What to do for developing stretch marks

287 rep

starting to get stretch marks in my underarm and growing towards my shoulder. Currently i am on a 6 day spilt (chest/tris,back/bis,legs/abs 2x a week) been taking creatine and my body weight in grams of protein. Been doing this for over a month, have gotten gains but i have noticed the stretch marks on both sides. Im cycling off creatine atm to bring down the swelling and have lightened my workouts; what else can i do to avoid making it worse as i progress?

1.2k rep

Club StaffFairfield, ME

Since stretch marks occur due to rapid, sudden weight (size) gain, I think reducing your supplemental creatine intake should reduce your risk of developing (and worsening existing) stretch marks. Of course you are still at risk of seeing some appear if your mass gains exceed the elasticity of your dermis, this would be less likely if the creatine your body synthesizes is the only creatine you have.

33k rep

Trainer

Unfortunately some people are more 'prone' to stretch marks then others depending of the ratio of connective tissues in the skin. It is from rapid periods of growth and this includes growth during adolescence, pregnancy (obviously not for males), and when we put on a lot of muscle very quickly (this is very uncommon for the general public unless you are a body builder). Certainly I would suggest to cut out the creatine for now and allow the water weight to drop off and see if the 'appearance' of them diminishes. You may also be very sensitive to supplementing with creatine which might make you hold on to more water weight then the average person, which in turn increases your chances of stretch marks. I’m a big fan of creatine, but it should be cycled off every 6-8weeks. This should be a short enough window not to develop any stretch marks.

James