I'm here to ask for your advice, as following a sudden weight loss in my teens (from 97 to 72 kg in less than a year), I found myself with stretch marks all over my body without realizing it. They're all over my waist, biceps, and under my armpits. But let's just say I can't live with the ones on my stomach, which, obviously, as long as I get a little sun, even with sunscreen, can be seen from 100 meters away.

Leaving aside self-acceptance, which is obviously a given, coming from a former obesity situation, for me it would be the icing on the cake of a life improvement that has lasted years, to be able to at least make them less visible, at least in photos and from a distance. I don't think I'm asking for much. I know I can't have a smooth stomach, and I don't even care.

That said, I tried the Q-switch laser (temporary improvement, making them invisible for a few weeks). I tried biodermogenesis (satisfactory results, but only in the summer I had the treatment, which is very expensive and certainly can't be done every summer). Thanks to it, the stretch marks have regained color compared to before, but the color contrast is still too obvious. Microneedling with a 2mm dermastamp at home every 40 days, I think 7-8 sessions, with tretinoin twice a week, and hyaluronic acid/ vitamin C the remaining days. Maybe it did something, but it's hard to say.

I've been an athlete for almost 12 years now, I drink at least 2 liters a day, and I eat as clean as possible during the week.

Aside from creams, what else makes sense to try? I refuse to believe there isn't a treatment, even an expensive one, that won't necessarily solve the problem, but at least makes it less visible. The next step will definitely be fractionated CO2 (which seems to be the king of skin treatments), even though I've been told it doesn't affect the color, and upon checking, it actually does. But I want to try it anyway. Has anyone tried an expensive but sensible treatment?

37-year-old man seeking advice for visible stretch marks.