You might not care what total strangers think of you or your body, but most people do care what their spouse thinks. There may be a small group out there who are not bothered by any stretch marks their spouse may have. However, for some, these marks can become problematic for their marriage, even if it’s subconsciously.

When you got married you may have still had a body that was in pretty good shape. You might not have had stretch marks at the time. As a newlywed, you might not have them now. But, as you already know, they will come. It is just one of those things that happens with aging; and can happen at an earlier age due to pregnancy, growth spurts, weight gain, and so forth. If you do not have them yet, you can help prevent them by eating healthy foods, using creams, and exercising. If you already have them, you can treat them and prevent future marks by also using the previously mentioned methods. When it comes to prevention, and if you decide to use a cream, be sure to focus on the problem areas (thighs, breasts, stomach/abdomen, and bottom). And if you do already have them, you may already find that you are less appealing to your spouse.

This also means that those stretch marks (also known as striae) can affect the sexual relationship between you and your partner. One of the most common causes of a poor sexual relationship between husband and wife is a physical barrier/issue that can prevent desire. Though sex makes certain parts of your body feel good, the experience is mostly visual (especially for men).

For women, the experience is mostly mental (or what is being thought of during the act). And, for women, actual emotional feelings are more at play during sexual intercourse. But, for the man, what he sees during intercourse is what gives him drive and helps him to achieve ejaculation; not just what his body feels. Both men and women can and do have sex just for the physical aspect but there is more involvement for a married couple.

Anyone can turn out the lights or close their eyes and use imagery plus what the body feels in order to achieve orgasm. But, again, sex for married people is more involved that that. Your husband or wife probably did not marry you just because you were pretty to look at, but at the same time, he or she probably wouldn’t have married you if both mental and physical aspects of sex weren’t good.

Even still, what it boils down to is that men like to look. And most men do not want to look at stretch marks. If he finds it unappealing, your spouse may not be able to perform to the extent that both of you would enjoy. Even worse, your sexual relationship could cease. A problem in the bed could lead to other problems in the marriage. But you do not have to let that happen.

The key is to remember that you have treatment options at your disposal. Diet, work out, take vitamins every day, consider plastic surgery, or keep your skin healthy and reduce stretch marks with a good cream. Most importantly, communicate with your spouse and decide on the most logical and cost effective treatment for you, or if your significant other really cares about them that much. They may not.

It is sad to say, but you probably have been judged because of your marks. Before going any further into this topic, let’s recap what we know about stretch marks.

Stretch marks, or striae, appear when there is a loss of elastin and collagen in the skin. The actual marks develop on the dermis (the middle layer of skin), but they show through to the top layer of skin (the epidermis). Virtually everyone gets these Striae as they age, but they can also appear earlier in life.

Even teenagers can get them. Obesity is a tremendous problem in this country, but you don’t have to be obese or even overweight to develop stretch marks. Pregnancy, weight loss, weight gain, hormonal changes, rapid growth, and even some medications can all cause stretch marks.

Most of American society has an ideal for what another person should look like. Unfortunately, Americans see too many things as ‘ugly’. However, not every female has glowing and perfectly flawless skin. Not every woman can fit into a size four pair of jeans. An American man may be unappealing if he has hair on his back or if he has a large nose. The point is that not everyone is perfect. Not everyone fits that American ideal of what beauty is. In fact, even those ideal beauties of the world do have or will develop flaws. If not now, they will one day have stretch marks. The larger point is that you don’t have to be ‘ugly’ or even obese to develop Striae.

But another reality is that you probably have been judged because of your stretch marks; no matter what you might look like otherwise. Let’s say that you go to the beach one day and a handsome man starts to approach you. As you step out of the shorts that cover your bathing suit, he spots a few stretch marks on your thighs and decides to keep on walking right by you. Had he stayed and talked to you, he might have gotten the chance to find out how wonderful you really are. You might say that you would not even want to be with a man as shallow as that. But let’s be honest; you’re an attractive woman and if he was an attractive man, you would probably be just a tiny bit disappointed if that scenario were to happen to you. You would probably want to do something about that stretch mark. You could exercise a bit more or perhaps use a daily cream to reduce current marks and prevent future ones.

Gentlemen, let’s say that you go to interview for a lifeguard position on the beach. You are perfectly healthy and in no way are you overweight. You are asked to show your skills as a swimmer so you remove your top. You oblige and your potential employer sees those stretch marks on your arms and upper chest that you might have gotten from lifting weights. Beach goers are going to be seeing your body all day long and that potential boss is probably thinking that those people won’t like seeing those marks. After all, it’s unappealing; isn’t it? So, the guy without stretch marks gets the job instead.

Teenagers can be so very cruel. What if your beautiful daughter develops some stretch marks on her thighs during a growth spurt? They are seen in the changing room during gym class and the next thing you know, the whole school is gossiping. Two small stretch marks turns into, “Oh my gosh, she is like, covered in them!”

It doesn’t matter how you got them; you have them and you want to deal with them. So now you are researching your options. Again, diet and exercise are wonderful treatment options, especially for teens. Adults may consider cosmetic surgery or a more cost effective option would be a daily stretch mark cream. Don’t let society judge you based on a few marks on your skin when you can do something about it.

Perhaps you lost weight after a pregnancy but the stretch marks remained. So, you had to get rid of all your cute tops that showed any midriff and you may have had to toss out some of your favorite shorts.

Don’t forget all the men in the world. They can and do get stretch marks and it can happen when they bulk up too quickly from lifting weights. So, there go the tank tops that used to show off the arm muscles.

There are many things that society and parents teach us. They prepare us for many things that will or can happen to us in the future. Things that will happen as a result of aging, hormones, and so forth. You were certainly told to wear sunscreen to ward off skin cancer and slow the signs of aging. Every night you probably see at least one television commercial for a cream that can be used to prevent and/or reduce wrinkles. Stretch marks affect many men and most women yet it is not a topic that we are warned about. Growing up, were you ever told that simple measures, such as a healthy diet or creams, could prevent those marks?

So, you box up or throw out all those clothes that you can no longer wear; which means that you then have to go shopping for new clothes. Clothes to fully cover any area that now has stretch marks. That might include purchasing short that are the same length as your grandmother’s shorts. And then there is the dreaded bathing suit. You know the one: it’s made of bathing suit material but you’re basically wearing a skirt in the water. You might initially spend two or three hundred dollars on your new wardrobe but if your stretch marks continue to grow or appear in new areas, you will continue to have to purchase more clothing.

Instead of spending large amounts of money on clothes that you don’t even like to wear, you should realize that you can do something about the unwanted stretch marks. Make sure your diet is rich in proteins, such as eggs. Both Vitamins A and C can help to repair the damage to your skin, so be sure to include carrots, citrus fruits, and milk in your diet (or take supplements). Exercise, even if it is just five minutes a day; and perhaps add a proven stretch mark cream to your daily routine. Keep your clothes and save money.

As you develop stretch marks you might join a gym as a means to exercise the marks away. Exercise will improve your health, tone your body, and improve your state of mind. However, gyms can be costly. It also takes time and fuel to get to and from a gym. There are a great number of people who join, only to have to stop going (with no refund of contract) because they learn that their time is just too limited. If you cannot afford the time or the price of a gym consider the above alternatives of exercising at home, changing your daily diet, trying a cream, and using vitamin supplements if needed. There is also cosmetic surgery to consider but again, not everyone can afford this alternative. Treatment can be cost effective. Write down your options and look at your budget. Decide whether surgery, gyms, or creams will best fit your budget.

We know that everyone gets them and that there are various causes. However, the one common factor of stretch marks is how they affect self esteem. Stretch marks, whether visible to others or not, can have a very negative impact on a person’s psyche.

Those that are plagued with stretch marks may look in the mirror and no matter how severe the marks may or may not be, you will probably think of how ugly the marks are and walk away. You may feel defeated and just assume that there is nothing you can do about the stretch marks. We know that there are, in fact, several treatment methods for stretch marks and you know of them all. What if you can’t afford cosmetic surgery? Some people simply don’t have the time to exercise every day for any meaningful period of time. Today’s world is ever moving. Your life and your duties never seem to give you a break and often, there just isn’t enough time to create what would be considered the perfectly healthy meal. Of all the methods available for treating your stretchmarks, a cream may be the most logical or practical for you.

Stop looking in the mirror and seeing just the stretch marks. This will only lead to low self esteem. Once low self esteem begins, the cycle continues. Before you know it, you are depressed and insecure. Depression can lead to your overall health and before you know it, you’re hurting everywhere because of stretch marks. Remember how good you felt about yourself before the stretch marks? Things happen as we age. Our bodies change and we can never go back to what we were at the age of twenty. But that doesn’t mean that all is lost when it comes to your stretch marks.

One key to building self esteem is to decide what you want or need to improve to feel better about yourself. Look in the mirror and decide that your stretch marks do not define you as a person. The first step to self-healing is knowing that you have a great deal of worth. And you can do something to repair your body/skin. Now that you know that something can be done (via surgery, diet, exercise, supplements or creams) you can plan a course of action. The fact that you are reading this article means that you or someone you love has stretch marks and wants to get rid of them. The second step to healing the damage to your body, and increasing your self esteem, is to investigate or research the different methods of treatment. You are doing that right now.

As you know, there is no miracle cure for stretch marks. You cannot take a pill, wake up and have them all just disappear. But you can find a realistic and cost effective method to reduce and repair the marks on your body. As your body heals, so too will your mind. You can and will begin to once again feel what others know about you: That you are a wonderful person. No matter what method of treatment you choose, as you begin to see improvement, reduction, and as prevention of future stretch marks occurs; you can begin to smile when you look in the mirror.

Remember that you do have treatment options. Exercise when you can. Maintain a proper diet as much as possible. Decide whether surgery or a simple, proven cream is right for you. Take control and do not let those stretch marks define you as a person. Again, you can and will heal both your body and mind.

If you’ve tried to get rid of your stretch marks in the past and failed, don’t get too discouraged. There’s a ton of misinformation out there, which is why many people tend to get really disappointed when a treatment doesn’t work the way they expected it to. This is usually because of prior expectations that were set by someone else. To really be satisfied, and happy with your results, we first need to go into what you can expect when using a stretch mark cream.

The most effective stretch mark creams are made up of a beneficial vitamin and compound complex. After all, overall skin health is very important to prevention and treatment of any kind of stretch mark. These compounds work with your skin to help reduce any discoloring (stretch marks are known to become pink or dark purple when they first form), improve collagen production, as well as begin to tone and heal the damaged skin area.

Although, keep in mind that this is a very gradual process, and will not happen overnight. It usually takes a good stretch mark routine at least a few months to see noticeable reduction and overall results. We say this not to discourage you, but to give you hope, and the drive to stick with your stretch mark removal routine until you achieve the results of your dreams!

Once you begin using a stretch mark ointment, there’s also a few other suggestions you can use to help gradually tone down your stretch marks appearance. These include tanning, using exfoliate-infused cleansers and even some forms of cosmetic surgery options.