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For this TikTok sensation — beauty is much more than skin-deep.
Courtney Jones has struggled with acne since she was a teen, but after years of enduring painful blemishes and cruel comments, she has soared to internet superstardom by documenting her skincare journey.
“Acne is so painful mentally and physically, which is why I wanted to embrace it on TikTok and normalize it so other people don’t feel like they are alone,” the 21-year-old content creator said.
“Nowadays, everyone uses all these filters to cover up real skin and real beauty.”
Jones said her self-confidence was once so low that she refused to leave the house because she thinks people are staring.
“It makes me feel uncomfortable going out in public because I feel like everyone is looking at me — it gets me down so much,” Jones, from Killamarsh, Sheffield, told NeedToKnow.com and Jam Press.
However, her vulnerability online has earned her a massive following of 996,000 followers on TikTok, as acne sufferers flock to her comments section to praise her transparency, while others seek advice.
Jones now receives hundreds of emotional messages from people who claim they are no longer self-conscious after following her growing confidence online.
“When I started TikTok I got so much love and found a lot of people who were going through the exact same thing as me,” the stunning brunette said.
“It makes me feel like I’m not alone.”
However, her viral content also receives attention from haters, who say “horrible things” to Jones — but it’s not anything she can’t handle.
When Jones developed acne at 15, she faced name-calling and bullying in school.
“Someone once told me to go to the shops and get some face wash and cream, another person called me pizza face,” she recalled.
“Honestly, the people who don’t suffer from acne will not understand how draining it is and how low it gets you.”
After years of enduring painful, cystic acne that, at some points, covered her entire face, she began taking Accutane in May, and she’s seen drastic improvement, despite a “few side effects,” which include dry skin and nose bleeds.
“I’ve been on this medication for nearly three months now and it’s going amazing, my skin is finally clearing up and I’m so much more confident in myself,” she said.
She’s shared her success on TikTok, where she regularly shows off her blemishes, scarring and uneven skin texture in the hopes of promoting natural beauty — sans skin-smoothing filters and editing.
In a recent clip soaring to 2 million views, Jones shared various footage and images from her pre-Accutane days, which featured inflamed, red bumps and blemishes on her face.
Then, she wowed her followers with a clip of her nearly-smooth complexion now.
“YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! From one accutane queen to another!” one thrilled user wrote.
“THATS SO AMAZING !! UR SKIN LOOKS GORGEOUS!!” championed one fan, while another chimed in: “I’m soo happy for you. You deserve to be free of the pain bless you thank you for being so transparent on your journey xx.”
Meanwhile, Jones wants her followers to know she doesn’t take them for granted: “I get hundreds of messages from others telling me how much I’ve helped them out and now they feel confident — and no longer care what others think.”