A TEENAGE beauty queen is lifting the veil on a crippling skin condition in the hope of inspiring others to 'follow their dreams'.

From the age of eight Giorgia Frost started to develop acne, which at one point became so severe it left her unable to lie down or able to leave the house without make-up.

But the 17-year-old has defied the condition to go on and claim the crown of Junior Miss Bolton and Bury.

Under the title she has teamed up with the likes of the British Skin Foundation too share her personal story about the struggles of coping with a chronic skin condition such as acne.

She said: "From around the age of eight it started with spots, I had them at quite a young age. From high school it started to get worse. It knocked my confidence quite a bit but I was lucky to rarely get bad comments but my confidence was still shattered.

"I have been on antibiotics from the age of 11 and cream.

"At its worst it was all over my chest, stomach, right down my back and up my neck and into my hairline. It affected my elbows and face really badly. It was really, really painful and simple things like lying down were a big struggle. If I tapped my head it would be so sore because the spots were so big and painful.

"For people who are going through this, it is not spoken out about enough. In PSE (Personal and Social Education) at school we learnt a lot of general stuff but never really touched on this, there just isn't enough information out there about the condition and how it affects people."

Throughout her early teenage years Giorgia, who hails from Chapeltown, tried a a string of different treatments including prescription creams and even a sun lamp, and struggled to find make-up which would cover up the acne without making it worse.

As a vegetarian living a healthy lifestyle, Giorgia ruled out the option that the cause could be in her diet and, as doctors struggled to help, she became terrified they would find no solution.

Eventually her family turned to the help of a dermatologist and by the time she was 14, she had been diagnosed with severe cystic aggressive acne.

However, she soon faced the worst bout of her condition and had to seek help through a six-month course of retinoid treatment using acne drug Roaccutane, which worked by exfoliating dead cells from the skin’s surface.

"I literally had cysts on my face," she explained.

"You're only allowed two or three courses of the treatment in your lifetime as the side effects can be really bad. I had thinning hair, thinning skin and nails, nose bleeds, headaches and chapped lips. It was a really bad time.

"I couldn't have oils on my skin, it was incredibly dry and there were times when I struggled to stop it bleeding from the dryness at times."

For four months the treatment worked, and Giorgia's complexion cleared apart from a few scares.

But in just a few months the painful spots returned, spreading across her body, and she was quickly referred back on to the treatment and, at its worse, was on a course of six different tablets a day.

She is still on treatment now, using the antibiotics Trimethoprim, and is seeking further help.

However, Giorgiadecided not to let the condition beat her and continued with her dream of becoming a model.

Although she faced rejections in the past from modelling jobs because of her acne, the teenager eventually plucked up the courage to enter the Junior Miss Bolton and Bury pageant.

After competing in a couple of the pageants, she was chosen to wear the crown in March last year.

As part of her Junior Miss Bolton and Bury title, she has been helping several charities, making appearances at local events, and working with the British Skin Foundation to raise awareness of acne.

Because of her work helping to share her story about overcoming adversity, she has been extended the tile until July this year.

She added: "Winning the title was brilliant. The last time I entered I didn't wear make up and I was really, really shocked. I still don't think I've got over it.

"It boosted my confidence and made me want to help others.

"My basic motto of my story is: ‘It is what is on the inside that counts’, it’s your personality to name one thing and if you are beautiful on the inside then it shines through and you are beautiful on the outside too.

"I spoke out about my acne story which is very personal to me, to the extent not many people have seen me make-up free, or those who did, simply didn’t know what to say, to offer a vote of confidence to girls, and also boys, and to inspire them to follow their dreams just like I have.

"Try not to let negative comments affect you and keep doing what you always wanted to do. Even if it gets really bad you can do it, you may have to do it in a different way like I did, but you can get something positive out of it."