appeared too, no sudden outburst of marks due to weight gain or over exercising.. And they were always white, never red. At first I was totally depressed, and could only see them getting worse.. I never wanted to get in to bed with someone again. But I genuinely think there will be a time a few years down the line where you will be able to overcome this... Relationships and sex isn't about some marks on your body. Noone really cares THAT much. Sure it may not be a turn on, but neither are alot of things.. doesn't stop people being together. And it always helps if you're in shape, and look good. It's difficult to see past them when they're something you hate so much about your own body. It completely takes away your confidence when you're naked or even on the beach. But you can get passed it. You've got to remember as well how common they are on girls. I know tons of hot thin girls who just happen to be unlucky enough to get them.. on their tits, hips, lower backs.. it's really not that unusual. And if I mention having them to girls they act surprised that it's something that would bother me. It's just what happens to some people. You just happen to see all the other people out there who have no problem flaunting their bodies on the beach or in the gym.

Anyway, the best advice I can give is what J always says.. start a routine. do something about them. Even just to know you're improving them in anyway will help you a lot. None of us know if tca or whatever will rid you of them completely, but people on this board have claimed they've got rid of their stretch marks.. and other people, including myself, will vouch for the improvement it gives. I'm not putting my faith in acid 100%, but I know it is helping.. and I've not been worrying about them so much. So I would urge you to give it a go.. try something. Who knows if a cure will come soon or. It could be years away. But in the meantime, don't get yourself down about them so much. Stop putting all your insecurities and worries on to your marks. I know its easier said than done, but just try..


- RS

[Guest]

bc8,

Have you asked your doctor to check your hormones? Just wondering because the way you describe discovering large red marks underneath your breasts, would suggest to me a hormonal problem such as cushings syndrome, which cause those types of stretch marks. I take it you've probably heard of this before, but just thought I'd mention it incase you haven't. I got my cortisol levels checked after I started getting marks, though mines never start red, nor do I have any on my stomach, which is what usually happens with cushing, I just wanted to rule out any possibilities.

- RS

Hi RS,

My doctor never mentioned checking my hormones and neither did I. Good info though thanks!

But I do feel I have gained all my stretch marks through weight gain. When I turned 14 I gained about 3+ stone by over eating and not being active. So obviously my skin stretched beyong how much it could handle and I gained quickly. Something bad happened in my life, which caused me to become depressed and I didn't like to go out. I was basically indoors all the time with not alot of exercise. I would eat lots of food to comfort myself etc.

The new marks are probably due to the same thing. I lost over 3 stone at the end of 2007. I gained it all back plus an extra stone (so 4 stone gained back). I gained back the first 2 stone within 5 months, then I gained the other 2 stone within 4 months. So in about 9 months I have gained 4 stone, that's alot, so no wonder I have developed new stretch marks. I've gained weight quickly before, but never that quickly! And there is a reason for just gaining so much weight and so quickly... after dieting and losing the 3 stone, I gave up my diet... and I went back to my old eating habits... I started eating way too much food and basically not getting any exercise what so ever. My weight gain is due to over eating and not being active.

I am going for a blood test soon to check my thyroid. But I doubt there's a problem. I'm probably just one of these girls who has to watch what they eat and try and do some sort of exercise to keep the weight under control. We're all different, some people can eat and eat and not gain a lb, others only have to eat slightly over what they're meant to and they gain. I'm just unlucky lol, because I love my food!

I would like to mention this cushings syndrome/hormone test to my doctor though, now that you have said it. Just to make sure. But I don't really know how to go about mentioning it to her... she doesn't know I use a forum to talk about stretch marks. So she will probably wonder where I found my info from. Also, when I told her about my marks last week she wasn't that bothered about them... as if oh well you got them through gaining weight and you have to accept them.

bc8

[Guest]

I forgot to mention, the new purple/pink stretch marks under my right breast aren't large themselves... they just cover a large area (well to me anyway) an area of about 4x4 inches. Each individual purple stretch mark is about 1cm in length (max) and about 1mm in width. They aren't as purple as they were, but are still a pinky colour. They are starting to fade. But I think they probably wont go that silver/white colour until at least another 6 months.

So the new stretch marks on my upper stomach themselves are tiny, but they just happened to spread over a larger area. When they first appeared a few started right below my breast crease... then over a few months new ones spread further down towards my lower stomach. Probably, because I continued to overeat and not exercise, so therefore I was gaining even more weight still. Since then I'm dieting, so I'm no longer gaining weight... but hopefully losing.

Looking at the photos of stretch marks caused by cushings disease, they seem to be extremely large, each stretch mark looks bigger than any I have ever seen before. Wow, and I moan about what I have now?

Here is a photo of someone with stretch marks due to cushings disease:


Notice how large each individual stretch mark is, in both length and width... wow, that must be absolutely awful to have marks like that

Thanks RS for bringing that to my attention. This thread is great, you learn so much. I will deffo be mentioning it to my doctor though. I will let you all know how I get on.

Thanks bc8

[shoo]

That picture sure hurts to see. My marks were quite similar to his at one time. However, I also have a bunch of little ones in the mix too. Now, 20 years later at least they're white/silver. Every time I raise my arms or bend to the side I feel like my skin is going to "run" like you get in nylon stockings. Not alot of hope with stretchmarks that large.

However, I am too apprehensive to do TCA. I've opted to try dermarolling with retin-a and high doses of vitamin C. I'm also looking into red /infared led lighting. And Thiosinaminum. Which is a homopathic remedy to help dissolve scar tissue internally.

I'm still not ruling out TCA. But I want to see how well it works for J and everyone else who is trying it.

Good luck all!

[Guest]

That's the thing, they do fade... but that can take a long time and sometimes it feels as though you are wasting your life just waiting for them to fade!
Mine take absolutely ages to fade. My old ones, I can remember... took years to fade. Some people say theirs fade from pink to white/silver within months, all I can say is you are extremely lucky. For me, they certainly take their time.

I wont show mine, but if I had to... I would much prefer to show them when they have turned white/silver rather than when they are that pinky colour.

Just out of curiosity, has anyone ever used a make-up to cover up some of their marks that are on show? Like Dermablend or Dermacolor etc. Basically used a make-up to disguise their marks. If so, was it any good? did it last a good few hours during the day?
I suppose it would be difficult to get a perfect match for your skintone... because if you apply the wrong colour you end up making the problem worse and people will know you are wearing some sort of make-up on your skin!

Maybe if I cannot reduce the harsh look of stretch marks perm with other treatments, then maybe I would do with some make-up for when I want to wear certain clothes.

Arms were stinging earlier today, where my old stretch marks are. So I had a look in the mirror, and 4 new pink ones have appeared. Looks like stretch marks on top of stretch marks lol, but it's because they are so close to the old ones. So, on another downer today.

It's as though I get so far foward, I sort of come to terms with the ones I already have... then I find some more and it sets me RIGHT back. I honestly don't know how much more I can take of this. It's as if they are haunting me.

bc8