Stretch Marks
 

I have a couple of questions about those icky scars. Do they appear only during weight gain, or can they also appear during weightloss? Also, how do you make them less visible when you already have them? Not just the new ones, but the old ones too. I'm olive complected, so when the old ones turn silvery, they tend to be more noticable. :(

Oh! One more question: is there any way to prevent them? I know that may be a dumb question, but I'm terrified that once I reach my goal I'll just be one big highway of strech marks!! EEK! :eek:

Angie

Stretch marks are somewhat permanent, but many people swear by using Vitamin E cream on them.

I'm not an expert, but I would say that it's not possible to get them by losing weight. You're probably noticing them more because they come closer together as you lose weight.

Just out of curiosity, did you notice them multiplying with the same horror when you were gaining weight as you do now when they seem more obvious because you're losing weight?

Karen

It is VERY possible to get them when losing weight. Take it from me, I didn't have them until I lost half my body weight in my teens, and then my Dr. explained this to me. Sucks, huh! Doods

Yeah, Doods, that's what I thought. I already have some now, but I started noticing that the old ones are expanding (i can see pinkish/reddish tips on them :( ). What a bummer. Oh well, there's always laser surgery! lol

Did your Dr. explain how it happens? Is it gravitational pull or something else?

Karen

The skin is stretched gaining weight... you don't see the damage untill you lose the weight. The weight loss doesn't CAUSE the stretch marks. And the vitamin E would have to be used while gaining, not losing I would think.

But vitamin E is always good for the skin, use it anyway. It might help reduce appearance of marks or help heal the skin. But you can't PREVENT the damage at this point.

This is my opinion.

I agree with Meeker. Stretch marks are caused by a rapid stretching of the skin, usually associated with rapid weight gain. THe growth of skin can't keep up with the underlying growth of body tissue, the tissue breaks down and scar tissue is formed. Many times you won't notice them until you lose weight because they become more dense, if you will, once the skin begins to shrink again. This often happens during pregnancy. WOmen may not notice they have stretch marks until they deliver the baby. Fortunately, even though they may look dark or bright pink at first, they often fade with time. Vitamin E can help the appearance of the scar tissue but once there, they are permanent (barring surgery of course).

If you run a search on stretch marks, it will show on every site (at least the ones that i've been to) that they can be caused by weight gain or loss. I guess it has a lot to do with collagen etc. I know that when I had anorexia and got the marks, my skin was so dry that if I made a fist, the skin on my hands would crack and bleed, so it is no wonder that I got stretch marks! I am covered in them, so much so that when making the plunge, lol, to learn to swim recently, I saved up hundreds of pounds to buy one of those olympic all-body suits, that cover you from neck to foot and also down your arms!!!!! Can you imagine how insane I look in the thing?? I would get fewer glances were I to get in naked. A learner, in an olympian racing suit. But hey, it got me into the water after 15 years of staying away from it. all the best, Doods.

Doodle may be right but I couldn't find any where they associated weight loss with the formation of stretch marks. Below is some info I found on MSN's Web MD.
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Alternative Names :
stretch marks; stria atrophica; striae distensae

Definition:
Skin defects that look like bands or lines, associated with rapid growth or certain diseases or conditions.

Common Causes:
pregnancy
puberty
obesity
Cushing's syndrome
iatrogenic Cushing syndrome
topical corticosteroid overuse
Prader-Willi Syndrome
Laurence-Moon-Biedel syndrome
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome

Note: There may be other causes of stria. This list is not all inclusive, and the causes are not presented in order of likelihood. The causes of this symptom can include unlikely diseases and medications. Furthermore, the causes may vary based on age and gender of the affected person, as well as on the specific characteristics of the symptom such as location, quality, time course, aggravating factors, relieving factors, and associated complaints. Use the Symptom Analysis option to explore the possible explanations for stria, occurring alone or in combination with other problems.


Considerations :
Stretch marks can appear when there is rapid stretching of the skin. They are often associated with the abdominal enlargement of pregnancy. They can be found in children who have become rapidly obese. They may also occur during the rapid growth of puberty in males and females. Stria are most commonly located on the breasts, hips, thighs, buttocks, abdomen, and flank.
Stretch marks appear as parallel streaks of red, thinned glossy skin that over time become whitish and scarlike in appearance. The stretch marks may be slightly depressed and have a different texture than normal skin.
Stria may also occur as a result of abnormal collagen formation, or a result of medications or chemicals that interfere with collagen formation. They may also be associated with prolonged administration of cortisone compounds, diabetes mellitus, Cushing disease, and post-pregnancy.

Home Care:
There is no specific care for stretch marks. Advertised creams and salves to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy are of little value. However, the marks often will disappear after the cause of the skin stretching is gone. Avoiding rapid weight gain helps in the case of stretch marks associated with obesity.

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Hope this helps!

Doodle... but wouldn't you think that the stretch marks you were seeing were ones you got growing up normally? And you just didn't see them until you lost too much weight?

I can see where the skin is stretched on my breasts, but they are not "stretch marks" because they are full of boob.

guys. You cannot imagine the degree of stretch marks I am talking about. I can only speak from my own experience. but please, don't doubt what I know happened to my own body... practically as I watched! Do some more research... or don't. I don't mind. Like I said, I am only telling my own, very real experience. In the mean time, I am going to try and figure out how to post a link! It is so annoying that I can't do it yet. Doods.

posting links
 

hi Doods,

to post a link ... simply type or paste the URL into your message. The link will be created for you when you submit the post. It's not like an email, where the link is created and underscored as soon as you type it.

Don't use the hyperlink http:// button unless you want to create a true hyperlink, which is a 2-step process.

examples:

- here's a simple link to our forums' main index page .. http://forum.lowcarber.org/ .... I just copied and pasted directly from my browser's address bar

- here's the hyperlink .. our forums' main index page .. you paste the URL into the first menu box that pops up, then type in the message you want to appear in the second box. Again, the hyperlink will appear when you submit the post.

(personally, I type in the codes manually; I find it faster than using the buttons and menu boxes)

You can always use "Preview Reply" if you want to check to make sure a link works before you submit your message.

Hope this helps :)

Doreen

another hint ....
 

When you are typing a post, you will see just above and to the left of the message box ... vB Code help ... click on that any time, and you'll get a pop-up help box full of information how to use the different message tools. :)

Doreen

ok, I am going to try and post some links that mention how you can get stretch marks from weight LOSS. Wish me luck!
http://www.goodmorningdoctor.com/he...retch_marks.asp

http://www.teenhealthfx.com/answers...-Illness-47.htm

http://www.rejuvana.com/Pages/obwhyget.html


http://www.stretchmarkcure.com/stretchmarks.htm

I hope they work.... this is just a few I found (while looking for a "miracle cure" I know just does not exist) Doods

all the links work just fine
 

Now, I guess I've got some reading to do. Thanks for this Doodle.

*sigh* ... I just tell myself that all these silvery webs and lacy patterns all over my hips and buttocks and thighs .. are signs of happy and full-living. Besides, they're less noticeable than the varicose and spider-veins sprouting out all over the place. *sigh*

Doreen

Doreen! It worked! It worked!!!!! By jove I think she's got it!
oooooooooooooh, now I have to go and find some gooooood links, those were piddly little things. heeheehee. thanks for the help Doreen. Doods.... the stretch mark queen.

Hi Ladies, I think of stretch marks as my battle scars and I wear them proudly! They tell the world that I've fought a hard battle....and WON. (well, I'm still fighting the battle, but I AM winning.) ;)

Wendy

I hate my stretch marks...They have totally ruined my body...I also have them everywhere...but especially on my abdomen and hips...I have already had one tummy tuck to help reduce the many...and after I have reached goal, I will be going for another...by then I should have most but not all from those areas gone.

I guess this is one advantage of being a hairy guy (and there aren't many! :) )! I've got a few marks on my tum, but you can barely see 'em through my dark body hair!

I bet Pierce Brosnan has 'em too, if only we knew! :D )

Stretch Marks and Skin Tone
 

It's my understanding that the fairer the skin the more 'marks' that will be left by stretching. In fact...fair skin tends to scar more than darker skin as well. I can only speak from the perspective of a fish belly white skinned person and I have quite a collection of stretch marks and various assorted scars, large and small. They do definately fade over time, but they never completely vanish.

Mar

Whatever you do don't do what I did :daze:
My complexion is olive too, and my stretch marks aren't silver, but just a lighter shade than the rest of me. Soooo..... I decided that I would tan them :rolleyes: That just made it 100x worse. My healthy skin got way darker and the marks (scars) didn't tan (dahhh scars don't tan). So what I do is use a bleaching cream, and cocoa butter. The bleach lights the surrounding skin and the cocoa butter plumps everything up. Plus I use an outragous amount of lotion. My skin looks pretty good stretch marks and all.

Gecolon, what about the skin that is exposed to the sun? I have them on my outer thighs, and when I sun bathe, there's no way to cover them up. Any suggestions as to what to do to prevent them from becoming even more visible after tanning?

Sunscreen and self tanners? I never tried the self tanners, but since they stain they would probably tan the stretch marks too. Let me know :)

I just remembered something. When I went to Puerto Rico I learned a trick from my cousins. It is so hot over there that no one really wears pantyhose. What they do is mix make up with lotion and rub it on your legs. It makes your legs look really nice it even camouflages the stretch marks.

Oooooooooooh, I like that idea! :thup: I'm gonna try it tonight!!
Thanks!

:wave: