The time-old question...

[AK89]

How do I get rid of these stretch marks?!

I really didn't think they'd be this bad.. especially 2 months down the line. I got all the way to the last 2-3 weeks unscathed and then got loads at the last minute! It's not the worst I've seen but it's enough to make me self conscious about my holiday next year.. so I'm on a mission to get rid! Well... drastically reduce the appearance at least!

I used Palmers Cocoa Butter, knock-off Bio Oil, etc to try to prevent them during pregnancy. Now I've been using Palmers whenever I remember /have time and am seeing no improvement really. Should I invest in some proper Bio Oil or is that a crock of sh*t too?!

Are there any miracle products out there that any of you would recommend? Preferably ones that won't bankrupt me but I'm open to all recommendations!

 

[Xstwx]

So I have heard about this, I tried it for a while and it really seemed to help but then I got busy and too tired haha
Vicks vapor rub and plastic wrap ( the stuff you cover food with, it's called so many different things lol )
Put Vicks on and then wrap it. I used to do it before I went to bed and then take it off in the night when I woke up or in the morning! I'm sure if you google it it will explain it better than me haha

 

[Kitteh_Kat]

Stretch marks are scars; unless you have surgery the only thing that will truly reduce their appearance significantly is time. A lot of people have them from pregnancy/puberty/weight gain/etc, and I know I don't even really notice them on other people unless they point them out. Instead of spending the money on products, why not invest in some nice clothing for your holiday that will help boost your self-confidence and disguise the stretch marks?

 

[staralfur]

Time!

Mine were soooo bad at the end of my pregnancy. I kind of stopped dwelling on it a few months PP and they've faded a lot since then.

 

[supertabby]

Agree - time.

I didn't get stretch marks until about 36/37 weeks and then I suddenly looked like a tiger! They faded by themselves and were barely visible by 12 months pp. I didn't bother with any oils or creams though I've heard Bio Oil is good - I do wonder though if it only "works" because the marks fade over time anyway.

They came back in my second pregnancy, a bit earlier but still late on, and now at 10 months pp they've faded a lot. My section scar is still dark though.

 

[sheldonsmommy]

Unfortunately I have to agree, there are no magic ways to prevent or eliminate stretch marks. But, after a year they faded to white instead of pink and they are much less noticeable (and mine are really bad, like a road map )

 

[AK89]

I was worried you might say that! Oh well.. I'm not too bothered really... I'll be 7 months pp by the time I go away so hopefully they'll have faded quite a bit

In the meantime, time to whip this body back into shape and stop eating everything I set eyes on!

 

[JessesGirl29]

I just wanted to chime in and say that you are a new breastfeeding Momma and it's totally normal to want to eat everything. Your body is feeding someone now. I remember after giving birth I felt like nothing would 'go back' and that I was going to gain a million pounds because I was STARVING for the first three months.
Try it pick healthier options but don't limit yourself! I promise that the hunger dies down and by six months I saw major improvement in my body.

It's too soon to be worried about weight loss, just snuggle your newborn, make healthy food choices when you can (I had to ore-prepare healthy snacks when I could so I grabbed those first), and trust that it will get better!

 

[bumphope]

I am one big walking stretch mark, got them all the way through pregnancy, just got more and more! Tummy, hips, legs... Tummy looks horrible and saggy

Hope they do go with time!

X

 

[liz1985]

Honestly it's not what you want to hear but time is all that really helps. I got bad stretch marks with ds and they took almost 2 years to go white. I has just got pregnant with dd when they had started to really fade. Luckily I didn't really get any new ones with dd and they didn't really turn that red again. I've still got them, obviously they never disappear but they are really faded. Enough ill feel happy in a bikini when I go away next year, which I haven't worn yet since dd. I'm sure they all don't take as long as mine did to fade though, mine were particularly bad.

 

[donnarobinson]

I got really bad ones during my first pregnancy i mean tons and bright red they faded so quickly u cudnt even see them x i didnt get any new ones second time round they went slightly red but not bad and now there all back white x

 

[alex_22]

Try bio oil or Palmers coco butter, it certainly isn't some magic potion that is going to clear them but can speed up the process of fading them X