How To Get Rid Of Ugly Stretch Marks PDF, eBook by Heather Allison

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Table of Contents

Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 6

The Low Down on Stretch Marks—What are they and how did they get there?! ......... 6

Who is most prone to getting stretch marks? ............................................................... 6

Sifting Through The Hoards of Treatments—Are They All Really Effective? ............... 8

So, Can I Really Get Rid of Stretch Marks? ................................................................. 8

The Pros and Cons of Different Approaches To Eliminating Stretch Marks ................. 8

Stretch Marks Myths BUSTED—Don’t worry, you’re not in this alone! ...................... 10

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Chapter 1 How I Got Rid of My Pregnancy Stretch Marks! ......................................... 11

Background Story ...................................................................................................... 11

Methods I Tried but Failed ......................................................................................... 11

Difficulties I Encountered ........................................................................................... 12

Methods That Worked ................................................................................................ 12

Changes I Saw ........................................................................................................... 13

How Long it Took ....................................................................................................... 13

Life After my Stretch Marks ........................................................................................ 15

Chapter 2 I Gained Some Weight—And A Lot Of Stretch Marks, But Then I Lost A Lot Of Weight—And Got Rid Of My Stretch Marks Too! (story of a tanned skinned woman) ...................................................................................................................................... 17

Background story .......................................................................................................... 17

Methods I Tried But Failed ......................................................................................... 18



Changes I Saw ........................................................................................................... 20

How Long It Took ....................................................................................................... 20

Life After My Stretch Marks ........................................................................................ 20

Chapter 3 Finally Victorious After My Life-long Battle With Stretch Marks (20 Years!) . 22





Changes I Saw ........................................................................................................... 25

How Long It Took ....................................................................................................... 25


Chapter 4 Stretch Marks Shattered My Self Confidence, Getting Rid of Them Changed My Life Forever ............................................................................................................. 27

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Changes I Saw ........................................................................................................... 30

How Long It Took ....................................................................................................... 30


Chapter 5 How I Overcame My Stretch Marks Without Letting Go Of The 1 Thing I Love To Do ............................................................................................................................ 32

Background story ....................................................................................................... 32




Changes I Saw ........................................................................................................... 35

How Long It Took ....................................................................................................... 36


Chapter 6 Workouts Were Bad For My Stretch Marks—How I Got Rid Of My Stretch Marks Without Stopping My Workouts .......................................................................... 38





Changes I Saw ........................................................................................................... 41

How Long It Took ....................................................................................................... 41


Chapter 7 Intimacy Used To Be Hard—A Story About a 40 Year Old Something Male Getting Rid Of His Stretch Marks .................................................................................. 43

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Changes I Saw ........................................................................................................... 46

How Long It Took ....................................................................................................... 46


Alternative Methods To Getting Rid Of Your Stretch Marks—Proven Methods That Really Work! .................................................................................................................. 47

Diets ........................................................................................................................... 47

Supplements .............................................................................................................. 50

Massages ................................................................................................................... 51

Surgical Stretch Mark Treatments .............................................................................. 52

Quick , Easy & Affordable Remedies

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Introduction

The Low Down on Stretch Marks—What are they and how did they get there?! Found on men, women and children alike, unsightly stretch marks don’t discriminate who will be haunted by them next. Most commonly occurring on pregnant women, teens who experience growth spurts, body builders and yo-yo dieters, stretch marks often leave people feeling self-conscious about their bodies.

Stretch marks appear as thin, stretched tissue because the lower layer of the skin has lost its strength. At first, they are reddish-purple, but the color generally fades and they become white. This is simply fatty tissue showing through the skin.

Although they can occur in many places on the body, stretch marks are most common on the abdomen, breasts, upper arms, back, buttocks, chest and thighs. Pregnant women often experience stretch marks for hormonal reasons. Hormones can soften pelvic collagen ligaments, which often softens skin collagen as well.

Who is most prone to getting stretch marks? Teenagers usually develop stretch marks after experiencing a growth spurt. The skin stretches substantially in a short amount of time, which weakens it and causes the appearance of stretch marks. Boys in their teenage years mostly see these marks on their shoulders, thighs and buttocks, while girls see them on their breasts, thighs and hips. Because there is an increase in hormone production during puberty, stretch marks are also thought to occur widely during teenage years.

Bodybuilders often pack on muscle rapidly and their skin can’t keep up. This causes the skin to stretch and tear, creating the appearance of stretch marks. The same thing happens when people put on weight quickly. The connective fibers of the skin break and lose elasticity.

While various life circumstances cause stretch marks, some studies say that they are hereditary, especially when it comes to pregnancy. One study found that more than half of women who experienced stretch marks during and after pregnancy had mothers with stretch marks as well.

However, stretch marks are also associated with skin type and the condition of skin as well. Women with darker complexions are more likely to develop stretch marks than

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light-complexioned women during pregnancy. Also, women who are hydrated (to make sure they maintain a balance of fluids in their bodies) with nutritious diets are less likely to suffer from stretch marks during pregnancy.

You may be wondering just how many people suffer from stretch marks. It is said that 80% of new mothers experience stretch marks, at least for a few weeks after giving birth. Also, 70% of teenage girls get stretch marks and up to 90% of all women will have them at some point in their lives. Nearly 40% of men are troubled by stretch marks as well. Research has shown that stretch marks don’t affect one race over another—people of all ethnicities suffer from these unsightly scars.

So now that you know the who, what, where and why of stretch marks, you probably want to know how they really affect people. Well, the good news is, stretch marks pose as no real health hazard whatsoever. Unfortunately, though, they tend to be unsightly and difficult to get rid of, leaving sufferers feeling helpless and uncomfortable in their own skin.

Because these scars trouble so many people, the removal and treatment of stretch marks has becoming a booming industry. From creams to lasers to exercises, some people will try anything and spend endless amounts of money to improve their stretch marks.

Obviously, the best way to keep stretch marks at bay is to prevent them from happening in the first place. Although this is not always possible, there are several things you can do to maintain a healthy lifestyle that may lessen or prevent these pestering marks from troubling you.

Eating a variety of healthy foods rich in zinc and vitamins A, C and D, as well as getting plenty of protein can help you avoid stretch marks. Additionally, you should always get plenty of exercise and stay hydrated. By staying hydrated, your skin remains more elastic and less likely to develop stretch marks.

Avoiding scratching areas that are most prone to stretch marks is a good way to prevent them as well. Instead, areas such as arms, thighs, and stomachs should be massaged with creams and oils in order to properly nourish the skin. Pregnant women especially should use stretch mark creams before the marks even develop in order to try to keep them from forming.

So what if it’s too late? You didn’t take these precautionary steps or even worse, you did and the bothersome scars appeared anyway. Now what?

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Sifting Through The Hoards of Treatments—Are They All Really Effective? Is there a real way to rid of your stretch marks forever or can you only improve the appearance? From lasers to cosmetic surgery to chemical peels and lotions, there are so many treatments that promise you the best results. The key is finding the best treatment for you or even combining treatments in order to see your stretch marks diminish. We will go through these treatments to give you the lowdown on each one so that you can start down the road to smoother skin.

So, Can I Really Get Rid of Stretch Marks? Ridding of your stretch marks is possible. Others have done it and so can you. It does, however, involve choosing the best treatment option for you and doing so with care. This means that you must weigh all of your options, do your research and consult with doctors and dermatologists if you choose to have in-depth treatments. The process of removing your stretch marks for good may require you to try a variety of treatments or combining several treatments. Let’s go through treatment options to find out the pros and cons of each and which ones will work best for you.

The Pros and Cons of Different Approaches To Eliminating Stretch Marks With the plethora of products and treatments out there today to treat stretch marks, it is easy to become overwhelmed. However, this guide will help you sift through your options and provide you with expert opinions. Stretch mark-free skin is attainable and you can have the smooth skin that you’ve always wanted.

The most common stretch mark treatments are over-the-counter creams. These creams vary in price, but are generally the most affordable form of treatment. They include ingredients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Aloe Vera, cocoa butter, elastin and collagen.

When shopping for a stretch mark cream, you should look for one with 100% natural ingredients, such as the ones listed above. Cocoa butter alone softens skin, but is not strong enough to reach the skin’s lower layers. Ingredients such as elastin and collagen, however, are, and with continual use, can reduce the appearance of stretch marks.

“Certain moisturizers and creams that contain vitamin E, cocoa butter and alpha hydroxy acids can be beneficial for [stretch marks],” says Dr. Shipra Sharma.

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Another type of cream that can be used is Tretinoin, which you would buy as Retin-A. This can reduce newer, dark marks, but isn’t as effective on older scars.

“Topical application of tretinoin has been shown to significantly improve the clinical appearance of early striae distensae (stretch marks),” says Dr. Samer Alaiti, Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Southern California.

The pros to using such creams are that they are safe, relatively inexpensive and easy to use. If you use them diligently and over a period of several months, you should see results. Sometimes you may have to try several topical creams before you find one that works for you.

“Creams can play an important role in minimizing the appearance of stretch marks”, says Dr. Ourian of the Epione Medical Corporation in Beverly Hills. However, he recommends using creams along with other treatments, such as the Coolbeam laser.

It is important that you start using these creams as soon as you begin to see the appearance of stretch marks. Newer scars always fade more easily than older scars that have been left alone for years. Popular stretch mark creams include Mederma, Dermology, Revitol, Striaex and Promaxyl.

There are constantly new creams being put on the market and they are becoming increasingly effective, so don’t be discouraged if the first one you try isn’t just right for you. You can generally get your money back if you aren’t pleased with the results of a product as well.

Another form of stretch mark treatment is microdermabrasion. This is a strong form of exfoliation, most often performed in a dermatologist’s office. Microdermabrasion is often preferred by sufferers of stretch marks, as it requires no downtime and is more powerful than stretch mark creams, but less invasive than surgery.

This type of treatment can also be effective on white stretch marks that have existed for a long period of time. However, microdermabrasion can be expensive and often requires up to 12 treatments to see the best results.

Chemical peels have also been used to treat these stubborn scars. Skincare expert, Paula Begoun, has said that several trichloroacetic acid (TCA) peels can help to reduce the appearance of stretch marks. These peels “may be of some help for improving the appearance of stretch marks when used at the proper concentration and applied by a dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon skilled in the use of this type of peel. A benefit of TCA peels (and the reason it can help improve the appearance of stretch marks) is their skin-tightening effect. Because TCA peels penetrate further than AHA or BHA peels,

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they are believed to have a greater ability to stimulate collagen and elastin for the depth of damage seen in stretch marks,” she says.

Laser treatments are yet another option to deal with stretch marks. The type of laser treatment varies on the color and texture of the stretch marks. A pulsed-dye laser can work well on red, inflamed marks, whereas fractional lasers works best on older white scars. Usually there is minimal downtime after being treated by these lasers. Laser treatments are fairly expensive, however, and often require several treatments in order to see optimal results.

Newer to the market is a laser called the Coolbeam. This laser treats both red and white scars, says Dr. Ourian. “There are several different ways to address stretch marks but in my opinion, the Coolbeam™ is the most effective treatment available.”

Cosmetic surgery can be an option if you are willing to pay the price to get rid of your stretch marks. However, be sure to only go to a qualified expert as there are inherent risks because anesthesia is involved and there may be scarring if the procedure isn’t done correctly. There is also significant downtime required for recovery. The good news is stretch marks can be removed permanently through this type of surgery.

Stretch Marks Myths BUSTED—Don’t worry, you’re not in this alone! While there are pros and cons to each form of treatment, you, like many others, just want one that works—and fast. You are not alone in this search for the most effective way to rid of your stretch marks once and for all.

We have found several men and women who successfully removed their stretch marks for good and want to share their stories with you. They have used various forms of treatments to recover the smooth skin they once knew. We will give you the step-by-step procedures they followed to safely and effectively erase stretch marks.

Fear not—there is a solution to ridding of these pesky marks forever. Read on to find out just how to get the smooth skin you’ve been yearning for.

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Chapter 1 How I Got Rid of My Pregnancy Stretch Marks!

Mary Earnstein, age 35, St. Louis, MO

Background Story For Mary Earnstein, age 35, stretch marks didn’t haunt her until after pregnancy. She breezed through her teenage years never seeing one anywhere on her body. Unfortunately, at age 32, when she became pregnant with her first child, she began to notice stretch marks on her stomach during her second and third trimesters.

“I didn’t really care to do anything about it,” she said. “I just thought they’d go away after I had the baby because I hadn’t ever seen stretch marks on my mother, so I didn’t worry about it.”

Much to Mary’s dismay, her stretch marks haunted her post-pregnancy. She began to get back into shape, hoping they would disappear, but had no luck. She soon consulted with friends and did research on the Internet, and decided to use creams since she couldn’t afford the more expensive treatments that the dermatologists use.

“I felt so insecure about my body,” she said. “The stretch marks were mostly on my stomach, but also on my breasts and thighs as well.”

Being an avid beach babe, Mary wondered if she’d ever feel comfortable in a bathing suit again.

“I have always felt most at home at the beach, but suddenly, all the idea of a vacation brought me was worry,” she said. “I had to deal with these stretch marks first before I could ever get back there.”

Methods I Tried but Failed Mary resorted to trying several creams, starting with cocoa butter from the drugstore. She used this for three months when she got out of the shower after hearing this tip from a friend.

Later, she tried Mederma and Vita-K from the drug store. She also tried aloe vera and other home remedies, such as olive oil mixtures.

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“None of these creams were working for me and I was getting tired of trying,” Mary admitted. “However, I hadn’t put much money into it, and I knew I might have to if I wanted results.”

Difficulties I Encountered Summer rolled around yet Mary hadn’t tried any other stretch mark treatments, thinking none of them would work. She was now even more concerned about their appearance because she was going to visit the beach with old high school friends.

“I didn’t like to see myself undressed, let alone anyone else see me,” said Mary. “I decided I would just wear clothes to the beach because I couldn’t bear to think of how I’d look in a bathing suit.” She decided to take the trip anyway, and spent most of her time reminiscing on the days when she looked and felt better.

“I felt really silly dwelling on my stretch marks when I should’ve been enjoying the beach with my friends, but I just couldn’t stop thinking about how much they bothered me,” Mary said.

She continued to do research on the Internet about other stretch mark treatments and wasn’t encouraged by what she found. “I couldn’t find many promising success stories about people getting rid of their stretch marks after pregnancy, so I began to feel even more discouraged.”

Methods That Worked

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http://tinyurl.com/ENGetRidOfStretchMarks

Mary knew that if she really wanted to rid of her stretch marks for good that she had to give it her best shot.

Changes I Saw

“The biggest plus to adding this healthy diet as part of the stretch mark removal method is that you know you’re doing something good for your body no matter what happens to your stretch marks,” she added.

Once she stopped obsessing over staring at her stretch marks every day, Mary would only thoroughly examine them once a week or so. It was week by week that she noticed major improvements.

How Long it Took

Please note that all bodies and skin types react differently to various treatment methods. Therefore, others may not have the same level of success Mary did. However, this is why we will provide you with several success stories. Hopefully one of these methods will work for you.

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Step 1:

Step 2:

Next, she provides a detailed explanation of what a day was like in the process of trying to remove her stretch marks. She also shares a recipe with you to help you get on the right track of a healthy diet that will help improve your skin.

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Life After my Stretch Marks

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As for the beach once being her favorite place, now it is once again.

“I’m back to being carefree on vacation, which is how it always should be,” she said. “I used to let my mind wander and forget about all of my problems at the beach. Now I can do that again. When I had stretch marks, all I could think about was how awful they looked.”

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Chapter 2 I Gained Some Weight—And A Lot Of Stretch Marks, But Then I Lost A Lot Of Weight—And Got Rid Of My Stretch Marks Too! (story of a

tanned skinned woman)

Talia Watkins, age 35, New Jersey

Background story For Talia Watkins, pregnancy wasn’t all roses. She began to notice extremely dark marks going all the way up her stomach halfway through pregnancy and was bothered by them.

“I didn’t think they’d ever go away,” she said. “Especially because my skin tone is darker than most people, the stretch marks were enhanced to the point that they looked like I had been burned.”

Talia didn’t gain a particularly large amount of weight during pregnancy, so her stretch marks were only on her stomach. However, they left her feeling frustrated and unable to fathom ever wearing a two piece bathing suit ever again.

“It was my first pregnancy, so I expected morning sickness, weight gain, sleep trouble and other problems like that,” she said. “I guess the whole stretch mark thing just eluded me. I didn’t even think about the fact that I might get them.”

Unlike other women who panic at the appearance of stretch marks, Talia has always been comfortable in her skin. She admits that she loves her body regardless of whether or not she has stretch marks, but she was certainly not 100% confident with the way she looked.

“I try my best to be in tune with what’s important in life and I know it isn’t stretch marks. But I’m not going to pretend like they didn’t bother me,” Talia added.

Although she didn’t go out of her way to remove those pesky scars, she is ecstatic that she happened upon the concoction that did it for her. While she was creating a cream to use for her hair, she ended up inventing her own stretch mark cream by accident and the rest is history—well, her stretch marks are history.

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Methods I Tried But Failed When Talia was pregnant and began noticing stretch marks on her stomach, her friend gave her several Palmer’s skin care products.

“At my baby shower, my friend presented me with all these Palmer’s products that are known for treating stretch marks on pregnant women,” Talia said. “So of course I tried them throughout the rest of my pregnancy, but they didn’t seem to do much, if anything.”

After giving birth to her son, Talia didn’t try much else for her stretch marks.

“I tried the Palmer’s cocoa butter again here and there, but was too busy with my baby to worry about my stretch marks,” she said.

Talia’s stretch marks remained nearly just as red and dark as they were during pregnancy. “They may have naturally faded slightly, but not much,” Talia said. “Unlike other women, though, I didn’t try tons of different creams or freak out that they were pretty bad. Women often have trouble recognizing that their bodies change during life and especially during pregnancy.”

She had seen friends spend tons of money trying many different products and having no success, so she didn’t think it was even worth it.

“My friends who have light skin couldn’t even get rid of their stretch marks, so I never in a million years thought that I’d be able to erase mine because I have darker tanned skin.”

Difficulties I Encountered Many women experience difficulties when it comes to stretch marks because they are not only stubborn and hard to get rid of, but it also takes them awhile to find a treatment that works for them.

Talia, on the other hand, didn’t try anything but Palmer’s cocoa butter and Shea butter.

“Although I was discouraged about the Palmer’s products not working for me, I never was at the end of my rope with my stretch marks because I didn’t try a bunch of different things,” she said. “I have friends who have had laser treatments, peels and microdermabrasion who still complain about their stretch marks.”

However, Talia did wonder if her stretch marks were more difficult to treat because of her tanned skin color.

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“I did wonder if the cocoa butter didn’t work for me because my skin is darker,” she said. “I also was hesitant to try anything else because I thought most treatments were made for women with lighter skin.”

Talia was fortunate enough not to stress about her stretch marks and instead, accidentally came up a treatment that worked for her.

Methods That Worked When her son was a year old, Talia put several products together to put in both his and her hair.

“My son’s hair was really dry,” she said, “so I put some moisturizing products together, hoping to make it less coarse.”

Talia was pleased with the way the concoction felt in both of their hair and noted how soft the lotion felt on her hands when she was putting it in her hair.

“The cream felt so good on my hands, so I started to try it on my body as a moisturizer,” she said. “Once I started putting it on my stomach, I noticed that my stretch marks started fading dramatically. So I started using it more diligently and had great results.”

The cream that Talia made consists of the following ingredients:

•-

•-

•-

•-

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Changes I Saw Right away, Talia noticed her skin becoming smoother and suppler. She couldn’t believe that the cream she used to get rid of the chemicals in her hair and make it softer would work so well on her skin.

“I noticed the feel of my stretch marks had changed immediately,” she said. “They weren’t as bumpy and rough in texture, but the color was still so dark.”

At first, she thought she might be imagining the changes happening, but her husband commented on the disappearance of her stretch marks within a few weeks.

“I was astonished that my husband noticed that the marks were going away,” she said. “I was impressed with the results, but to know that he noticed made me feel really great.”

It wasn’t until Talia started diligently applying the cream consistently on her stomach that she really started to see major changes.

“At first, the texture was just smoother, but after awhile, the dark color of my stretch marks began to fade as well. I was so glad that something was working because I had basically given up before I really ever made an effort to remove them,” she said.

How Long It Took

Today, she still makes the lotion and uses it all over her body to ensure that she doesn’t get more stretch marks and so that the ones that she had don’t return.

During her second pregnancy, Talia continued to apply the cream diligently and only got slight traces of stretch marks that went away quickly after she gave birth.

Today, she is stretch-mark free and shares her recipe for success with her family and friends.

Life After My Stretch Marks While Talia didn’t feel completely hopeless when she had stretch marks, she certainly feels much more confident now that they’ve gone away entirely.

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“I had kind of given up on getting rid of my stretch marks before I even put effort into trying anything,” she said. “I just thought to myself, ‘Oh well, at least I have nice legs!’”

Now, Talia has two small children and is back in her bikini. She does, however, feel like she got lucky and wants other women to know that other treatments that she never tried may, in fact, work for them.

“Because I didn’t try anything else, I can’t positively say that nothing else works,” she said. “You can’t really go wrong by trying this cream, though, because either way, it’s a great moisturizer and feels so nice on your skin.”

Talia said that a few of her friends have had success by trying her cream, while others didn’t see a great improvement.

“My friends with lighter skin had better results by using my cream,” she said. “Frankly, I think it was kind of a fluke that it worked on my tanned skin, because I generally think darker skin is much harder to treat.”

Talia’s best advice to women is not to go crazy about treating their stretch marks.

“Sometimes I feel like the solution came to me because I wasn’t in panic mode or feeling completely desperate,” she said. “I think when you’re desperate, you’re less likely to find the answers to your problems because you aren’t thinking clearly and want to see immediate results.” And while removing stretch marks is by no means an impossible endeavor, results are never immediate.

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How To Get Rid Of Ugly Stretch Marks PDF, eBook by Heather Allison