Onyinye na 28 years old model wey dey live wit lamellar ichthyosis, a skin condition wia pesin dey live wit dry, cracked and scaly skin.

For interview wit BBC Pidgin, she say she don experience a lot of down side sake of her skin but she don overcome di mentality.

“Before now, I dey wear long sleeve turtle neck cloth and trouser to cover all my body but no I don dey expose my skin,” she tok .

She wan make pipo wey dey like her realise say dem no dey different from oda pipo.

‘I grow up depressed’

She say she dey get her crying moments and e affect her psychology well-well.

She reveal say she been enta depression several times as she dey grow up.

“I cry well-well sotay I go sleep as as I dey cry and still continue wen I wake up.

According to her, she no too suffer discrimination for primary or secondary school, “na for university I suffer serious discrimination. Pipo dey avoid me and e dey hard to make friends.

“Most times I dey lose my mind becos of di pain wey I dey always go through. Di tin make me get low self esteem and lost my self-confidence.

“Na one of my aunty be my support system. She dey always remind me of self-love and she advise me say make I use my skin condition to my advantage.

Onyinye say before she leave school she eventually make some good friends wey give her sense of belonging.

‘My skin more important dan romance’

Onyinye say di mata don make her dey careful wit relationships.

“I neva dey inside any relationship wey don last. My relationship no dey stable.”

I value my skin and I expect anybody wey I wan date to accept me like dat. Dis na why I dey prioritise my skin first before any relationship.

I dey always dey careful about my emotions because I dey very concerned about how pipo go treat me.” She tok.

Skin maintenance

Onyinye say she dey fear dry season well well becos na during dat time her skin dey suffer pass.

She say she also dey avoid to dey under sun for long to avoid “heatstroke”.

“No mata how much shea butter I rub, I go still get deep cracks for my leg and my hand and e dey pain me wella.”

She say her preferred whether na rainy season – “E dey safe for my skin and na during dat time my skin routine dey work pass. Every time my skin dey always dey moisturised.

“I dey usually use shea butter or vaseline and na black soap I dey use baff. All dis tins dey moisturise my skin to avoid cracks.”

‘Modelling na my safe place’

Onyinye say she dey happy say she discover modelling. She say e bin no dey easy wen she start but pipo don come accept her as she dey.

“Na modelling make me realise say my skin dey beautiful”, she tok.

Di model say she don also own her own skincare brand as a result of her condition.

“Modelling don make me feel more confident in my skin. E dey remind me say I be fine girl and my skin na art.

“Na for inside modelling dem don accept me well. Dem no dey stigmatize me.

Di model say she no dey bothered about wetin pipo dey tink about her anymore.

Maduka Lynda Onyinye say her plan na to start a non-governmental organization for pipo wey dey live wit lamellar ichthyosis to help dem gain confidence and become wetin dem wan be.

Wetin be lamellar ichthyosis

lamellar ichthyosis na situation wia pesin get dry skin, wey get scales and e dey crack.

UK National Health Service (NHS) say pesin wey get di condition go dey itch im skin too – di scale na fish kind of scale.

NHS say lamellar ichthyosis no get cure but anybody wey get need to dey moisturise and exfoliate di skin daily.

Dis na to help prevent dryness, scaling and di build-up of skin cells.

Di service advise pesin wey get di skin condition to visit dermatologist for professional advice.

Severe lamellar ichthyosis fit cause;

overheating

limited movement

skin infection

impaired hearing or eyesight