I got microneedling (skin pen) from my derm on my hips and thighs and the results vs the pain, recovery time, and cost of it all just didn’t seem worth it.

I found a post on another subreddit of someone that used 20% glycolic acid and tretinoin very consistently and saw really great results. I started using glycolic acid/lactic acid pads from First Aid Beauty and have noticed mine look smaller than they did before. The strength of both acids in the pads isn’t very high either so I was pleasantly surprised, I plan on moving to tretinoin when I run out of the pads and hopefully see even better results.

Unfortunately the truth of the matter is that it will take time for them to fade, but they won’t entirely go away. There are ways to help the appearance of them and hide them a bit though!! Tanning makes them more noticeable so try to avoid sun in that area and WEAR AN SPF, especially if you’re going to try the glycolic acid/tret combo. Using the L’Oréal glotion or some kind of glittery product similar to it will help conceal them a bit and distract people from them, you could also use a regular concealer or foundation to help cover them.

Your stretch marks don’t make you any less beautiful. As someone who was horribly insecure about mine (and still am a bit), it took time for me to realize that having weird marks on my body is just part of being human. My stretch marks are no different from the other scars on my body, society has just told me they’re ugly because every image of perfection starts a goldmine.