大象传媒

Isabella Santa Maria has over sixty thousand followers on Instagram. She talks about fashion, skincare and supporting small businesses - as well as her own experience of facial scarring.

In one post - an image of her applying kintsugi-style make-up to her face - she talked about growing up with scars after a childhood accident.

"Growing up, having those flaws literally written on my face devastated me. I felt cursed. I was trapped in a prison of dirty stares and fleeting whispers, brick-wall relationships, and hideous insecurity.

"It took many years for me to accept myself for who I was, and it took even longer to act upon it. My scars are visible, like those of kintsugi pottery. Yours may not be. But you take them with you wherever you go. You decide whether they鈥檙e a burden or a blessing."

We asked her to tell us her story.

Camera: Isabella Santa Maria
Producer: Sophia Smith Galer