STRETCH MARKS- And I'm Male!!!!! - Skin Problems Message Board

07-19-2003, 06:23 PM

Hi!

Im 21, male, uk.

My problem is: 3 years ago I began bodybuilding. Prior to starting I was very thin. I weighed about 150lbs and was about 6ft 2in and had absolutely no muscle at all!!!! So I began weight training with heavy weights and eating a helluva lot of food. I began to build muscle (and a bit of fat) at a staggering rate (upto 6lbs a week). My end weight after 2yrs plateaued at around 185/188lbs and I was 6ft 3in. The problem is tho I had developed quite serious stretch marks where the muscles had so dramatically grown. The main stretch mark areas are the pectoral muscle around the armpit, the backs of my thighsm my lower back, hips and, most embarassingly, my buttocks!!! Now I aint too bothered about the others but my butt is covered in red scars and i'm pale-skinned which makes it worse! It's hugely embarassing and completely ruining my sex life and confidence with women. After all, butts with stretch marks aint too attractive! I've slimmed down a lot now too so I can't even blame it on my big butt muscles!

So what is the best way of fading these little buggers and how effective/expensive is laser treatment and does it completely get rid of them?

Thanx for the help!

RageOfAngels · 07-20-2003, 01:18 PM

Wow, this very same thing happened to me when I began lifting weights for football about 20 years ago. I was thin and got pretty big in a few months of weight training and taking lots of protein powder and eating. I was devastated when I got the stretch marks on my upper arms, hips, inside of legs, and wherever else they might be, I am not even sure now. But they eventually faded and the redness disappeared and now they are less of a bother because it is harder to notice them. I do not like having them but I have learned to live with them.

I am not sure if there is a way to actually get "rid" of them without the treatment leaving even more scars...but if anyone has some knowledge here, I'd be curious to hear it.

Otherwise, take heart my friend, I am sorry this happened to you but please know they will fade in time and will not be nearly as bad as they are now. And I have seen many bodybuilders with them too, and am beginning to believe that they are not as uncommon on men as you might think.

Scooterman · 07-22-2003, 02:39 PM

Atleast you guys got them from doing something.....I got 6-7 HUGE ones on my upper back and then about 10-12 smaller ones on my lower back for no apparent reason.

No growth spurt, no weight gain, no muscle gain, nothing.

And there's nothing that can be done about them so yeah, my life is basically ruined.

I'm only 16 too......

just_imagine · 07-22-2003, 03:26 PM

My advice to you guys is not to worry about it so much. Everyone gets them, male AND female, I think it's just more common for females to complain about it because our bodies change quite a bit through puberty and we end up with them on our breasts, hips, thighs, butt, etcetera. If you've never or barely noticed them on girls before, girls won't notice them or care about them on you. It's a totally normal thing to have happen, and there is hardly anything that can be done to fade them!!

DonutsNCoffee · 07-24-2003, 07:51 AM

I got mine in college cause I gained a lot of weight from eating junk and drinking beer. Before that I was a skinny 140 pound guy. I have em on my shoulders, back, upper arms, thighs, and buttocks. I even have one under my chin. They're terrible to look at. Even after 6 years, I'm still not used to them. I've managed to lose most of the weight. But now I'm stuck with the damage. I've tried so many different creams and nothing's worked. I wish I got mine from bodybuilding. At least then I'd have a muscular body to make up for the skin prblems. It's worse being a scrawny weakling who's also got skin problems. I wish I could just scrub these things off.