After losing some weight, my body sought revenge against my lack of junk food intake by giving me some unsightly stretch marks on both sides of my thighs. I had hoped that rosehip oil would do the trick, but the marks wouldn't budge. Ignoring them was also not going to work, when my mother helpfully examined as to "what [was] that on my thighs?" and tried to comfort me in that "Dr. S. could take care of those with laser therapy".

Enter Vivaplex. I am a member of a website where points are collected, and then cashed in for various prizes. One of the prizes offered was Vivaplex Stretch Mark Creme & Lotion. The product had a convincing review, and it was for free, so I ordered it. After it arrived in a bottle and a jar, I applied the lotion in the mornings and the cream in the evenings per instructions. Truthfully, I did not hold out a lot of hope for this product being effective. A Google search on Vivaplex has hundreds of links that lead back to the official website, but no independent reviews (usually a sign of suspicion). Furthermore, old stretch marks are much more difficult to eliminate than fresh ones, as this product was tested on pregnant women. Lastly, because I had heard of another product designed to help with stretch marks, I had that in mind as my back-up plan in case Vivaplex failed.

Imagine my surprise when after a month of usage, I noticed something interesting: my stretch marks had faded-- a lot. It was especially noticeable on my right thigh where the marks were longer and stronger in colour. To say that I was excited is an understatement. Here was a product that was working and well at that, just in time for summer where shorts and bathing suits are fast becoming a wardrobe staple. The instructions say to use a dime-size amount, so the product is bound to last a while. I would modestly estimate that my stretch marks faded by at least 50%, which is good enough for anybody. I have yet to finish either the bottle or lotion, so I still have a while to go, and by the time I finish, I have no doubt I'll see more improvement still.