I can't get over the stretch marks I have on my breasts, thighs, bums, waist and even my legs. I started getting these stretch marks when I was 14. At first they were faint but started getting darker and more noticeable.

I was a swimmer at school but when I started getting stretch marks I felt embarrassed and self-conscious. I stopped swimming.

I couldn't wear bikinis and other revealing clothes. I dressed so that I could hide the stretch marks I read on the internet that they are caused by excessive weight gain and so I started starving myself just so that I could get rid of them. This was the worst decision I ever made because my grades were dropping and I developed ulcers!

Just when my life couldn't get worse, I saw red pimples all over my face. These weren't as bad as the stretch marks because I could treat them by washing my face and applying pimple cream. When was 15, I realised that I was going through puberty and that one day this will all be over.

Now I am 18. Although I'm still insecure about the stretch marks, the acne has disappeared completely.

I wish I hadn’t been so hard on myself. I should have been proud of my body.

Stretch marks can happen when your body grows faster than your skin can keep up with. This can be during puberty, weight gain or pregnancy. They don't go away, but they can get less noticeable over time.