How can I make my legs look better?

Strivectin gets great reviews for the stretch marks.
You can also drink plenty of water.
For some reason when I used to tan it seemed like the texture of my skin looked better, less cellulite. I think it was probably because I was regularly massaging lotion into my legs.

It actually seems like you should see a counselor for your self esteem issue. If you cry hysterically every time you look in the mirror that’s not a normal reaction.

@Rarebear
Well that was a bit of an exaggeration but I get upset by it a lot.
I am not seeing any counselors. Thats not a suitable response to any of the questions I asked.

Walking is an excellent overall exercise. Lunges, leg lifts, squats and burpees (we called squat-thrusts back in the day when I was in school and had physical education classes every day) are all good for shaping up your bottom and legs. Do you have someone who can exercise with you in the evenings or early mornings? Now that it is spring, it is a good inspiration within itself to get out and walk.

See a dermatologist for possible cosmetic solutions.

If you want to be taken seriously, don’t
use hyperbole. We are not mind-readers and cannot pick and choose from your details about which are literal and which are not.“It’s literally disgusting” seems genuine.

My advice is not to spend a lot of money on expensive creams that promise miracles. This is a reputable website that will give you info on what works. Unfortunately there isn’t much of a way to prevent it than overall weight control. A lot of it is genetic. I’m sorry you have this problem. I can understand why it’s so distressing at your age especially. There is way too much emphasis put on being attractive in our culture and in high school it is the worst!
Try to accept your faults and work on them. Be proud of your improvements and don’t compare yourself to others. Love yourself for who you are, not what you look like in a bathing suit. Believe me, you will be much happier if you can do that. You’ll find someone who loves you in spite of all your percieved flaws. :)
Good luck!

Regular cardio and leg exercises like burpees, squats, and lunges. Like someone already said, drink plenty of water and eat right.

I wouldn’t drop a lot of money on miracle creams, but there are some decently priced ones that may help.

A tan can make all the difference – real tan, self-tanning, or spray tan. I’d opt for the latter two, for health reasons. Having darker skin helps mask stretch marks and cellulite. Pasty white + cellulite = bad combination.

Okay, you want an answer? Eat less and exercise more. And if you want to be treated like an adult with adult answers, don’t act like such an adolescent.

@Rarebear The OP said “I have a pretty normal height-weight ratio”
So where do you get off with that snide attitude? Cellulite is a problem sometimes even for those who are not overweight.

@Earthgirl I get off with the snide attitude because I was very concerned for her mental health based upon her question, and then after I tried to help she was very rude.

@NostalgicChills I was once in a similar spot to you and at the age of 17 I got pregnant and all of a sudden realized what stretch marks were. I was not happy with my after baby body, so I worked hard going to the gym and eating properly and got back to my pre baby body but my body was not the same, the stretch marks were still visible and I have found out they will never go away because think of your skin like a balloon that has been blown up then the air let out, only women who don’t have stretch marks if they get big won’t have them after they lose weight. Stretch marks are basically scars.

Although if they are red I’m thinking that means they are newer so putting some cream on them you may still hopefully be able to diminish them.

On another note, I am back to batteling my weight again because when I was diagnosed with bipolar the doctor started me on all all these meds and I ballooned back up again :/ but now my pills are regulated I am half way back to who I used to be, on the outside and inside!

@Rarebear It’s hard to read the tone sometimes online, but I think she felt insulted that you suggested that she had serious self esteem issues requiring therapy. You must know how common it is that teenage girls obsess about how they look. It’s a difficult time and they tend to exaggerate and dramatize their feelings. You were genuinely concerned it seems, and she just took you the wrong way like you were saying she’s a mental case. I hope we can just try to be a little more tolerant and understanding.

Vitamin K creme is supposed to help fade scars.
Also Vitamin E creme

@Earthgirl First of all, I didn’t say she was a “mental case”. Second of all she’s the one who said it “lowers her self esteem”. Third of all, she said, she will “cry hysterically” when she looks at her self in the mirror, and fourth of all, she describes herself as “literally disgusting.”

Okay, she said she was exaggerating. I get that. That makes her either a liar or someone who wants attention. But I’m a physician and I’ve seen people kill themselves when they’ve said far less about themselves—In fact I just lost a patient to suicide who said she had self esteem issues.

So don’t bust my chops. I rarely give medical advice on Fluther, and when I do people should read carefully because I know what the hell I’m talking about.

@Rarebear You’re right. Your response was to advise what in your experience was needed. She should have respected that. But of course, she doesn’t know that you are a doctor.

Good grief @Rarebear, defensive much? The hostility isn’t really necessary here. She’s a kid.

@livelaughlove21 Obviously.

@Rarebear You don’t have much empathy for someone that makes a living helping people. She’s certainly not the first to get offended by an answer on Fluther, and she won’t be the last.

@livelaughlove21 I don’t have a lot of empathy for people who are rude to me, no. I agree.

I’m not really sure why everyone is freaking out :/ if the girl @NostalgicChills were to kill herself it would be completely tragic but since we can’t even read tonality on here and the idea that anonymity is a factor, there is not a whole hell of a lot that we could do if she did.

@Rarebear I don’t actually think you are being insensitive, I think you are being a little too senstive about the issue at hand, and you have to realize that you can’t help everyone. I’m sorry you lost a patient, but it isn’t your fault. Ok.

@nofurbelowsbatgirl Now you may be correct about that. But I’ve seen many self destructive teenage girls and I know the warning signs which the OP delivers in spades. If she wants to edit her question to how she really feels as opposed to the hyperbole she posted I’ll happy ask Lisa or another mod to delete my posts. Until then my answers stand.

@Rarebear
My intention was not at all to be rude. I’m sorry it came off that way and that you think so poorly of me. But my point was that this forum isn’t regarding my mental health. I get that you care and you’ve “seen the signs” and all that, but you could have said what you needed to in a private message instead of publicly branding me as someone who needs counseling. Earlier today when I wrote this question I was feeling super crappy about myself which is why I sound pretty over dramatic.
Sorry.

@Rarebear I completely understand. It is very true teenage girls are self destructive, I was one of them. You have every right to post your opinion that is why we are here, isn’t it?

So now I am just being nitpicky but sometimes I just don’t understand why peoples opinion sometimes has to become so debatable. It’s like sometimes I feel like saying to people if you don’t like the answers don’t ask the question/don’t answer the question, I mean most don’t give lurve for that reason so why debate someones opinion, unless the question states so. Like I am at the point where I don’t answer certain question’s because I know my honesty would be debated.

@NostalgicChills accepted. I’m glad you’re not suicidal.
And for the record I never send PMs. If someone asks a question publicly I will answer publicly. This is the Internet.

I work for a vascular surgeon who specializes in veins. It is somewhat unusual to have extensive spider veins at your age (although we’ve treated patients younger than you with very severe vein problems). Heredity is almost certainly the source (as your statement suggests). Spider veins are often caused by a disease called Venous Reflux Disease. To put it simply the 1-way valves in your legs that are designed to let blood return to the heart against gravity fail and you get increased venous pressure in the veins near the surface of your skin. For some people, this results in the rope-like varicose veins, in others, that pressure balloons out the smaller capillaries and reticular veins and the result is known as spider veins.

Your spider veins will likely get worse over time (especially with a family history and the fact that you’re developing them at such a young age). You may want to find a physician near you that’s a member of the American College of Phelebology (enter your zip to locate one near you). I’m not sure that cosmetic sclerotherapy is appropriate for someone your age, but there is a good chance your larger veins are already beginning to reflux and so they may recommend some conservative treatments to slow the progression of your reflux. Regular walking is good for your veins (prolonged standing without walking is bad), elevating your legs at night as well as getting a prescription for medical compression stockings are all simple, conservative treatments that should be appropriate for someone your age and you should discuss these options with your physician.

Sclerotherapy is the standard treatment for spider veins, be sure to find a physician who knows what they’re doing—there are lots of physicians (Physician’s Assistants, and nurses too) who are doing this very simple injection-based procedure. Unfortunately, because so many of them aren’t vein specialists there are a lot of patients who are getting bad results. Sclerotherapy is a bit like an art form, and if done incorrectly (or sometimes even when it’s done correctly) it can lead to staining under the skin, or scaring. If you do have venous reflux, it’s important to treat the reflux before getting sclerotherapy. Many unsophisticated practices (such as health spas, or some dermatology and plastic surgery practices) only treat the spider veins without treating the underlying condition first. This results in the spider veins coming back again and again. If the source of the reflux is shut down, then new spider veins should be much slower to develop.

There’s a lot of info there, and I could keep going on for forever, but in a nutshell, find a physician in the American College of Phelebology (preferably a Diplomat) and get a consult. Ask if they offer a free consult—many do. Get them to prescribe some medical compression stockings (which come in a wide variety of styles now). If you have any questions I’d be happy to answer them to the best of my ability (I’m not an expert on cellulite—sorry).

I have the same problem…I started getting stretch marks allover my hips, thighs, and backs of my knees when I entered puberty. They’re often red, or at least pink. I hate them. I really do. I can’t even look good in knee high shorts, because my knees are big. For me it’s my unfortunate genetics, since my mother got them very young as well. I am within healthy weight range as well.

Skin brushing in combination with lots of water truly helps because it tightens the skin. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7whFwpYkFE