Why do I have stretch marks?

[Anonymous]

Usually you get stretch marks because you either got bigger in size, are pregnant, or have the genetics for it. I have none of those. I'm not super skinny, but I'm nowhere near overweight. No person in my family has stretch marks (except for the women who have had kids). And I'm definitely not pregnant! Why do I have the ridiculous jagged purple lines on my inner thighs and white stretch marks on my sides? The purple marks on my thighs are ugly and make me think something is wrong with me. I don't know why I have them! My mother thinks something is wrong with me because she saw them when I was sitting in athletic shorts. She says no one my age or size should have them. They aren't just at the top of the insides of my thighs, they go down about four to five inches. They make me feel self conscious and unhealthy. It makes me ashamed of my legs when they aren't even big.

Updates

+1 y

I'm very physically active, so I'm not just sitting on my butt doing nothing about them. And I didn't grow fast. I grew very gradually.

[Shmoopsie]

You are not alone.

Most girls and women have them, usually on their breasts, thighs, hips, and butt. You will have to make sure you're eating a nutrient based diet. You want to make sure that your skin is getting the proper nutrition so that it can repair and stay healthy.

You should also drink enough water, as the skin loses its elasticity when you are dehydrated. There’s no way to prevent stretch marks completely, However, keeping your weight in a healthy range by eating well and exercising regularly can help to prevent stretch marks

[ichot]

"I'm very physically active"

This may just be your problem...
It isn't unheard of for athletes to get stretch marks especially purple (more recent?) ones by the groin.

I'm a heavy cyclist and runner and I too have... SEVERE stretch marks around my groin. Which I don't have any negative feelings associated with it.

[Tdieseler]

"Either you used to be small and got big, or used to be big and got small"-Katt Williams.

[hannaxx]

It was probably caused by puberty (growth spur).

[Asker]

I grew very gradually. I never had a rapid change in height. I've always been tall

[hannaxx]

Did you start puberty early?

[Asker]

I started at 13

[Anonymous]

cause your fat