Sorelya

A bikini I'd never worn. Now my favourite.

Two kids, stretch marks across my hips and inner thighs. I bought a floral bikini before my first pregnancy — found it at the back of a drawer last week, still with the tag on. Holiday in Cornwall with my sister. SkinVeil™ applied that morning. My sister was about to say "where's your sarong?" and then she just looked at me. The stretch marks are still there — I can feel them. But they don't show. I stayed by the pool until they closed.

Sleeveless dress at the wedding. No more fear.

I had twelve moles removed in three years — family history of melanoma. Raised keloid scars on my chest and arms. Scar tape for a year: nothing. Laser quoted at £2,800. My cousin's wedding in May, bridesmaid, sleeveless dress chosen by the bride. I nearly said no. Two layers of SkinVeil™ on the worst scars. They don't show in the wedding photos. They're not gone — they're covered. That's all I wanted.

My husband didn't understand why I was about to cry.

Eighteen months post-partum. My son is walking, I still can't get changed in front of my husband. Purple stretch marks on my stomach and inner thighs. Bio-Oil for four months: nothing. SkinVeil™ ordered in secret. First evening out in months. He didn't notice. I did. It's not "I've accepted my body." It's that now I have the choice to show it or not.

I looked at my legs for ten minutes without recognising them.

Porcelain skin all year round, even after two weeks at the beach. For four years I wore trousers even in July. SkinVeil™ didn't make me "tanned." It just made me look like a normal person who goes outside. First selfie in shorts posted on Instagram in four years. Not a trick. Not a pose. Just my legs, finally.

Back scars. Low-back dress. First time in ten years.

Cystic acne from 13 to 22. My face recovered. My back didn't. Deep post-acne scars between the shoulder blades — never looked in a mirror from behind. Christmas work dinner, my colleague suggested a backless dress. For the first time in ten years I said yes. SkinVeil™ on my back with the brush. Group photo without hiding myself.

First shorts in five years.

After my son's pregnancy I covered my legs for five summers. Stretch marks on the inner thigh, two C-section scars. I thought I'd only wear SkinVeil™ for the occasion. Now I use it in the garden with my daughter, because finally I can wear shorts. My husband just said: "I didn't know you were doing your legs." He didn't know because you can't tell.

He asked when I'd had clean legs.

I bump into everything. Bruises in yellow, purple, blue at different stages on both thighs practically all year. Applied SkinVeil™ the evening before my cousin's birthday at the lake. I was about to put a plaster over the worst bruise as usual — but there was nothing left to cover. My brother said: "since when do you have clean legs?" Since a week ago, I told him.

Eight hours of wedding. White dress. Zero marks.

My wedding last September, open-back dress. Two small dark post-acne marks on my shoulder blades that the photographer always had to retouch. SkinVeil™ applied that morning. I danced until 3am. No marks on the dress. No marks on my husband's collar. The photos came out without retouching. My mother cried. For the first time, the marks didn't show.

I looked like Twilight. Now I exist.

Porcelain skin all year. My legs have this translucent thing that reflects office lighting. Small thread veins behind the knee. Three passes per leg on the sofa in front of Netflix. I put on my boyfriend's old shorts that I only wear at home. I looked at my legs for ten minutes without recognising them. The thread veins gone. They just looked like normal legs. And that for me was already a dream.