I'm a 19 year old female with white and red stretch marks covering my
hips, the top of my breasts and my inner thighs.  Recently, I visited
a skin care place to see if I could get some good alternative answers
about deleting these ugly scars from my body (b/c all of the
dermatologists I've visited only recommended Retin A...which hasn't
helped at all).  The woman that I talked with at this skin care place
said that she could get rid of my stretch by using a machine from
Europe (I don't recall the machine's name, sorry, but I'm pretty sure
she said it's from Italy).  She also said that I should put a soy
product called "Prolief" on my stretch marks (and even on my acne) and
that would also help clear up the marks.  Some other things she told
me is that a multivitamin that includes a lot of Zinc will help the
stretch marks disappear and that  the birth control pills that I've
been taking since i was 15 (to regulate my period and clear acne) was
the main contribute to the stretch marks...not puberty or weightloss
(actually, the heaviest I've ever been was about 135 pounds...I'm
currently my normal weight of 120).
Basically, I want to know if I'm being fooled or not.  Will these
things truly work?  Or I'm I just going to be wasting time and money. 
She said that the sessions with the machine from Europe will cost $200
each and that I'll need 3 sessions.  I don't have $600 to waste but I
really want to get rid of these stretch marks.  If this is a scam,
than what will really help me?

Thank you

Hi there,

Alas, you're being put on.  While it is possible to make them less
noticeable, stretch marks *never* go completely away.  Stretch marks
are permanent scars caused by tears in the dermis (the middle layer of
skin), the result of the loss of skin elasticity:

"It is impossible to completely eliminate stretch marks and so there
appears to be a point at which no further improvement will be seen."

Laser Treatment of Stretch Marks
http://www.lasaway.com/home/stretchQAnew.html

"Although there are tons of products on the market that claim to
eliminate stretch marks, the truth is you can't make them go away
without the use of a form of plastic surgery called microdermabrasion.
If you are concerned about your stretch marks, talk to a
dermatologist."

What are stretch marks?
http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/skin_stuff/stretch_marks.html

" Prescription creams containing Tretinoin, also called Retin-A, may
help reduce the appearance of fresh stretch marks. These creams should
not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. This type of treatment
will not eliminate stretch marks completely, and it won't work on
older marks that have already faded from red.

A French treatment called Endermologie claims to reduce scarring. A
machine with rollers and gentle suction is used to massage and
exfoliate the affected area. Again, this won't remove stretch marks,
but it may enhance the overall appearance of the skin.

Laser surgery is sometimes used to lessen the severity of stretch
marks, but the results are mixed. Microdermabrasion has been somewhat
more successful in changing the appearance of stretch marks. Both
treatments are expensive and should only be performed by qualified
doctors. "

What's the best way to get rid of stretch marks?
http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20030314.html

Hope that helps!

--Missy

Search terms: [ "eliminate stretch marks" ]

thank you very much.   how much would this Microdermabrasion cost and
what is the name of the french machine you speak of and where could i
find a place that has it in cleveland, oh?  i understand that the
stretch marks will not completely go away, but i would like to smooth
them out or reduce their appearance as much as possible.

There is something out there that seems to be effective in speeding
the healing process of cuts etc. as well as minimizing the appearance
of scars [of which I have many -due to diabetes -so I know what I'm
talking about]. It can be found at most health food/ alternative
medicine stores and many open air markets. It's concentrated Emu oil,
and all you need is a drop to apply it. I have been told that it works
best on scars less than five years old, but it seems to work all the
same in my experience. It's a little on the expensive side [~$25cdn a
small bottle] but way cheaper than the treatments you mentioned, and
if you find it doesn't work after a few applications on a test scar,
then you don't need to buy any more! Hope this helps :)

Thank you so much for your suggestion...it's really appreciated and i
will look into the emu oil.

thanks again

I RECENTLY HAD A BABY; NOW I HAVE THESE HORRIBLE STRETCH MARKS. I
DESPERATLEY NEED TO GET RID OF THEM, I RECENTLEY CAME ACROSS THIS
WEBSITE (http://www.beautybeyondskindeep.com/stretchmarks.htm) WERE
THIS LADY CLAIMS TO HAVE A TRTMNT SIMILAR TO LAZER TRTMNT BUT COSTING
AT ONLY $35 AND SHE OFFERS A 90 DAY MONEYBACK GURANTEE,SHE ALSO SHOWS
PICTURES ON HER OWN MARKS BFORE AND AFTER. I HAVENT TRIED IT MYSELF
BUT HER STORY SEEMED SLIGHTLY CONVINCING, I AM STILL WONDERING WETHER
OR NOT TO TRY, BEING THAT I AM VERY SKEPTICAL IN TRYING NEW THINGS BUT
MAYBE THIS CAN HELP; KEEP US POSTED:)

Just to let you know. I'm a 20 year old female and I have really bad
stretch marks on my thighs due to muscle training. I weigh the same as
I have for four years but the constant muscle training has stretched
the fibers in the same way. Maybe if you have done something like that
you might have a reason you have them. Second, what I found works for
me is massage. Use any cream or oil you have already, pretty cheap
eh?, and give yourself a slow firm massage over all of the stretched
areas. After time it will make them less visible. It works best on
marks a year old or less, but even some of my old ones from puberty
growing have faded more. I just started doing this two weeks ago and I
see improvement so, it is worth a try. It is cheap, oil or cream is a
lubricant, you potentially could rub water or saliva if you honestly
have no creams. :-)Another thing to consider in that you are more
prone to getting stretch marks if family members have them, you can
prevent them in the future by keeping your body lotioned during times
they might come such as pregnancy and such. So, hope it helps.

Hi Brokenrecord,

As this was only a $2 question which was answered very thoroughly, may
I suggest that you post another question with your further queries?

Steph53