Update

I know it's been a while since I last posted. Let's just say I was a bit heartbroken and disappointed.

I used the whole tube, it lasted about 6 weeks. No change. =c(

If it's too good to be true, I guess it is.

Opinions

For anyone reading this blog (and hopefully for someone with an objective, observant eye), do you think there are any changes from the first pictures (the "Before" pictures) to the recent "After 3 Weeks" photos?

When you take into account variances for lighting, distance from camera, and whether or not I've gotten tanner, I really don't see any significant difference.

Do you? Please post a comment (click on the link below that says # comments). You can post anonymously by just clicking on the "Post Anonymously" box on the comment page. Thanks!

Close-up, Right Cheek, Week 3

Right cheek, close up. See posts before for details.

Close-up, Left Cheek, Week 3

Close-up of left cheek after 3 weeks. Go to my first post (labeled "Before" and it might still show up at the bottom of this page) for a close up of the original cheek, although in my opinion, they look pretty much the same. Not good. I don't have much of this thing left. *sigh*

Hmm, again.

Hmm.

Revelation!

Oh, I forgot to mention, though maybe you've noticed in the latest photos below, I have red dots and patches in certain areas where I've applied the StriVectin cream. They're not itchy or anything and I wonder if it's a good sign or a bad sign.

Woah. I just looked down at the spots so I could better describe them and have noticed for the first time that my skin texture is different there. It's very hard to see, but there's very fine, horizontal lines on my skin which run across my hips, on both normal skin and stretch mark skin. I don't really know how to describe it, hmm, it's just like if you look at the palm of your hand, beyond the lines and wrinkles, you can see the natural texture of your skin is made up of fine, long lines. Well, my hips now have teeny teeny teeny fine lines perfectly spaced apart. Hmm. Does this mean it's building new skin? Changing the stretch mark skin? Is this some sort of skin plaster? Woah, I don't know. But at least I now know the cream is actually do something. I wish I knew for sure what that was.

*sigh* The latest picture actually looks the worst, I think. Perhaps because I'm tanner and therefore my white stretch marks, which don't tan, are more pronounced. Am I wasting my time and money here?

Don't really notice much of a difference, unfortunately. Don't forget I can't get in the exact same position and get the lighting exactly the same each time, so that may account for slight variances, but nothing significant.

Heads Up

End of Week 2 photos will be posted Tuesday, probably very late at night. Can't say I see any progress, but maybe I side to side photo layout will tell a different story about whether or not these old, white stretch marks are fading.

:/

The other cheek

The lastest pictures. Hmph. No difference that I can tell.

Surprise!

I've noticed that a lot of people find this site by searching for "rites of passage" in Yahoo, MSN, or one of their affiliates. It seems that once upon a time someone else (gasp!) was using ritesofpassage.blogspot.com and because they've since abandoned it, I was able to use it as my account name. Strange, I always thought Blogger names weren't recyclable. Oh well. But anyways, those search engines have indexed the previous site, so I can only imagine the surprise these people must see once they click through and find half-an-ass covered in stretch marks! :)

Aye, but back to the matter at hand.

When I get home from work today, it will be one week since I've started this little stretch mark experiment with the StriVectin cream, so we're due for a progress mark picture. I don't see any changes though, so don't hold your breath, but I know it's early still. I'm so impatient!

Day Two

It's the end of Day Two. I've just finished rubbing the StriVectin "vigorously" into my hips and buttocks. I don't notice anything, and yes, I know it's waaaaaaaaaaaay too early, but dammit, I'm impatient! :P

I've read on websites, and it even says on the package, that there may be a warm, tingling (some say burning) sensation after rubbing the cream on. Hmm, I wish! At least then maybe I could mentally feel like it was doing something. The cream smells and feel exactly like cocoa butter, and if you're someone who has stretch marks, then you've probably tried rubbing cocoa butter on them among the many other so-called stretch mark solutions you'll find on Google.

*sigh* Patience, grasshopper, patience.