How do stretchmarks look after weight loss and toning?

hulder

hulder

New member
Hey all. I'm a 19 year old girl and entering the new year depressed and where I started (i.e still with 25-30 kg too much on my body). One of the things that bothers and demotivates me the most is my stretch marks and how they might look when I reach my goal. I know that nothing can get rid of them, and most of them have faded to white/silvery already, but I've noticed that even the whole surface of my stomache and down to my pelvis is covered with greyish-purple and rather deep scarring, and I'm worried that this might become even more visible when I loose weight, since the skin will stretch back.

My question is therefor, to those of you who have reached your goal (and toned your stomache area); will they shrink/become thinner and "gather up" just as my body shrinks, or will they be just as deep and aweful? They look worst when I turn in a certain profile angle where the depth of them reflects like crazy in the sun light.. If anyone would be willing to post photos of their tummies, I would appreciate it alot.

Another problem is my cellulite,.. If I loose the almost almost 30 kg and do plenty of exercise, will they disappear? And I'm not talking about the Hollywood pseudo-cellulite, mine are extremely visible and almost reach my knees..

I hope someone who has a good experience with this can relieve my anguish with an uplifting word or two.
 
With all due respect, the fear of stretch marks seems more like a weak excuse than a reason not to lose weight. If you look at all of the other health benefits that you get from being thinner, it is clearly much better to lose weight!
 
If your really worried about it look for pregnancy stretch mark creams and drink plenty of water to aid the skin's elasticity.

I have to agree with Monster, especially as its an excuse I've used myself. I've also heard if you lose weight at a sensible rate and don't crash diet then the skin has time to shrink back.

Good luck.
 
Hey, that assumption is a bit harsh.. I'm not using this as an excuse not to lose weight, I know I can't possibly look any worse than I already do and my health goes above all. I'm simply saying it would be more motivating for me if someone could tell me what I can expect (since I clearly have this horror-scenario branded in my mind that makes it easy to be self-defeating) and if there is anything I can do during the weight loss process to shrink them - any oils or specific types of exercise etc. It's very motivating for most people to see photos of others, regardless of the "problem-area" they might focus on. Thanks anyway..
 
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FYI, this topic has been discussed quite a bit already. You can find more discussion on this by using the search option. I can tell you this though, from what I've read, stretch marks never get worse when you lose weight.
 
I've looked around, I've mostly only found the "how can I get rid of them" threads, but I'll try again. Thanks.
 
Nothing really gets rid of them in my opinion.
Creams can help them fade and make the texture look nicer but but that's about it.
There is laser treatment but it's really pricey and the results vary.
I have many stretch marks, they are on my stomach, upper arms, hips, legs, small of my back, calves, boobs, you name it.
I was very self conscious about them and they made me feel ugly and I thought men would find them unsightly.
Then I realised I was being silly, so far all the men I've dated and had relationships with couldn't care less about them, I was creating my very own self-esteem problems.
In my opinion, being slim and healthy with a couple of possible extra marks still outweighs being heavy and unhealthy cause health is very important to me.

Just moisturise with a cream that improves elasticity while you lose weight to "prevent" getting new ones or at least reduce the damage.
 
I plan to wear my stretch marks like a badge of honour. It will be a testament to the amount of work i put in.
 
They seem to be more likely to go silver when you lose weight so they look better rather than being red.
 
Yes, I know they'll never go away, and mine have already faded to grey, I'm just wondering if they will "shrink" and "gather" along with the body, or if they will still look extremely deep.

Artemisia, it's very uplifting to hear that most men you've dated couldn't care less, it's of course in regards to intimacy that these things worry me the most. Stretch marks, as well as my saggy breasts and whatever will remain of my cellulites don't exactly make it easy to feel comfortable with one self.
 
I used to wonder the same thing myself before I lost weight. Now that I've lost 50 lbs (gained a couple back over Christmas though) I know what the stretch marks look like without so much fat underneath them.

You are correct in that they never go away - they were caused by damage to the skin and are scars. In my case they were caused by carrying twins. But they have turned silvery and have shrunk up some. But they make the texture of your skin have sort of a wrinkled look. I have found that as time passes and I do more toning, my skin does look better. And it looks better when I'm well hydrated (being dehydrated makes it look even more wrinkled).

I recently took some pictures, which I'm attaching. Hopefully they help give you an idea of what do expect. Don't let a few stretch marks deter you from reaching your weight loss goals though. If you get a tan on your skin, it makes them look even better. And the cellulite DOES go away with toning and weight loss. And because you are still young there is a good chance that your skin will turn out pretty good in the end. Much better than mine I'd guess (I'm 37).
 
Look for a product called "bio oil" its a pretty good oil specifically for scarring and stuff, i think it basically works by making ALL of your skin shine so you cant tell the different between teh scar reflections. good luck x
 
Hello, was searching for exactly the same kind of pictures/info as you were. It's a little after the time but I just wanted to share with you a small bit of encouragement: Your body isn't ruined. Your a GODDAMN TIGER who earned her stripes! <3 for you and your body!!!
 
My sister worried about the same thing but finally decided it better to not give it much thought but instead change her attitude towards it and just be happy about having better ability to spend time with her kids doing more activity than she previously was able to do. It's been a good motivator seeing her change not just her size but her mindset also.
 
It is definitely possible to get more stretchmarks as you lose weight…I definitely did! About 2 years ago I studied abroad in France. I was having such a great time eating, sleeping and partying that I put on 10 kilos. This was this first time in my life that I had ever put on weight. I’m 5’4 and weighed 47 kilos before putting on weight…and it wasn’t because I didn’t want to eat, it was because my body was naturally thin. So I was devastated with this weight gain. I returned home and 6 months later, which is now, I’ve lost 6 kilos..but it has left me with tragic stretchmarks around my bum and hips… and I noticed…the more weight I lost.. the more these discerning stretchmarks prevailed. So I’ve researched.. YOU HAVE SEVERAL OPTIONS.

Microdermabrasion – a series of them, along with some lasering will take away 80% of these stretchmarks if they are fresh (reddy purple)… BUT, it’s expensive. You can go to your local laser and aesthetic services to find that they charge well over the 1000 dollar mark for a few sessions.


The other option is the use of AHA’s which are rather cheap… like glycolic acid. You can get this anywhere on ebay…start with low concentrations like 50% and work your way up. They are chemical peels which will target removing layers of debris…but not completely.. hence why you might need a cream as well… such as a retina a cream. I don’t use retina A cream though.. I use copper peptides and emu oil together.


You will find a lot of good reviews on it. One good one is skin biology super cop cream. The website for it is www.skinbiology.com Use this cream with some triple refined emu oil. Right now you’re probably thinking…shit this bitch is overloading me with info…but it will all be worth it. I do glycolic acid peels on my stretchmarks and they have definitely faded followed by using this cream and emu oil religiously, my stretchmarks are nearly gone!!


Prior to this I tried strixaderm and bio oil… it didn’t really help. Stretchmarks never go away because they are scars..but you can definitely make them look less visible and smoother…especially if you target your stretchmarks in its early phases. Silvery stretchmarks…the really old ones… can be made better with the skin biology super cop cream.


I have also read that one of the best ways to prevent stretchmarks is to drinks lots of water as it keeps you hydrated!! All in all…. Stretchmarks will fade in time, and with the right treatments it can be reduced drastically.
 
Just a late two cents worth -


Years ago, I went from 240 lbs to 175 over about about a year and a half. My stretch marks seemed to kind of shrink/tighten/close up and become much less noticeable. Even after my slowly drifting back up to 240 (and continuing far beyond :)) over quite a few more years, they seem to have "healed" in the sense that most scars do - not gone, but very much diminished and faded from prominence.


In regard to intimate situations: we are talking about guys here. Most guys' thought process in intimate moments seems to go something like -

He's alone in a room with a naked woman! A wonderful naked woman who's probably about to have sex with him! An amazing fantastic naked woman he probably really likes even when she's not naked! Who is naked and intimate in a room with him! And he's probably going to get to have sex! With this wonderful amazing fantastic woman he really likes who's probably about to have sex with him! He's probably maybe really going to get to have sex! With this amazing fantastic wonderful woman that he really likes!


And so on. IMH (but not entirely inextensive) E, that thought process just doesn't have much room left over for any critical observations. ;)
 
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