Stomach Stretch Marks

Yes, sorry, but a tummy tuck is the only thing that'll get rid of that wrinkly loose skin. However, now that my child is 6 years old, I don't care anymore. I work out like a fiend and have amazing abs, and I intend to show them off in a bikini this year even if there is a little wrinkly area below my belly button! You're a mom, be proud. :)

This happened to my wife - before pregnancy she was 110 lbs with a yummy tummy that rivaled Shania Twain. At the peak she was 150, swollen like the Stay-Puft Marshmellow Man and gestational diabetes to boot. 19 months later she's down to 120 and the wrinkles around the belly button remain. She's conscious of it but I don't "see" it any more. During the summer she wore a swimsuit that covered it. Those celebrities aren't like us - they have play money for surgery and Photoshop on top of that. I think good old fashioned eating sensibly and exercise is the best way to go.

Oh hon, you've just described my belly too.
I had it after my first (the saggy, wrinkly skin), and it got worse after my 2nd. I'm a fit person, so I can hide it OK in clothes, but it really sucks to constantly feel that bulge of skin when you sit. And let's not even talk about being naked!

Bottom line, yes, surgery is the only thing that will fix it completely and permanently. There are new advances in treatments (thermage, etc...) that you can do, but the results will give 1-2 years only, and it takes 3-5 treatments to get it complete.

Lotions won't work. It's not a hydrationg problem, the skin is damaged. I've *heard* that you can exfoliate (and in theory, this would work by continuously removing the top layer of skin), but you'd have to do it for a LONG time before you even made a dent. The damage is very far down. I tried it using a hot salt scrub for about 3 months after my 2nd child, and it didn't make a dent. I would exfoliate and then follow it with Palmer's Belly Butter. Nothing.

So, sorry to bear the bad news. But unless you can afford a tummy tuck, that's what you're stuck with. I can completely empathize. I just try to stay as lean as possible and to control my sodium intake. I've noticed that it helps to reduce the jiggle factor. But it's always going to be there. :(

You sound like me... I call them my 'war wounds' ;) Eventually I WILL get a tummy tuck, but until then, I wear my 'belly' proudly... it's my skinny fat. I'm very petite, except for the leftovers skin/stretch marks. Lots and lots of women have them, so I figure it's nothing to be embarrassed about. I just stopped caring. Besides, it might look ugly, but my kids love touching that skin because it's sooo soft (I don't know, they like weird textures, LOL!) I know exactly how you look, because I'm the same way. I wear a tight undershirt under clothes to smooth it down, but when it comes to bathing suits, I still rock a bikini! For some reason it doesn't look so awful when I'm a little tan (I'm super white, freckles, red hair, so I don't tan that much, but it DOES look a little better). Embrace it, love yourself, love your babies, and love your body!! You're not alone :)

Those celbs are airbrushed to the hilt. Don't use them as a guideline.

The only non-surgical things I have seen that I might believe will help tighten the skin is a workout program called T-Tapp, which can also incorporate body brushing, which helps exfoliate and stimulate the circulation in the skin, to help it repair itself. The workout is a full body workout that helps pump your lymphatic system and help the body remove toxins, which will help all different areas of the body! http://www.t-tapp.com/

Here is a testmonial: http://www.t-tapp.com/success/charlotte/default.html

Good Luck, I think MANY MANY moms have this problem, andI don't think it is amount of weight gained that is the determining factor, but that combined with they type of skin you have, as well - In my experience of people I know, it seems those of us with very light.fairer skin get more damage easily in the stretch mark department....remember stretch marks are actual tears in the bottom layers of your skin, so the marks we see are scarring from those tears healing....harsh but true, they won't ever completely dissappear, just like any other major scar won't.

I'm sorry to say, surgery is the only option for what you describe.

I don't know if I have any solutions, but just wanted to share that I have the same problem and I don't think that it is your fault for gaining too much weight. I was 108 when I got pregnant and 134 the day I delivered. I'm back down to 104 pounds now and my son is 22 months old, but I still have that little pooch below my belly button. I have noticed that if I'm careful about what I eat it's not as bad and I've also started strengthening my abs again and that has also helped. The bottom line is that your skin got really stretched out there and it will likely never go back to being as taught as it was pre-baby. For me surgery isn't an option, but healthy diet and ab work have seemed to help, plus time for your skin to bounce back. I've just tried to embrace my post-baby body. My husband loves me the way that I am and I have a beautiful son as a result, so I think it was worth it. I'll probably never wear a bikini again, but I think I look pretty darn good in a tankini, so I'm ok with it.

I am in the same boat...I hope to have money saved for a tummy tuck....Alas I have to wait and as long as DH doesn't say anything negative about my body...I'll just have to go with the flow.

It may be that nothing will tighten the skin, but what helped me get my bikini belly back was Pilates. Consistently done, starting out at beginner level and working to advanced level, and my tummy is almost as good as ever!! It was hard work, but worth it.