For years, Zoe Morgan proudly flaunted her flawless looks on stage at beauty pageants.
But in August 2025, the former pageant queen - who was crowned Miss Teenage Nova Scotia in 2017 - developed severe acne seemingly out of nowhere.
Morgan, 25, from Montreal, Canada, went from having clear skin to having cysts 'the size of grapes' all over her face.
It was a harsh adjustment for someone who spent years showing off her beauty in pageants.
'It felt like I had lost everything. I had lost my spark for life,' Morgan admitted during a recent chat with the Daily Mail.
'As a former beauty queen, I used to constantly get validation from my looks - on social media, from strangers on the street, and from friends and family.
'As humans it is natural for us to want to seek outside approval from others, and when that goes away, it can cause quite a bit of identity conflict.
'My whole sense of self was wrapped up in being the "pretty girl," but I couldn't play the "pretty girl" card anymore.
For years, Zoe Morgan proudly flaunted her clear skin on stage at beauty pageants.
But in August 2025, the former pageant queen - who was crowned Miss Teenage Nova Scotia in 2017 - developed severe acne seemingly out of nowhere.
'When that was gone, I was forced to look inward and develop other parts of myself that I had previously ignored.'
Morgan explained that as a teen she got a 'few pimples here and there' during 'times of stress,' but mostly, her skin was '100 percent clear with not a single blemish in sight.'
But in August 2025, she noticed that she had developed a few breakouts on her face. She 'thought nothing much of it,' expecting them to 'go away on their own in a few days.'
At the time, she had gotten 'a bit carried away' with partying and was 'going to music festivals every weekend,' and she assumed lack of sleep and increased alcohol intake was to blame for the pimples.
But her acne didn't clear up as she expected. Instead, it got worse and soon, painful nodular cysts that were 'the size of grapes' started appearing on her face.
'It felt like my whole face became an angry exploding minefield,' she recalled.
She tried everything she could to help her skin, ranging from apple cider vinegar compresses to taking antibiotics, but the cysts just kept 'coming back bigger and gnarlier than before.'
It severely impacted her both physically and mentally. She became so insecure because of it that she struggled to look at herself in the mirror and stopped taking pictures with friends.
She tried everything she could to help her skin, ranging from apple cider vinegar compresses to taking antibiotics, but the cysts just kept 'coming back bigger and gnarlier than before.'
Any time she went out, she would have to spend hours trying to cover up the cysts with makeup but they 'would still be visible no matter what she did.'
Morgan admitted that her acne felt like a constant 'elephant in the room' when she would hang out with friends, explaining: 'They often didn't mention it out loud, but you could tell they were thinking about it.'
The once 'sociable, elegant and always camera-ready' girl had been replaced with someone who 'couldn't even look people in the eye' because she was so self-conscious.
'One time, a girl at a music festival said that my face was "dirty" and that I should clean it,' she shared.
'Although it was a genuine mistake on her part and she apologized profusely when I corrected her, it still stung the whole night.
'However, the most humiliating experience I had with strangers commenting on my acne was at a haunted corn maze on Halloween.
'I was stopped at the entrance by a security guard who refused to let me in because he was convinced I was wearing red face paint, which wasn't allowed.
'I had to keep explaining that it wasn't makeup, that it was my skin, and that I couldn't just "take it off."
'Eventually, he shone a flashlight directly in my face in front of everyone waiting in line to inspect it.'
In December 2025, after months of feeling isolated and alone, Morgan decided to start posting about her skin journey on social media, which she described as a 'turning point' for her.
'It felt like all I did was work, sleep and cry about my skin. Acne really is an isolating experience, but the crazy thing is that one out of five people globally deal with it, so why are we all just shutting ourselves inside, canceling plans and hiding away from this beautiful world?' she explained.
It severely impacted her both physically and mentally; she became so insecure because of it that she struggled to look at herself in the mirror and stopped taking pictures with friends.
Any time she went out, she would have to spend 30 minutes alone trying to cover up the cysts with makeup but they 'would still be visible no matter what she did.'
'I realized that if I feel like this, there must be thousands of other young boys and girls out there also feeling the same way, who have had their entire identities eaten up by their skin condition.
'By sharing my honest journey, I can help break misconceptions and show people that they don't have to wait until their skin clears to start enjoying life.'
'When everything felt like it was falling apart, social media became an unexpected lifeline.'
'The overwhelming support I received from complete strangers truly restored my faith in people.'
And while most of the response has been positive, she has faced some backlash online from strangers - but now that doesn’t faze her.
'Part of why I am sharing my story on social media is to spark a reaction - when people see pictures of my face when my acne was at its worst, it can be quite a shock,' she admitted.
'But ultimately, my goal is to challenge conventional beauty standards and to show people that you can still be happy and confident even with a face full of acne.'
She started Accutane in December and she still takes it daily and will continue to take it until January 2027. She's seen in December
Her skin has now cleared up. She's seen last month
'Social media is a powerful space to question what we've been taught to believe about beauty and self-worth, and although it can be quite a hectic warzone at times, these conversations are exactly what help rewrite the predominant narratives in society.'
Morgan started taking Accutane for her acne in December and she still takes it daily and will continue to take it until January 2027. Her acne has now cleared up.
And while her journey has been extremely difficult, she's thankful that it taught her that there's more to her than just her 'physical appearance.'
'The biggest lesson I learned from the experience of going from clear skin to severe acne in a few months was that external beauty is fleeting,' she reflected.
'If you spend your whole life chasing the next beauty trend, you risk missing out on the deeper, more meaningful parts of life that are right in front of you.'