A make up artist who had spent £10,000 ($12,600) on acne treatments cleared her skin by turning to a vegan diet and drinking more water.
Ivana Kostova, 24, from London, battled her skin condition for years, after breaking out in spots at the age of 11.
When her friends' skin started to clear up, Ivana realised that hers was only getting worse.
Hoping to give their daughter back her confidence, her parents forked out for her to have dermatologist and beautician appointments weekly.
Advert
She tried chemical peels - which cost about £200 ($250) - as well as topical creams, antibiotics and birth control.
When she went on to acne medicine Accutane, her skin cleared up - but the side effects were devastating.
She said: "Accutane helped me for a period of time - it cleared my skin for four months - but there were so many crazy side effects.
Advert
"My skin became so dry that I was shedding like a snake every two weeks. I had styes on my eyes for four months and I experienced very bad depression which had never happened to me before.
"What I had wasn't considered 'normal' when I was a teenager. I was the only person in my school with acne that was at such a bad stage. At that age, you feel like it's the end of the world.
"We must've spent over ten-thousand-pounds throughout the years on different solutions.
"By fourteen, my life revolved around my skin. I would beg my mum not to send me to school because of how bad and painful my skin was. My parents helped me in any way they could. We spent thousands on skincare and treatments."
Advert
But when she found veganism and changed up her diet, she realised her skin got much better and she no longer wanted to hide behind make up - instead she uses it to express herself.
She explained: "I no longer have to hide behind retouched images of myself. After years of trying different treatments for my skin, I decided to completely change my lifestyle and habits. I studied how our mind is connected to our gut health.
"That led me to becoming vegan for a year and I started to implement intermittent fasting which I swear by.
Advert
"I used to only drink one glass of water a day - now I can't imagine not drinking my three-litres. I also figured out that moisturiser was not my enemy and I stopped wearing foundation when I was twenty-one. This was a five-year process.
"It's time we see real people with real skin and bodies - we need to uplift people for being unique."
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/muaivanak