Stretch marks out the wazoo!

[briashayy]

And I do mean that literally! Haha!

I've got horrible stretch marks on my hips and my thighs. I constantly hear two things about this:
1. Embrace it! You worked for those! (And meanwhile in my mind, all I can think is "I didn't ask for this part of it!!! AHHHH!)
2. They are hereditary. If your mother had them, you will too! (And unfortunately, my mom had them pretty bad too!!)

So while I love feeling my little boy kick and do flips in my stomach, I don't exactly enjoy looking down and seeing the stretch marks! I've been using coco butter, but it does almost nothing! So I'm wondering if any of y'all are using something that will lessen the appearance and prevent more from appearing, or either one!! Help!

 

[everdreaming]

Bio Oil is expensive but genuinely the only thing that's ever helped me. I have loads of scars that used to be huge red sticky out ones ans with regular use for a few months they've gone right down are less painful and aren't bright red! Definitely worth a try (and its great to moisturise the yucky hard bits on feet if you get them)

 

[donnarobinson]

I never used nothing on mine to fade them, and they faded really quickly . I got tons! Bright red they were but they faded and u could almost hardly see them . They aint the nicest things in the world , but not much we can do about them. They do fade tho chick x

 

[hardd2011]

I been using tree tea oil, cocoa butter and a german stretch mark cream and mine are now blending in with my skin. I wasn't keeping up with it for 5 days and two appeared. Now I put oil right after a shower and then put cocoa butter right after and night again cocoa butter

 

[donnarobinson]

Me 36 weeks preg with my son! Gosh they were bad
Then me 17 weeks with this baby. U can see them bt thre the same color as my skin and way better x

 

[Klandagi]

My belly is blooming horrendously with stretch marks. They make me want to cry and I definitely feel hideous with them - but they don't appear to bother my husband any at all. He tells me that I earned them, that they're a mark that comes with the high honor of bearing a child. NOTHING I do seems to help me get rid of them at all, so at this point? I give up.

 

[HBGirl]

There is nothing you can do to stop them but you can help them to fade. Bio oil is probably the best. I don't get stretch marks because I inherited my mothers skin but I get cracking and flaking. I am using happy event vitamin E cream to help with dryness.

 

[briashayy]

This seems crazy, but I've been told that hemorrhoid cream works pretty well! I just wonder how true that really is? And roughly estimated, how much does bio oil and such usually run?

 

[hardd2011]

This seems crazy, but I've been told that hemorrhoid cream works pretty well! I just wonder how true that really is? And roughly estimated, how much does bio oil and such usually run?

I think around 15

 

[T8ty]

I used bio oil and motorcade stretch mark cream since 8 weeks with Isabella she's now two and I'm covered!!!

 

[Starry Night]

I've heard that creams don't help because the stretch marks come from damage to the lower layers of our skin that the cream can't reach. but I still use cocoa butter because it helps keep my skin soft and less likely to itch. I hate pregnancy itch!

I got stretch marks really bad with my son but they do fade, I promise!!! My skin is still like an orange peel and is all wriggly and soft but you only really see that up close. And I normally don't go around town topless so really, only dh sees it and he doesn't care. I've learned to just accept them and they don't bother me anymore. They're just there and I can't help them so I refuse to feel badly.

But they are hard to accept while pregnant and they're all bright and tiger-like. Mine are slowly starting to darken again. I hear they can get worse with a second pregnancy so waiting to see if they ring all the way around my back this time. lol

 

[2have4kids]

Right out of the shower your skin is dehydrated. Get some cream on it and then a fat ie Bio oil, evoo, coconut oil (coconut oil is a solid but you scoop it out and it melts in your hand). I've used all of them as I've lost 70 lbs last year and didn't want to have saggy skin. I prefer coconut oil as it smells nice. It absorbs quickly and isn't too greasy or expensive.

You don't need a bag of tricks, bio oil isn't magic...you just need to understand your skin's nature and also how you'll react due to genetics. You have ~3 minutes before your skin dries out and the cells close up after a shower. Quickly apply cream and then lock in all of that moisture with a lipid/oil based product. You'll love the feel of your skin and you'll retain the moisture better than only using an oil or a cream. You're meant to start the routine before you get big so that your skin is softened /conditioned to stretch in your last tri. Just stay hydrated and out of the sun while you heal. Sun damage is the ultimate for wearing out the skin's elasticity. I wish you a mark-free belly