How bad are my stretch marks?

[BonkToTheFinish]

Are these standard or really bad?

I woke up at 35 weeks with them!

I quite literally went from 0 to 100.

Now 36+ weeks and they only seem to get worse.

I’ve heard that they won’t fade very well on my skin tone, is this true?

[MrsOverTheRoad]

They'll turn silvery OP....don't give them a second thought.

[ChaChaChaCh4nges]

Honestly, mine were similar and now I don’t even think of them.

[Ttbb]

Don't worry, they fade after about a year. Because your skin is quite pale they won't be very noticeable once the redness has gone.

[RedastheRose]

Mine were similar too, can hardly see them anymore. Don't worry about them.

[WanderingTrolley1]

They will fade.

[BonkToTheFinish]

Don't worry, they fade after about a year. Because your skin is quite pale they won't be very noticeable once the redness has gone

My skin is deep olive that’s why a few people have said they won’t fade as well as if I had white/paler skin

[Guardup]

I just think of mine as my babies tickling me when they were in my tummy and left a mark- my girls think this is hilarious! Try not to worry about them they will fade x

[lgh05]

Mine were a lot worse than yours are, I also just woke up one day with them at 38 weeks pregnant. It's taken me a long time to adjust to my postpartum body but after about a year they did significantly fade, I will also always have a mummy tummy now though regardless how hard I train! Loosing 5 stone doesn't fair well on my skin! Here is a pic of me yesterday whilst on holiday so you can see my skin isn't wonderful but it's liveable! Now my daughter is nearly 4 we are currently trying for number 2. So mentally preparing for the pregnancy body again! X

[lgh05]

P.s zoom in on the pic and you can see all of my stretch marks in their faded glory! I had a lot! Amazing what your poor body has to put up with growing a life.

I know everyone says to just ignore them and it's a reminder of the life you have brought into the world etc... even though that's true and I wish I could have taken that approach. It really was a mental battle for about a year maybe two to adjust to them. Now I wear a bikini with confidence but that has taken a good 3/4 years to get to that point. Some people aren't able to rationalise that it's just skin etc, for me I was so upset about the way my skin was damaged but like I said it will be okay, they will fade, and over time you won't be bothered about them. Best of luck!

[PastysPrincess]

Mine looked like yours but now they are all silvery. I even had some that changed direction like little tick marks.

[thiskittenbarks]

They will fade don't worry. I bought loads of fancy retinol products to use on mine, but you can't use them while breastfeeding so they are still in the box. I was surprised that a year on from having baby mine have basically all gone by themselves.

[BonkToTheFinish]

Igh amazing figure! Love your leg tattoo and thank you for sharing .**

Pasty I cant really see anything in that picture!

My family insist I’ll never look normal again since I’m olive skin and apparently the darker you are, the harder they are to fade

[thiskittenbarks]

People tell you stuff like that. Especially family members. I remember my mum kept telling me my body would never be the same again, I would never want to wear a bikini again etc. She would just randomly bring it up all the time. I was back in a bikini (and feeling confident) before 6 months postpartum.dont worry

[flumpybear]

Mine faded completely - but wish I had a body like you Igh!!!

[xflipflopx]

Mine looked exactly like yours OP and they are now silver.
No idea about skin tone though.
Only got them with pregnancy number one,number two and three I got none!
Strange obviously stretched enough first time round.
My DH always calls them my war scars which made me feel like he knows what Ive gone through to have children. made me feel better him saying that anyway.
My mum had 6 and not a scratch on her...must have my dads skin!

[Oblomov17]

Goodness. I have none. But I would swop, in an instant, for Igh’s lovely figure!

[lgh05]

Haha thanks girls, but lying down does wonders for your figure! 😂

[ChocolatePancake]

They always look angry at first but they will fade, they won't disappear but they won't look like they do now. There's nothing you can do about them so they're not worth your thought space!

[donajimena]

I have them on my lower stomach. They have faded and obviously thinned with no baby bump to stretch them out. I was upset about them for a long time as it marked the end of my 'yoof' but after a year or so I lost my baby weight and I am now a size 10. They can look quite wrinkly if I push them together.
However I now wear bikinis and big pants (not apple catchers you have to hunt for styles that suit) and I am completely over them now. You'll get there too. I'm not minimising your feelings. I actually cried when I saw mine. They came at 36 weeks too so I thought I'd escaped.

[Inadarkdarkhouse]

Mine were dreadful but over the years they have faded and don’t look very noticeable any more.

[2ducks2ducklings]

The problem is that there is nothing you can do about them. Mine are bloody horrible and I'm the palest you can be without being see through! It's not so much the colour of them, because they do fade loads, it's the texture to them. They look all crepey and make my skin look like it's been gone over with some zig zag scissors. And no matter how much weight I lost, I still have the mum tum of wobbly stretched skin.
I was never one for showing my stomach off before kids do they don't really bother me too much, but I can 100% understand how they can bother women who have always worn bikinis etc. However, you have to just learn to live with them and embrace them.
My husband has always said he loves them because of what they bought him. I don't know if he means it or is just saying that to be nice, but I'm taking it!

[lottieandmia22]

Can I just say that there are some products which do help like Strivectin SD.

Microdermabrasion also helps and the salon I work on now offers a skin healing light treatment.

[lottieandmia22]

2ducks - mine used to be really crepey but now my skin doesn’t look crepey at all. It took about 10 years though.

[ShowOfHands]

Mine were worse than that and look just like Igh's now. In fact if she weren't sporting those fab tattoos, that could be a photo of me. They're silvery and textured slightly and my lower abdomen will always lack absolute definition regardless of how hard I train but I look just fine. Interestingly, mine were worse on my thighs. I also didn't get any more in my second pregnancy.

They will fade an extraordinary amount.

[lgh05]

@ShowOfHands you have given me some hope as I am currently TTC no.2 and terrified that after 4 years when my skin will stretch again I will get loads of new ones! I am 5 stone lighter than I was postpartum so hoping I won't get any new ones as I hope to have a very healthy pregnancy this time round. I can only live in hope!