Please, please, please!... somebody tell me that there is something I can do to make them go away.

Are yours bright red, too? If they won't go away, is there anything that will make them less noticeable?

NO, THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT STRETCHMARKS EXCEPT HAVE THE SKIN WITH THE DAMAGE SURGICALLY REMOVED - PERIOD.

YES, THEY WILL FADE WITH TIME.

AND NO, NO GIRL WILL GIVE A RAT'S ASS ABOUT THEM....ALL SHE WILL CARE ABOUT IS THE ROCK HARD, DENSE MUSCLE UNDERNEATH!

I have more than my share (4 kids in 5 years) and I have yet to see anyone on the beach run from me screaming in horror.

In case you are wondering, the majority are on my abdomen and hips so ain't no dental floss bikini gonna hide that shit....and yes, that is what I usually wear - NEVER A ONE PIECE!

This is a gradual process and we have ALL LEARNED from our own fuck ups.

Don't be so hard on yourself....or I will have to bitchslap you!

I don't know exactly how to answer you. The truth is, it's not about numbers for me. I've worked hard in the gym and I want to be noticed for it. Right now, I don't think people would necessarily notice.

the cool thing about stretch marks is they appear on the inside of the limbs mostly so they aren't very noticable in public. new girlfriends never seem to really care as bikini mom said, they like the muscle. I can say that I would rather have a woman with a nice body than shapeless with good skin.

You're not frustrating me. I just don't understand why you seem to be frustrated at yourself.

First, I thought you said you got up to 240 on your bulking cycle (or am I getting you confused with someone else?)

Second, even if you didn't get up to 240, you've made very impressive progress -- better than the majority of people on this board, I think it's safe to say -- and I think you know that -- otherwise, you wouldn't have posted your stats several times.

Third, I know what guys look like at your school, and I know you're bigger than 99% of them.

Which brings me back to my genuine mystification at what it is exactly that you're trying to achieve. If you're trying to look good, then I can't imagine why you aren't satisfied to some extent at your current progress, especially within your context. On the other hand, if you're trying to get as big as possible, I wouldn't think you would be as concerned about hair loss, stretch marks, etc.

I'm not trying to be critical. Personally, I would love to have gotten the results you've earned. I just feel like something isn't adding up here.

1. I was just saying that I got to 215 naturally, before I started AAS. Yes, I did get above 240 briefly, but I crashed pretty hard and now I'm about 230-235 at 17-18% bf. As I mentioned, I am 6'2" so I certainly don't consider these numbers particularly impressive.

2. I don't recall that I've posted my stats several times. The only time I remember posting them was on the anabolic board, and I was asking for diet and cycle advice. Since bodyweight is a significant factor in establishing a diet and drug regimen, I thought these stats were relevant. You misunderstand me, if you believe I posted them for some ulterior motive, or that I'm secretly happy with my results. If I was, I'd have posted my pic and sent you my phone number by now !

3. I may have posted my stats, but I don't believe I ever posted where I am enrolled. That is a lapse in judgement of which I hope I was not capable. However, while it is true that I am bigger than most of my peers, I certainly don't judge myself by them. By their standards, exercise of any kind demonstrates an abhorrent interest in corporeal reality. Instead, I judge myself by an ideal that I visualize in my head - bigger than a Men's Fitness model, smaller than a professional bodybuilder.

My frustration stems from my chronic inability to attain this ideal. I have made some progress, but not what I had hoped. I look better than I did, but I still don't feel like I'm someone who would be noticed in a crowd. I am a bit compulsive and when I set my mind on something, I am frustrated when I fall short of my expectation. I hope that is not too unreasonable. And, as I said before, I still see myself as the same scrawny kid who was ignored or bullied through most of his life. I would have accepted my battle scars more willingly if I had won the war. Instead, I still feel that my goal continues to elude me.

I suppose this sounds shallow. But you know what Oscar Wilde said, "Only the shallow know themselves."

Check your mail.