This woman's before and after acne pictures are going viral, for good reason

For all of its vanity and posturing, Instagram helps generate a lot of positivity, for all sorts of reasons.

There are numerous occasions of body positive campaigns going viral and models calling out magazines who photoshop them.

This one is a little different though.

Meet Kali Kushner. Since she was a teenager, the 22-year-old has suffered with severe acne.

She admits that she tried everything during those years to overcome the problem.

Creams, oils, antibiotics, the caveman method.

You name it. She tried it.

Only after her dermatologist prescribed her to a six-month course of Accutane (a medication designed to combat acne) did she truly start to notice a difference.

From there she was inspired to set up the Instagram account @myfacestory and after almost two years, she now has more than 22,000 followers.

The images of her recovery regularly go viral and it's probably the most popular #acne has ever been.

Speaking to Cosmopolitanshe said:

I honestly didn’t start the account with any idea or goal of getting noticed.

I was just trying to keep track of my progress as I went through my six-month prescription of Accutane.

In 2017 you barely hear of anyone suffering with acne and you never see anyone posting selfies of themselves while covered in blotches.

However, the uniqueness and honesty of Kali's story has touched thousands of people, even though it was a little weird for her at first.

I used to think it was odd, because I really didn’t do anything magical—I just took Accutane and a bunch of selfies, but now I realise that the reason people are so dedicated to following my story is because nobody actually posts stuff like this.

Acne is so hush-hush and shamed in society, and having clear skin is the epitome of beauty, so if you dare have a spot or a breakout—and if you dare to take a picture of it—it’s almost like something’s wrong with you, which is so false.

Taking Accutane isn't all plain sailing. Kali revealed that she found the side effects of dryness and aches hard to deal with but is now no longer on the drug.

She has been off the medication for more than a year now but continues to post before and after pictures for her followers to help spread her story and help others.

Refreshingly, her endorsement of Accutane comes with the perfect caveat:

I know it sounds cheesy, but you are so much more than your acne, and if you want to go on Accutane to make yourself feel more confident, then do it, but do it because of you, and not because you’re trying to look like this perfect image that matches our perfect standards of beauty.

HT Cosmopolitan

More: This woman is redefining the classic 'before and after' picture