Question:
stretch mark question please read

im almost 2 weeks out from a TT. I really really like what i see so far. I dont have to tuck my skin in my pants and i dont look 3 months preggo anymore...but i have a ?. The doc removed about 80% of my stretch marks but i have quite a few left (had a 10 pd and an 8 pd baby lol) i was wondering if anything can make them less noticable. Im very fair skinned and usually burn instead of tan. Has anyone tried the mystic tan?? If so does it look natural or orange and will it help...i need some advice so please let me know...also i will have a before TT and 2 week tummy tuck pic up soon so if u want to see it email and ill send it as i dont know how to put it in my profile and i dont have that photo bucket thingy lol..well thanks and tata for now love Amy RNY 9-16-03 260/112/105 5'1 before/before TT/after TT    — cinamoni (posted on June 2, 2005)


June 2, 2005
Hi Amy, Congratulations on your weight loss and ps. I can't wait until I can have ps I hate having to tuck my skin into all of my clothes. ANyway I wanted to let you know that I don't know much about mystic tan but I use the SUN (light/medium)tanning products from AVON and they work really well I also use the AVON Refine cream for my stretch marks on my arms and the 2 together really seem to be working. You can order them both through my web site. www.youravon.com/slima Godd Luck, Congratulations and God Bless. Sonja Lima San Diego, CA (open RNY 9/9/04-334/282/171 ~ goal 150)
   — Son-Son

June 2, 2005
I've never done the mystic tan, but I have seen people that have. It looked very natural, but it is also quite costly. Good luck.
   — RebeccaP

June 2, 2005
ok reality check here---you used to be 260 lbs... your now 105 lbs... (many people would die to be that size) and your concerned about a few stretch marks? when did this vanity set in? before or after you lost 155 lbs. i'm sorry to pick on you --but i see it all the time on these question and answers things... is there ever a point you are truly happy with yourself? what happens after the stretch marks? your boobs get saggy and you need an implant---or the lips are too small and you need lip enlargements...where does it end? guess thats why i didnt need to see a psych doc..i wasnt doing this surgery for looks --i was doing it for medical reasons...ok i am off my soap box now---i expect to hear from a bunch of ya..lol---you can e-mail me at [email protected]
   — fishnrockport

June 2, 2005
Dale, im truly shocked. I did NOT say i wasnt happy with myself at all. I feel really good actually and ive achieved alot in the last year and a half (people magazine article etc) i was just asking what would make them less noticable...I am very fair skinned and was asking for advice from other women that may have the same problem. I know youre a guy so you probably dont have a problem with stretch marks. I had a 10 pd baby and an 8 pd baby. I really think your post was rude being that you dont know anything about my issue.yes my boobs are saggy and im getting implants one day but for me..not for you or anyone else..if it makes me feel better what the hell does it matter to you??? I just cant believe someone would say that about someone they dont know. I am happy with myself and i try to help others that are going through this journey but i guess there are some people that arent happy with themselves so they try to make other people feel bad but sorry its not gonna work..if i dont like what i read in a post i ignore it...maybe u should do the same. I love this site and its here for support and advice not to belittle someone for asking for advice think about it....
   — cinamoni

June 2, 2005
one more thing sorry. I did this surgery for my health. If anyone read my profile you would see that the doctors said i wouldnt live to see 30. I had diabetes, asthma, sleep apnea,arthritis and heart murmurs and migraines. I went from taking 12 medications to just taking my vitamins and etc. I dont have any health problems now. so I DID do this surgery for health reasons but there is NOTHING wrong with also feeling better about yourself..i hope one day other people will feel better about themselves too <3 Amy
   — cinamoni

June 2, 2005
Dale I think YOU should do a reality check on yourself! Why are you being soo judgemental towards others? There are many things associated with loosing weight for a woman that most men do not have to deal with. It is not vanity to want to look and feel the best you can, these options are just that they are not for everyone and not all loosers need reconstructive work done. I am sad that as an overweight person knowing all the negitive comments people make now you are making them to someone who has been very sucessfull at loosing weight you of all people should know better and know how it feels to hear comments. I think you should appologize.We should be supporting one another not dragging each other down. Amy good luck to you and keep up the great work! I hope everything works out for you. Take Care, Gracie Foster
   — graciefoster

June 2, 2005
Thank you Gracie i appreciate your support. I did not think i was being vain, but after reading that i started wondering. My DH had to calm me down a bit i dont know why i let it bother me so much. I guess because i try to be supportive and expect that from others,so i was kinda stunned to be called vain...but its people like you that make it worth asking advice thanks so much!! Love Amy
   — cinamoni

June 2, 2005
I had a LBL on 9/04 and I have used mystic tan since you arent supposed to expose your scar for at least one year to the sun. It works well....covers the stretch marks but it wears of on your clothes and sheets a little every day. It lasts about a week. It is a little costly but your worth it right? I dont think its vain to want to look better at any stage your in.....fat, thin, or otherwise...that is all of our goals along with gaining back our health which you have done too...congrats. Wendi
   — lovemonterey

June 2, 2005
OK, at the risk of being labeled non-supportive, I kinda have to agree with Dale. Why would a few stretch marks bother you? I have had them since I went thru puberty just from being so fat. I did have an 8 pounder last year, but no new stretch marks. I am extremely pale - I glow in the dark! Also, my nana died from skin cancer so I avoid the sun like the plague - I get my fair skin/red hair from her. And I have way better things to spend my money on than spray on tans. Amy, you have come so far, I just think its a shame that you are letting a few marks on your body make you feel bad. I've just never cared one way or the other so its hard for me to understand someone who does.
   — Ali M

June 2, 2005
wendi i avoid the sun too. Ive seen to many people turn into leather belts. Thats why i was asking other ways to get some color. I am so pale i look like the living dead girl (pic on profile) and thought a little color would make me look better and help fad the bright red stretch marks a bit. i myself arent to concerned with them but i know that there are critical people out there..and i just want to kind of blend in to my surroundings. Ive never had the chance to wear a 2 piece bathing suit or a belly shirt and id like to try it and look as good as possible. Sorry if i stepped on toes i thought other women would understand.Im VERY happy with my new tummy but like i said it hasnt seen the sun in probably 25 yrs so i wanted to look less pale..i didnt think it was a big deal...i did this surgery for my health but i dont think there is anything wrong with getting some self esteem in the process...<3 Amy
   — cinamoni

June 2, 2005
sorry that was supposed to be directed to ALi, not wendi thanks wendi for the support!!
   — cinamoni

June 3, 2005
Amy-- Have you tried the spray-on tans? The ones you go to the tanning salon for and stand in a booth? I think one is called Mystic Tan. I tried that last summer and I loved it. I'm as white as a sheet (Irish, too) and it looked natural. It's not too spendy but it was a treat.
   — lizinPA

June 3, 2005
I tried the Mystic tan a couple months ago and I thought it was a complete waste of money. I do tan very well, however, I thought I would get a "jump start". I followed the instructions and I could not tell I had done anything except the bottom of my feet were dirty looking (I did not wear the booties). I even paid the extra money to get the "dark" tan. Anyway, it was a complete waste.
   — pghires

June 3, 2005
First off, congrats on your success with both WLS and PS! You look great! Secondly, I don't think there is a single thing wrong with wanting to look and feel your best. Personally I was miserable for so long with how I felt AND how I looked that now that I have lost the weight and feel good about myself I do what I can to make myself feel even better. I go to the gym so that I feel good AND look good. I try to eat right so that I feel good AND look good. I wonder if Dale would consider me vain because now I wear makeup and fix my hair. I love shopping and buying new clothes. These are all things that I didn't do as a pre-op! Is there anything wrong with that?? Absolutely NOT! Like you there is plastic surgery in my future (after another baby). And I want it all.....LBL, implants and a slight inner thigh lift. But I can honestly say that if something happens and I never get the PS then I will be fine with myself. I would not trade my life today (even with extra skin and stretch marks) for the life and body I had 2 yrs ago!!! For me, WLS has affected every aspect of my life in a very positive way. My health and my self-confidence are 100x better than before losing weight. Now about the Mystic Tan....I have never done the spray on stuff but I do use the 'tan in a bottle' that you can buy at Walmart. I was very hesitant at first because I have very vivid memories of high school days with orange streaked hands, legs and arms. Those things were awful but they have come a long way since then. I buy Banana Boat Dark Tanning and it works great with no streaking. I apply it every couple of days as needed. Anyway, that's just another option in case you don't have the time or money to go to a salon.
   — Michelle_S

June 3, 2005
Amy, you have a large scar (at least hip to hip, right?) from your tummy tuck. I just don't understand why the stretch marks bother you but not the TT scar. I'm not trying to be argumentative and I'm all for a person feeling better about themselves, but it seems from your response, that you are more concerned how OTHERS view you. In your case you have a couple of choices - get the tan and hope it helps hide them, wear your two peice because you WANT to and screw anybody who thinks or says anything, or buy a one peice or tankini. I am not a girly girl, never been facinated with some of the things other girls are - I like to look nice, but I won't sacrifice my comfort (both physical and mental) for it. If it has always been your dream to wear a bikini, do so, tan or not. Just remember if you do get the spray on tan, WEAR SUNSCREEN!! The fake tans do not protect you at all.
   — Ali M

June 3, 2005
Use Strivectin, yep it's expensive, but I have been using it for 6 months, on my stretch marks and face for any wrinkles, I think I may get later on down the road, haha, and it is awesome!! I used to never want to wear sleeveless shirts because of all the stretch marks, I started using it and they are sooooo much less noticeable. I too am very very white, my brother says I should audition for a dead person on CSI. It does work, takes some time, like all good things do, but I am impressed. It costs about 135 retail, but I get mine on Ebay for about 80, and if you used it sparingly, you don't have to cake it on, it will last you a good 4 to 5 months, on the face only over 6 months. Good luck to you!!
   — Carey N.

June 4, 2005
I use Mystic tan about 2x/mo and LOVE IT! Everyone tells me it looks so natural, not oarnge. It makes my skin soft and I think the stretch marks less noticable.
   — ZZ S.

June 6, 2005
Geez - some of you people are so critical! Amy - certainly don't think that wanting to disguise stretch marks is vain. You want vain? *I* am V-A-I-N! I was VAIN before surgery, and I am VAIN now. I chose lap surgery because I didn't want the big long scar, and I'm so glad I did! I put a lot of effort into my makeup, my hair, my clothing, etc (before surgery and now). I love being beautiful, and I love having other people appreciate that. YES we have this surgery to improve our health, but what's wrong with feeling better about the way we look too? "Most people dislike vanity in others, whatever share they have of it themselves, but I give it fair quarter, wherever I meet with it, being persuaded that it is often productive of good to the possessor, and to others who are within his sphere of action: and therefore, in many cases, it would not be altogether absurd if a man were to thank God for his vanity among the other comforts of life." ~ Benjamin Franklin ~
   — Jenny B.

June 6, 2005
If you are vain so am I & definatly more so than you. There is nothing wrong with wanting to look your best. That is why we style our hair, wear makeup, nice clothes etc. If you didn't care about those things and just went around looking ratty all the time those critical ones would be saying you are a slob. to heck with them. You hold your head high and do your best for YOU! love & huggs to you!
   — **willow**

June 6, 2005
There's nothing wrong with wanting to look your best!!! Talk to your PS about laser treatments to get rid of those pesky stretchmarks. Permanently!
   — PattyL




Click Here to Return
×