By Aisosa Edosomwan

It almost cost me everything. First, it took away my dress sense then gradually it ate away my self-confidence. I just couldn’t look at myself in the mirror when I am all bare.

But I tried to keep my chin up. At 35, I wasn’t getting any younger and the body changes were only logical and obvious.

Still, this mental defense I raised against my stretch marks was no match for it. Stretch marks are ugly and stubborn adipose ridges any ladies nightmare.

Mine defied evereything I threw at it and just kept coming; creeping up my buttocks like burning fingers of lava, scarring deep into my skin till it scorched my cleavage and underarm.

I was plagued and suffered psychologically because of my stretch marks but what I couldn’t imagine is stretch mark stealing my man from me.

It began as gradual complaints of “oh, lady, you’re getting fat. Then came the detailed scrutiny; even your underarm has this ‘thing’ too? Eventually, it degenerated to total disgust. My man stopped touching me. That was the breaking point for me and I knew something needed to be done fast.

The bout of depression
The depression that followed my hyper self-consciousness came very sudden and before I could really figure out what was happening to me, I’m sunk deep. Even Harry, my man, at a point was tried hard to save me from imploding emotionally.

He recited how beautiful I was to him every time and made honest efforts to steer me away from things that remaindered me of my stretch marks. I suffered an acute depression which left me totally withdrawn with my self-confidence completely shattered, I hated my own mirror image.

Suddenly, help eventually came in the most unlikely way, through social media.
It took a health tip shared on a friend’s Palmchat page to change my gloomy situation into something of a miracle. The Palmchat broadcast read: “Healing secret for stretch marks: five cups of water each day and the scars runaway!”

Social media is still a force for good
A lot happen on social media these days and I agree, not all the things we see on social sites are right but there are still those moments of true hope. In my case, it was that singular health tip my friend Olic shared on his Palmchat page; the broadcast was more than timely for me, it literally gave me a second chance to life.

I followed the tip religiously for months; drinking as much water as I can each day and gosh, the result was simply astonishing! Those ugly stretch marks are disappearing, especially around my butt area.

The new person in me
Look at me now, I am so depression free and my family is very happy for my recovery. What I had suffered to some people does not make any sense because they possess the mental strength to deal with such psychological upheavals. They can easily shrug off what happened to me, considering it rather overtly emotional. But the truth remains that there are millions of people out there who are like me, people who struggle psychologically and emotionally to deal with something as trivial as stretch marks. It is for these ones that I now fight, try to lend a helping hand.

Over the years I have metamorphosed and my depression experience led me into the path of psychology. Today, social media is my ever engaging office: Facebook, Twitter, BBM but most importantly Palmchat. These online platforms are where I hold my counselling and mentorship sessions with people suffering all forms of depression. I am doing my best to keep the flame of knowledge burning, a torch that will bring hope to as many depressed persons as I can possibly connect with.

Aisosa Edosomwan, is a PR practitioner working with Teksightedge

christinie:
Very interesting.

No wonder I don't have any stretch mark on my body; I drink water and home-made zobo a lot.

christinie:
Very interesting.

No wonder I don't have any stretch mark on my body; I drink water and home-made zobo a lot.

40manlappy:


Fortunate you.

On a lighter mood, it's been a while I read about the "pics or adonbilivit" crew

jcmaiah:

Good for you. Some girls drag beer with guys.

jcmaiah:

Good for you. Some girls drag beer with guys.

christinie:
Very interesting.
No wonder I don't have any stretch mark on my body; I drink water and home-made zobo a lot.

Aviero:
Pictures of different parts of your body, pls. You mean to tell me you don't have a single line of stretch mark on your thigh or on that asss?

Tallesty1:
They now have awesome pot bellies.