Ok i am 15, and i have been worried about these stretch marks i have on my stomache, back and shoulders. Are these marks bad and will they lead to something dangerous? My dad says i need to excersise more cause he says those marks are broken vains, I have been excersising and they dont seemt o be going away...Can someone please give me some information and advice on these marks. thank you

Stretchmarks aren't bad, or a sign of anything dangerous, they just don't look nice. Unless you have been gaining weight rapidly, they are an indication though that your skin is not very subtle- regular excercise, and maybe massage with some vitamin E cream, can help with that.

There is this lotion that is designed to prevent and reduce stretch marks. It can be bought at walmart.

It is called "Palmer's Lotion" for stretchmarks.

While stretch marks are usually associated with a rapid weight gain, they are also produced by sudden growth spurts in height and it is not uncommon to get them during puberty. The skin becomes overstretched and the connective fibers break which creates the lines in the skin. You can never get rid of them. There are creams that advertise that they can eliminate stretch marks but no over the counter cream can do this. The stretch marks are actually in the dermis layer of the skin (the middle layer) and topical creams only reach the epidermis (top layer) and can't penetrate that deep.

The only way to reduce lines is to go to a dermatologist or plastic surgeon who might recomment laser surgery to reduce the appearance of these lines. But like cellulite, no way to totally get rid ot them...sorry.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Georgia85,

^my dad had them and his stretch marks went away...so that cant be true

Your Dad was very lucky, timber. I've never heard of stretch marks going away. I've heard of people using make-up to cover them.

That cream I suggested was suggested by my surgeon for follow up to my gastric bypass. It is made primarily of aloe and cocoa butter.

Georgia, you are correct about the level at which this cream (which is over-the-counter), but it has greatly improved my skin elasticity and, for me, HAS reduced the appearance of the stretch marks.

I know that if I had used this when I was pregnant and as I was gaining weight, this might have helped me prevent some stretch marks because of the way it improves elasticity.