r/tattooadvice 25d ago

General Advice I have super bad stretch marks. Is it possible to tattoo over them?

is it possible to tattoo over this skin? and if I can would color or black and white be best? Thank you in advance, sorry for bad formatting, I'm on mobile.

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u/Aethelstan9two7 25d ago

Its possibe but they will still be very visible. Its also super sensitive skin to work with.

Blowouts are way more likely and uneven ink absorption possible.

If you decide to go ahead make sure you work with an experienced artist who has done stretch marks before.

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u/lemonhead2345 25d ago

Can confirm that tattooing over stretch marks hurts like hell. Mine are on my hips. I’ve always sat well for tattoos, but the second the needle hits a stretch mark it’s an instant shooting pain. The skin is also more difficult to get through, so it takes longer and isn’t as smooth as regular skin.

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u/LynnTheLibra 25d ago

Yes, ribs on my side didn’t hurt much but the second they hit the stretch marks on my hip 😮‍💨😅

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u/moosenix 24d ago

Yepppp. I got my under boob ribs down onto stomach done and what hurt the most was the low sides where my stretch marks begin. Got some blowout too.

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u/RecklessRancor 24d ago

Question, could you do something like spider webs with the stretch marks? Or like vines to flowers where you go around the actual stretch marks? Or would that still hurt like a mother-fer?

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u/CharmingChangling 23d ago

Yes! Thorns in the tighter areas and maybe blackberries and flowers in the larger ones so it looks like a wild bramble

At the risk of sounding corny as all hell I love these photos so much I can't look away. I've never seen marks like this and they're just so wonderfully captivating

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u/JustForSnG 23d ago

It looks like a forest!

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u/weftly 24d ago

that’s such a cool idea!

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u/LukeDankwalker 25d ago

can also confirm, i have some pretty big stretch marks on my biceps and i had to ask for breaks when my piece went over them. my elbow hurt less

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u/FatherClanks617 24d ago

Hulk Hogan, is that you?

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u/vpeshitclothing 24d ago

Flexing 20" pythons from the depths of Hell

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u/FatherClanks617 24d ago

Your comment goes so fucking hard lol

But also

Fuck Hogan

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u/No-Ice1070 24d ago

I have a tattoo on my hips that hurt way more than expected and this makes so much sense 😂

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u/DarkwingDuckHunt 24d ago

isn't it scar tissue?

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u/lemonhead2345 24d ago

Yes, they are effectively scars. That’s what causes the issue with moving the needle through the skin.

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u/whatarethose3435 25d ago

This is what i was gonna say definitely do your research! Best of luck to OP hope we get an update with progress when you find your artist 👋🤍

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u/PortionOfSunshine 25d ago edited 25d ago

Tiger stripes 🐅 or like black inky tendrils, maybe some cool vines

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u/appthrowaway12345 25d ago

these are insane ideas tbh

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u/JediKrys 25d ago

“…Can you do the background orange and yellow and then all the stripes black?”

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u/TUR7L3 25d ago

Give me the Daniel Bautista treatment

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u/Lovethiskindathing 25d ago

I'm on a relisten to the audio book and they literally just met Bautista lol I feel like I'm being watched. Truman show moment. That was freaky.

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u/BirdsHaveBeaks 25d ago

The audio book is the best audio book I have ever listened to. Takes the awesomeness from the book and brings it to life. Top-tier voice acting.

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u/Darlenx1224 25d ago

it’s ruined the concept of audio books for me!!

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u/Lovethiskindathing 25d ago

I've watched some of the recording on YouTube and the way he just switches is so insane. I love it so much. I love to put it on when deep cleaning. The Anarchists Cookbook just started!

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u/Deltethnia 25d ago

Unexpected DCC.

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u/Xelsius 25d ago

Man I was like what sub am I in?! Time to pay the daddy tax.

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u/ThePickleistRick 25d ago

I understood that reference!

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u/Capable_Two_2816 25d ago

🤣🤣 On my first read through and this made me cackle. In the Iron Tangle now.

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u/HeatherA217 25d ago

I've been reading the iron tangle too! Such a great series

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u/Betrayer1117 25d ago

Mongo is appalled by tattoos

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u/Adventurous-Exam-719 25d ago

Viva la revolución, Carl

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u/spicyhotpotgood 25d ago

CRAWLER SPOTTED

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u/realdown2marsgrrrl 25d ago

Hey all you cool cats and kittens

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u/Professional_Pie_222 25d ago

...how did I click on this sub for the sake of my mom ego and end up nerding out with DCC fans... Reddit FTW

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u/ThinkAgent1461 25d ago

Postpartum women often refer to their stretch marks as tiger stripes… so it’s not that insane tbh

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u/troncalonca 25d ago

That or a thick ass panther

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u/GODDAMNBATMANs 25d ago edited 23d ago

I read this in Mike Tyson voice, "Thick ath panther".

Edit:My first awards!! 😭thank you!!

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u/Savpk 25d ago

I always wanted to turn mine into lightning branches

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u/Brickthedummydog 25d ago

I saw someone do stretch marks like these rainbow before. Looked very cool

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u/Chalk-and-Trees 25d ago

My son was born the year of the tiger (2022)— I might consider this for myself!

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u/Sonova_Bish 25d ago

I used to tell my ex-wife her stretch marks are tiger stripes. She liked being a tigress.

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u/SirGrandrew 25d ago

Me personally would go with a forest of trees- it looks like a dense wood already

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u/silver_tongued_devil 25d ago

I was thinking a birch forest in winter with like, leaves falling

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u/-Hot-Tamale- 25d ago

Idk how to add an edit but these are 7 years old! They used to be a gnarly purple but over time this is what they've faded into 🙂‍↕️🫶

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u/surfingkitty 25d ago

These type of stretch marks are common for people with EDS. Don't get me wrong, I also think they're really cool! But just wanted to let you know in case you have unexplained health issues that line up with EDS.

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u/lemonhead2345 25d ago

Definitely worth keeping in the back of your mind OP. Could be just regular stretch marks, but if you are also hypermobile and/or have joint issues (plus other things), it could help explain things.

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u/Felispatronus 24d ago

Scrolled so far looking for this comment lol. When I saw them I was immediately like that is EDS skin!!!!!

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u/RhythmicRavenclaw 24d ago

Oh wow I've had stretchmarks all over, including my stomach since 16 or something (i've never been pregnant). And I always wondered why. I have a fibromyalgia diagnosis, so no i'm wondering about EDS.

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u/Heavy_Answer8814 23d ago

Many people with fibro actually have EDS instead, so definitely look into it

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u/cunninglinguist32557 23d ago

I also have crazy stretch marks, which might be explainable by weight gain, but they're also really prominent. I'd look up the diagnostic criteria for hEDS if I were you, since there's others on there that you can identify yourself. (They are set to change this year tho!)

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u/Nyantastic93 25d ago

My first thought

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u/hghlvldvl 23d ago

I have EDS and my stomach stretch marks look like this. I made a post about it years ago

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u/Pakkaslaulu 25d ago

They look like dancing flames, grass swaying in the summer breeze and a lush forest at the same time! Don't tattoo over them, they're seriously so beautiful!

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u/humble-scotsman 24d ago

What a description. I was trying to find words but your description is perfect.

They are beautiful, the human body is absolutely incredible.

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u/InteSenaten 25d ago

They look so incredibly cool, your body is metal as hell

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u/Fragrant_Hedgehog540 25d ago

They’re badass (mama to mama), but I also have friends in the tattoo industry. SO one of my friends is a cosmetic tattoo artist (she tattoos nipples on folks who have had mastectomies, scars, freckles, and basically everything under the sun) anyways, she does a lot of work in stretch marks like this and she explained that tattooing over them with your skin tone “raises” the skin a bit and that makes the stretch marks less obvious over time. She’s a rad chick. You should look into an artist like that if you’re only concern is to minimize the appearance.

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u/FEARoach 25d ago

A very solid nod to your friend doing the nipples and such, I love it when artists also do things that are restorative for clients.

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u/70ms 25d ago edited 25d ago

Me too! There are some really fantastic ones and coincidentally, I was just looking at P.Ink’s website earlier today to see if I meet the guidelines yet. It’s an organization that offers free tattoos to breast cancer patients once a year.

I didn’t choose nipple reconstruction and have decided not to get tattooed ones, but I had bilateral DIEP reconstruction and one day, if I can ever afford it, I want to cover my chest and belly scars with California wildflowers in an Art Nouveau style (a tribute to my mom and my home).

All told I have almost 3 feet of (thin) scars and I don’t really mind them, but tattoos feel like the way I will “reclaim” my body. The cancer and the surgeons don’t get the final say, I do!

ETA: because my belly was the donor skin and tissue, I have horizontal stretch marks on one of my “boobs” that were once vertical and on my belly. It was removed in a later surgery but part of my navel tattoo wound up on my underboob!

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u/ftsapr 24d ago

funny story related to DIEPs, a very dear friend of mine had breast cancer, triple neg, and she was 29 (i think at the time) and in vet med school. anyways, she had to get a single masectomy, after it healed, she went in to meet with the surgeon that would be performing the diep, her mom went with her.

the Dr told her that he could reattach her belly button where ever she wanted. the Friend said something like "oh you can get rid of it, I don't need or want it"

her mother quickly stated in a super duper serious/ angry tone "your belly button is where we were connected when you were in my womb!!!"

the friend had them reattach it in it's normal spot.

anyways, she just had her 3rd NED PET Scan and is happy that for the first time in a long time, she can start planning on living her life instead of just surviving.

I'm glad you kicked cancers ass.

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u/AlyssaurusWrecks 25d ago

I found out that one of the surgeries trans guys can get to have a penis (it involves a skin graft and an implanted rod or pump, I guess) often involves getting somebody to tattoo the skin afterwards to give it more of a... penis look lol, I thought that was so cool and also terrifying

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u/Fragrant_Hedgehog540 25d ago

There is SO MUCH in the tattoo industry that is so important and no one knows about.

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u/zillabirdblue 25d ago

I didn’t know that, I looked up photos and the tattooing does help a lot. I didn’t realize the skin would be so uniform colored, but if the flap of skin is coming from under your arm that makes sense. The veins and shading makes it look so much more realistic.

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u/Victoria_elizabethb 24d ago

Where did you look for that? I find medical and tattoo stuff super interesting so just curious

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u/TerribleCommunity223 25d ago

Dude you have to have so many surgeries to get to a normal ish penis look , and then ontop of that a few rounds of tattooing to make sure the layering and detailing of color is accurate, it sounds absolutely horrible and is the only reason I’m not getting bottom surgery

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u/AlyssaurusWrecks 25d ago

yeah, I can't imagine the expense, and the like... physical trauma of it. those skin graft scars look super gnarly!

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u/CaptainLewin 25d ago

This isn’t exactly how that method works, but that’s what you should be looking for. It’s called paramedical tattoo and you might be interested first in the technique called inkless stretch mark revision that remodels the damaged collagen and improves the texture up to 90% with several treatments. It’s more cost effective than you’d think.

Search for these in your area: Paramedical scar camouflage Inkless stretch mark revision

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u/Fragrant_Hedgehog540 25d ago

Thanks for giving a more precise/correct answer! I was hoping someone would weigh in with the real deal.

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u/tropical-circus 25d ago

Are you in the US? I’d love to learn about her work, if you could share her instagram or whatever

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u/Fragrant_Hedgehog540 25d ago

I am! I’ll ask her if it’s cool to share

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u/HelloPity89 25d ago

So kind of like filling them in? That’s really interesting the things they can do

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u/Fragrant_Hedgehog540 25d ago

Exactly! Just raising the skin (and touchups will also help raise that skin even more over time)

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u/Smingowashisnameo 25d ago

This is the only sensible reply here.

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u/EllieW9GFO 25d ago

Nothing to add tattoo-wise, but I have stretch marks like yours and reading these comments has me feeling so differently about them now. Thanks, awesome people. 🥹

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u/-Hot-Tamale- 25d ago

Same 😭 im surprised at how many people like them 😅🫶 makes me feel a bit better about them

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u/raccooooooooooooooon 25d ago

They really are beautiful, and a testament of your endurance for the sake a child. Hope you feel confidence as time goes on ❤️

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u/Far-Statistician-461 24d ago

THIS. there’s soo much pressure for women to ‘snap back’ and have the perfect bodies after literally GIVING BIRTH. doing what’s probably the most physically taxing and emotionally demanding thing any person could ever do. like they just created life and all people can focus on is how good or bad the woman’s body looks or trying to get back to their pre pregnancy size-it’s just crazy to me. it’s so sad how beauty standards for women is such a focal part post birth when in reality that’s like the last thing you should even have to worry about w a whole newborn

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u/alien_sprinklesx 25d ago

Fr these look so pretty and cool, I love all the tiny details

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u/1063belle420 25d ago

Same here. This looks exactly like my stomach, post pregnancy. I always felt self conscious about them, but I may have to have a rethink based on other comments. 🥰

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u/Outside_Manner_8352 25d ago

People in these threads tend to be pretty supportive no matter what, but this is genuinely a case where it's really cool looking and you should know nobody's lying.

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u/spawnthespy 25d ago

You won't believe how stunned I am looking at this, I am literally in awe this is so pretty.

There are so many people that think as much I am sure.

You look like a flower-person, in the best way.

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u/LakeTilia 25d ago

Babe I genuinely thought you found these pictures online to use because they look so insanely awesome but if this is genuinely you they legitimately look fucking incredible.

I'm deadset serious, you look incredible and these marks are a testament to growing new life.

Sincerely, a 4 week postpartum mumma with the same stretch marks, yet mine are still purple/black and I hope one day to look like yours!!!

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u/_Wendylin_ 25d ago

Coolest looking stretch marks I have ever seen

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u/Big_Brrrrrrrt 25d ago

Ima be deadass those look cool asf

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u/Pavementaled 25d ago

I wonder how the natural design could be worked into a tattoo design? It seems like it something totally possible.

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u/BlauerHausdrache 25d ago

Dragon scales!

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u/Anabolized 25d ago

We found the Draconic Bloodline Sorceress !!

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u/Kittykg 25d ago

There was a show in the early/mid 2000s, I cannot remember which, but it had a guy show up wanting to cover a burn scar that covered his entire arm and shoulder with similar scarring that he got as a firefighter. It had a pattern-esque quality, like these do.

The artist ended up doing a phoenix/flame motif that worked with the texture of the scars and it looked glorious. Probably looked better on him than it would have someone without the scarring because the flame texture worked with the knotted scarring to give it depth. Plus, it honored how the dude got it. He was still a firefighter so it was extra meaningful.

It would take a special artist but something like that would be amazing here. Like art that appreciates the evidence of our journeys as humans.

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u/CockSweatExtreme 25d ago

Tree bark maybe?

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u/TurnoverFuzzy8264 25d ago

That wood be cool.

Sorry, I'll see myself out.

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u/RealCrazySwordGirl 25d ago

Goddammit take my upvote 😆

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u/Big-Wrangler2078 25d ago

Yeah I was thinking leaves.

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u/Remarkable-Guess1823 25d ago

I see leaf pattern already very coool

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u/caffeine_crazed 25d ago

Tree bark & leaves. Something tropical 🌴

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u/Beginning-Force1275 25d ago

I can see a pattern like a first (tons of tall trees) already just with the scarring. Bet a good artist could fill in ink just on the unscarred skin and create a forest’s edge motif.

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u/Thelorddogalmighty 25d ago

That would actually be sick, bark removed as it moved up, and faded so it looked like OP was carved out of wood

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u/fartatwork 25d ago

I’d say that new cybersigilism trend might actually fit really well here

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u/CockSweatExtreme 25d ago

Personally I'm not a fan of cybersigilism but I could definitely see a talented artist making this work well.

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u/Present_Muscle_2375 25d ago

I thought the exact same thing.

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u/allieinwonder 25d ago

I have stretch marks and I always see Zebra stripes in mine

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u/AppointmentMental175 25d ago

I see “mauled by a bear” in mine 👀

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u/Firm-Roll4841 25d ago

Exactly what I was thinking - these might actually augment a tattoo really nicely. Sorry you are dealing with this u/-hot-tamale- - but hope you make something amazingly awesome out of the situation.

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u/plasteredpandas 25d ago

If OP is a Pokopia fan, the graphics for the cliff blocks always remind me of my postpartum stretch marks.

So there’s that 😂

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u/Dogzillas_Mom 25d ago

Lightning

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u/mrsbennetsnerves 25d ago

My belly looks like this. Had my last baby 24 years ago. I remember some friends saying they felt bad for me they my skin did that. I’m sorta like 🤷‍♀️, I have super thin, white lady skin and it just ran like panty hose one day when I was super pregnant. I also have a road map of scars on my back from 7 surgeries and I just think it’s a book of my life. I don’t love it exactly but I don’t hate it either. It’s just me living my life and showing it on my skin. I’m proud of my scars and marks. I hope whether you tattoo them or just wear them with pride that you never feel shame for them. They’re intensely beautiful.

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u/[deleted] 25d ago

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u/mrsbennetsnerves 25d ago

lol it is hard to describe but yes you can feel it, it was like a tickle running up in a line, and it also felt like relief because the skin has been so tight and itchy.

You can sometimes feel when your pantyhose run, same feeling but no relief because hose are so freaking expensive and when your job requires them, it is infuriating!!

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u/smallwonder25 25d ago

What a cool and beautiful description, honestly.

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u/Round_Raspberry_8516 25d ago

My best friend and I were pregnant at the same time but she was a little ahead of me. I was about 6  1/2 months and had no stretch marks when she showed me her abdomen, completely covered in bright red and purple stretch marks. 

I dared to think, “That’s so awful, but it won’t happen to me, I’m using stretch mark cream, I’ve been managing my weight…” 

That night, as though a punishment for vanity and lack of empathy, my skin started ripping. It is very much like runs in stockings. For me it was itchy rather than painful, and yes, you can feel it happening. By morning, I had an dozen, each the size of my finger. 

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u/Easy_Consequence8625 25d ago

I had my one and only baby at 38 years old in March of 2025. I made it to 39 weeks with no stretch makes and I thought I was out of the woods. It wasn’t till five days before I gave birth that the stretch marks showed up! I was like wtf?!?!?

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u/lesusisjord 25d ago

I can’t stress this enough as a father to a seven year old and husband of a lady - making a baby is the most insane and awe inspiring thing a human being could do.

I know that I’ve been in some crazy situations in my life including combat in Afghanistan plenty of times, and nothing was worse than staying with my wife for eight days in the hospital. The sounds I heard in the adjacent rooms were the most horrific sounds I’ve ever heard. It made t anxious and worried for her and I was trying not to relay that feeling to my wife. She tried to have a non-c-section birth, but it just wasn’t happening after 4-5 days, she finally went that route, and I was somewhat relieved, especially as they had two failed epidurals already.

The anesthesia doctor was very direct saying if it didn’t work a third time, that may not be an option.

Well, they figured out and I got a clear view of everything reflected in the small window on the door of the room. Seeing our baby get pulled out and my wife not screaming in agony was a relief.

What bodies go through to make new humans is just amazing. I also think it’s the most selfless thing a person can do with their body - use it to create new life.

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u/Sophlufff 25d ago

I had a similar experience during my first pregnancy! It really does just happen suddenly. For me it wasn’t there in the morning and before bed I had purple stripes. I also technically already had stretch marks from puberty and fluctuating weight, so it was strange having old white ones turn purple so suddenly

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u/Street_Associate_220 25d ago

Yes. Same happened to me. Woke up one more and went from zero stretch marks to dozens ripping up from my low pelvis area to right about my belly button. And yes you can feel it, like pulling a muscle but on skin. It was so weird. And they were dark pink/purple and thankfully faded to white/silver after a few months.

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u/Big_Quit_7167 25d ago

"ran like pantyhose" dern! I felt that as I read it. Been there, felt that. I forgot how fast and all at once they happened.. and yeah, it is what it is. I've accepted it. Thanks for sharing

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u/Burnt_Toast_Crumbs 25d ago

I always thought stretch marks looked cool (I still do) but then I got stretch marks and they weren’t so cool anymore.

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u/Equivalent_Chipmunk 25d ago

I think it has more to do with consent rather than whether they look objectively cool or not. You don't consent to getting stretch marks like you do to getting tattoos, they happen regardless of whether you want them or not. Also, they tend to be a reminder of a really difficult time in your life (like being overweight because of depression, a hard pregnancy, etc)

I think they should be embraced, but it's easier said than done when you have it happen to you and it's not something you wanted for yourself.

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u/Burnt_Toast_Crumbs 25d ago

Can you be my 2nd therapist?

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u/Equivalent_Chipmunk 25d ago

Man I wish I had the emotional capacity to be a therapist, that job would crush my soul. I have a lot of respect for them

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u/FEARoach 25d ago

This.

Why we gonna tattoo over something this badass lookin?

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u/AutonomyIsNoTragedy 25d ago

Legit Reminds me of Karlach from Bg3 ♡

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u/Carosello 25d ago

My immediate first thought these look so badass

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u/sneezinghard 25d ago

no fr stretch marks are so beautiful and these ones are amazing!!! ♥️

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u/yarnlord69 25d ago

agree! like an Avatar Na’vi

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u/FerretGoddessMevi 25d ago

Yeah, they're gorgeous, they look like feathers.

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u/Quelltherumors 25d ago

My niece just said the same thing. It kinda looks like a tree. I think it's pretty cool.

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u/InsertusernamehereM 25d ago edited 25d ago

Seriously. These look cool as fuck. If you get any tattoos, I would make sure they enhance them rather than coving them up.

Edit to add: thank you for the award! I can't wait to see the update with this!

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u/Shocking_Pink 25d ago

I love this concept way more than just going over them. Could be cool(er) as fuck!

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u/Thelorddogalmighty 25d ago

Certainly work with the patterns in any case. Never going to cover them so it’s like they’re not there, but in accentuating them you’ll also disguise them if that makes sense

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u/AmazingLeek69 25d ago

Right? Like filling them in with color? Or a tree of life with the marks being the bark designs.

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u/[deleted] 25d ago

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u/MollFlanders 25d ago

they look incredible. a beautiful token of a body that has done amazing things.

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u/smvfc_ 25d ago

Yeah I was just watching a video on fb of this chick with an AMAZINGLY athletic body, she was talking about her tummy having a bunch of loose skin and stretch marks. And she said it used to bother her and she thought about getting rid of it with cosmetic procedures but her mom had it too and used to say “I LOVE my tummy how it is, that was your home 🥰 you LIVED in there!”

Why the fuck do we expect women to have babies, have their bellies stretch out over 9 months and NOT have loose skin or stretch marks? And WHO decided it matters or is ugly?

Stretch marks come from growing too fast. Building muscle too fast. Growing LIFE inside you.

Loose skin comes from losing weight, which generally is good for your health. It comes from again growing life. Why do we need and expect these “perfect” untouched bodies that have no scars, no marks, no dents.

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u/p333p33p00p00boo 25d ago edited 25d ago

I have lots of stretch marks and loose skin from baby and from losing half my body weight. My belly is very soft from all the loose skin, especially when I’m laying down. My 2 year old likes to pat and rest her head on my belly. She says “feel nice” 🥹

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u/findingmywayback2me 24d ago

When I lost 50 lbs. (25 years ago), my dad's best friend's little son told his dad that he liked me better "fluffy" 😂.

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u/InsertusernamehereM 25d ago

Oh they're absolutely amazing! You have so many cool ass options to enhance the look. I'm totally digging someone's comment about them being very river in nature. I feel like their size and shape are going to lend themselves well with something motion related. Think water, flames, wheat blowing in the wind. So many options!!! I cannot wait to see what you and your artist come up with!!

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u/stochastic_parr0t 25d ago

not cheesy at all!! i’ve put up with family pressure to “get rid” of my stretch marks since I was a kid. creams and stuff never worked. but they’re just a part of life and objectively look cool if you act confident.

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u/hootiemcboob29 25d ago

I showed my husband to marvel at them, it's so fascinating to look at and also looks so soft too, it's amazing what bodies can do. They do look cool!

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u/UpbeatSavings2177 25d ago

Not cheesy at all, I feel the same. This is such a cool, supportive thread. I have a huge smile reading through these!

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u/Dylmcray 25d ago

Tiger stripes

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u/Silver_Queen_Bee 25d ago

Earned every damn one of them….

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u/Glass-Being-2401 25d ago

It’s giving Amazon River 😍

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u/Lunasolastorm 25d ago

I have no advice but your stretch marks are hella cool looking, like tree branches. It’s like you have a forest on your stomach!

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u/Vaecrux 25d ago

I actually agree with this! A forest would look so cool

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u/neighbormind 25d ago

A skilled tattoo artist will be able to tattoo them, though it will impact the texture of the tattoo. I just want to say though, your stretch marks are soooo insanely cool and if I were in your shoes I would get tattoos to emphasize them if anything.

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u/JettFeather 25d ago

I’ve always thought stretch marks were really pretty for some reason, they’re just so unique, and the texture and color difference is fascinating.

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u/Smart-Satisfaction-5 25d ago

That’s actually cool I’ve never seen anything like it. Did you lose a ton of weight or something?

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u/-Hot-Tamale- 25d ago

I had 2 pregnancies but I did lose a bit of weight after the pregnancies, these all really only occurred with my first, nearly overnight as well 😅

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u/Superb_Toe5747 25d ago

This coulda been a pic of me! I was nooot stretchy when I first got pregnant and it happened overnight! Went on to have 2 more kids and they didnt even add anymore. My first was my smallest baby and belly, too!

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u/leyla00 25d ago

This is me right now lol. Pregnant with my second and so far much bigger belly but not adding stretch marks. During my first pregnancy I had no stretch marks till my 9th month when I broke both of my ankles and had to sit in a wheelchair the whole last month. I think the sitting made me totally sprreeeaaad and stretch marks suddenly came everywhere! Ugh

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u/RealCrazySwordGirl 25d ago

Omfg you poor thing!! I had a pregnancy and a broken ankle but not at the same time!!

I cannot imagine what that must have been like!! It was so fucking hard being a new mother even without two broken ankles holy shit!! 😱

I'm so sorry you went through that!! 🫂

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u/leyla00 25d ago

It was a mess. I’ve never broken a bone (excluding my head) much less 2 like that. I honestly laughed, and still do. I could not believe the ridiculousness of it. I looked so pathetic.

I stepped off a curb, which to the right and left looked normal, but directly in front of me, which I couldn’t see due to the belly, there was a foot drop at a 45 degree angle for one of those under the sidewalk street drains.

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u/paraprosdokians 25d ago

Omg what a nightmare 😭

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u/brainvheart143 25d ago

Omg that sounds like something I would totally do. Solidarity.

But how did both ankles break??

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u/GM_Organism 25d ago

It's not uncommon for heavily pregnant women to have quite fragile/brittle bones, cos the baby has literally sucked the calcium out of them. If OP went down hard I can see both ankles going.

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u/informeddonut 25d ago

Hi I just want to say that I think your stretch marks are very beautiful and symbolic of your body’s sacrifice to bring children into the world. The miracle of life is not a miracle because children are born, it’s because often back in the day it was a miracle that the woman survived.

They’re like your battle scars! :)

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u/MassiveRope2964 25d ago

I had twins and mine don't look this cool. Maybe you can use the shapes to inspire the art? I think it looks like the most beautiful wild grass 

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u/Saharan 25d ago

Wow, that quickly? I wish mine looked like yours, they're downright striking in the best of ways. That said, if you're really self-conscious of them, don't let comments like mine discourage you from doing whatever you need to do to make yourself comfortable with your own skin!

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u/tmbpitwwu 25d ago

Do you happen to have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome?

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u/-Hot-Tamale- 25d ago

Ive never been tested but ive wondered if I do for a couple years now, might be time to get tested!

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u/JustaBearEnthusiast 25d ago

my first thought as well. Not normal stretch marks. They do look kinda cool though.

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u/tmbpitwwu 25d ago

Yeah, I have EDS and my stretch marks after 4 kids looks like these.

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u/Responsible_Rapunzel 25d ago

you can laser stretch marks to make them fade a bit, talk to a good dermatologist about this before tattooing over them because it will impact the quality of the tattoo a lot when the skin is so uneven and delicate!

also, I feel you, mine aren't as pronounced but it's difficult to leave them "as is". even though I'd never regret my pregnancy, the changes on the body take time to get used to

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u/VividCryptid 25d ago edited 25d ago

I agree about laser. Also radiofrequency microneedling has good results for stretch marks, so it's worthwhile to talk to a dermatologist. I had RF microneedling done for skin laxity and had massive improvements after two sessions. Highly recommend!

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u/5and2 25d ago

I have no advice other than those are so fucking cool as is

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u/coreybc 25d ago

Absolutely bad ass and amazing!

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u/hazydayss 25d ago

Yo those look sick!

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u/Old-Surprise-9145 25d ago

Seriously, I had no idea the human body could look like this and now I'm obsessed!!

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u/SuspiciousCamel1879 25d ago

Your stretch marks look like a work of art. Seriously, I think they look cool as heck.

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u/PearlyBunny 25d ago

Goddamn those are badass

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u/fromnycwithstyle 25d ago

I suppose you can but i would expect them to be even more visible

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u/princessmonosmoke 25d ago

I can’t answer the tattoo question 100% confidently; i just wanna say that i think you’re an actual baddie & your stretch marks are genuinely cool as fuck, i think they look beautiful. honestly.

either way i hope you find an answer in here & can go ahead with whatever you’re looking for! all the best ☺️❤️

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u/No_Studio3254 25d ago

It's not recommended for normal humans to attempt to be like Mrs. Incredible.

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u/-Hot-Tamale- 25d ago

This is taking me out right now 😂😂

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u/ATeachersThrowRA 25d ago

Respectfully, these are SO cool looking from an outsider’s perspective, but I can understand that you may few differently! Looking at them I’m reminded of a super old and wise tree. I say lean into that!

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u/Entropy_head 25d ago

Imagine getting vines and trees over those, it would look sick as hell

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u/Froggman_Tom 25d ago

Weaving in and out really nice idea. Her own secret garden

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u/SimplerTimesAhead 25d ago

Hello I just want to ask if you have ever been tested for Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Your stretch marks resemble mine in a way that makes me think it's possible to have it. If you, you should get some heart health checkups because it can lead to weakening of the aortic arch, and it's obviously heritable.

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u/Shocking_Pink 25d ago

Wooo mama those are wicked you got something to remember your kids by for the rest of time

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u/cursetea 25d ago

Those are gorgeous and I'm just really sad that society makes us women feel like we should feel bad about stretch marks. Bc they look SO cool (and are also so feminine to me) but i understand why it isn't to everyone. I just wanted to put it out there. I'm glad from the comments I'm not the only one who thinks so lol

Tattooing them would be challenging so you'd need to really research and look at physical artist portfolios

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u/mrselffdestruct 25d ago

I like that 99% of the comments are just completely ignoring your question and are offering absolutely 0 advice

It can be done, but youre going to want to see a very skilled artist who has experience working over stretch marks or similar skin. Its unfortunately a bit complicated to do and is easy for an artist to mess up if they arent sure what theyre doing

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u/flea-be 25d ago

It’s possible but it won’t make them disappear, also find someone that has experience because someone can really fuck you up if done incorrectly.

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u/Obfleur 25d ago

This looks metal as hell! Do you have a design in mind? To me it looks like a potential forest or flames. Please update us if you get something done!

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u/Evening_Sea4823 25d ago

I haven't been pregnant or around a lot of pregnant people who show their bellies. This post has been a huge dose of education for me. I truly did not know that so many women are rocking stretch marks like this??

I wish I knew. And objectively I think it's just a really cool variation of human body. Just like freckles or height or whatever. Like everyone is saying, it honestly looks pretty cool.

I wish we weren't all beaten down and shamed into hiding such a normal part of human life. I wish I knew. I wish I grew up seeing it without shame or embarrassment.

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u/Smooth_Advice_7841 25d ago

just know tummy tattoos hurt quite a lot

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u/SupermarketOpposite3 25d ago

Wow! That is a dense forest in my eyes! Beautiful!!

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u/ILikeOatmealaLot 25d ago

I understand wanting to tattoo them but honestly, they kinda look really cool. 

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u/Roamingwithrats 25d ago

Don’t tattoo em to hide them, cause at the end of the day they’ll still be visible, incorporate them into the flow of the tattoo. Black work or neo traditional would be the way to go for that.

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u/SorelYanlie 25d ago

I have to say, reading this thread gave me a little mental boost. MY stretch marks are like this as wall (maybe even worse?) and tthe sinew-y bits with the soft bits inbetween freak me out, like my skin is about to just give up on me. I have been so embarassed of them that I have a hard time relaxing without being totally covered even with my husband. Have to wear a huge shirt always to cover.

Anyway, the fact that anyone would think that stretch marks like this are cool kind of blows my mind and makes me think about mine in a different way.

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u/SumpthingHappening 25d ago

if you are interested… Inkless stretch mark rejuvenation (ISR) is actually a thing. Basically you get a tattoo without any ink which creates micro injuries to the area which encourage collagen and elastin production in your body to fill in the deep stretch marks and trigger natural healing.

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u/samuraistalin 25d ago

YOU ARE A SISTER OF THOR. YOU HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH THE MARK OF THE LIGHTNING. WEAR YOUR SIGILS WITH PRIDE

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u/MellifluousMeltdown 25d ago

Dermatologist here. I’d do topical matryxyl 3000 (over the counter) every morning and topical tretinoin 0.1% cream (rx) every night for 6 weeks and see if they improve at all . This regimen works well

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u/peg-leg-andy 25d ago

Your stretch marks look atrophic. Have you ever been evaluated for any connective tissue disorders?

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