“I spent years hiding my scars – but now I show them off at beauty pageants”
After a decade of covering up, Laura Masters has finally found her confidence…
Laura Masters was just a baby when her biological mother’s family friend filled a bathtub with boiling water and deliberately placed her in it.
At just a year old, the horrific abuse left Laura with third-degree burns across her waist, legs and feet and, as she got older, she became desperately insecure about her scars and hid her body away in baggy clothes.
But now, after years of support from her adoptive family, the 26 year old has embraced her scars – and even competes in beauty pageants to inspire others to feel proud about their differences.
Laura, 29, from Caerphilly, South Wales, says, “Growing up, I’d taught myself to fade into the background and my body confidence was at an all-time low.
“But now, I’m happier than ever. I’ve come to terms with my body and I realise my scars are what make me unique and special.
“I now want to encourage more people to embrace who they are and be proud of their imperfections.”
HARROWING
Six days after her first birthday in April 1993, Laura was submerged in a scalding hot bath by a friend of her birth family.
Laura was quickly rushed to Intensive Care at St Lawrence Hospital in Chepstow, where she remained for three months and was treated for life-threatening third-degree burns.
She says, “My skin was lobster red and the bottoms of my feet were both black. The doctors all said they’d never seen injuries so harrowing. My skin had just melted away.
“I had to wait for my skin to die before I could go into surgery to have skin grafts and reconstructive surgery.
The pain must have been unbearable, but thankfully I can’t remember much of it or most of my time in hospital. I think my mind has blocked it out.
“Once I was discharged from hospital, social services placed me into care with my foster family and I was legally adopted by them at the age of 13. My adoptive mother, who I refer to as my mum, is amazing.
“She already had a son and a daughter, but they gave me a loving family unit – and for that I’ll be forever grateful.”
The man who caused Laura’s injuries was convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and child neglect at Cardiff Crown Court in September 1993 and sentenced to 12 years in jail.
But Laura’s ordeal was far from over. Between the ages of one and 18, she faced dozens of surgeries and skin grafts.
She recalls, “My injuries were near-fatal. I needed several leg and foot reconstruction surgeries because the thirddegree burns could stunt my growth. They didn’t know if I’d ever be able to walk again.
“I had to have pins put in my toes to stop them curling so I’d be able to walk flat.
My life was ruled by doctors’ appointments every few weeks and skin graft surgeries.
“When I reached 11, I struggled to eat, because my tight scars would feel like I was wearing a corset. It was so painful.
TAUNTED
“I was taken into surgery for a stomach graft and had to spend two months lying on my back in hospital so I could recover. Being young, there wasn’t much skin they could use, and so they took it from my arms, shoulders and back.”
And as a teenager, Laura was taunted by bullies. She says, “On my first day of secondary
school, my mum laid out my new school uniform – a knee-length skirt, polo shirt and jumper.
“But as soon as I walked in the building, nobody looked at my face. They all just stared at my legs. I felt ashamed and ugly. I was called awful names and I finished the day in tears.
“The next day, I quickly reverted back to trousers, and I promised myself I’d never show my scars again. I would wear dark, baggy clothes and leggings to cover myself up.
“I did have a small group of friends, but they were the only people I felt I could show my true self to. With anyone else, I was shy and quiet.”
EMPOWERING
But when Laura turned 18 in April 2009, she wore a dress for her birthday night out – and revealed her scars for the first time.
She recalls, “I was going to a club with friends to celebrate my milestone birthday, and I decided to buy a dress completely out of my comfort zone. It was black and fitted above the knee – I fell in love with it straight away.
“Something just snapped in my mind. I told myself it would be dark in the club so nobody would notice, and I was elated when the entire night I didn’t feel self-conscious. It was the first time I had felt happy and free.
“As time went by, I started wearing shorts and skirts. I joined Facebook groups for burns survivors and saw empowering posts where people showed off their scars in pictures.
“Four months later, I went on to have my final major operation, under local anaesthetic. Doctors attached a skin graft to my upper knee. After that final surgery, I told myself I was never going to hide away my body again.”
In October 2017, Laura met her boyfriend on a dating website, and it was love at first sight. She says, “We hit it off straight away and had so much in common.
“I told him early on about my scars, but he was incredibly supportive. He said he loved me for me and said my scars were beautiful, too.
“Six months later, we moved in together and we’ve been inseparable ever since.
“I am now a huge advocate for body positivity. In 2019, one of the body positive influencers I follow on Instagram shared a post about Miss Unique Beauty UK, a beauty pageant for survivors of disfigurement and visible differences.
“I clicked onto the website and the gallery of women who were proudly showing off their imperfections made me want to do the same. My boyfriend encouraged me to go ahead.
THRILLED
“You’re judged on your personality by answering different questions, and I was so thrilled to reach the final. I didn’t win, but it was such a confidence boost and I knew I wanted to do more.
“Since then, I’ve made the finals of a few more pageants. In June this year, I won Miss Natural Beauty Wales. All of the pageants that I have taken part in celebrate diversity.
“Sometimes, when I’m on stage, I can’t believe how far I’ve come – I used to be so afraid of what people thought of my scars, but now I love them.
“I would love to encourage more people to embrace their imperfections and love the skin they’re in.”
By Kaya Terry
● To follow Laura’s body positivity journey, visit her Instagram @28Laura1992