They called him pizza face and mocked him for his bad complexion during his teen years.

Then, Nelson Lee was teased mercilessly by his female classmates for the pimples that covered his entire face.

Their taunts left a dent in his self-esteem and shattered his confidence and he often wore hats to hide his face whenever he went out.

He also had no girlfriends then as no girl was ever attracted to him, he said.

Now, the 22-year-old has proven his detractors wrong at his triumph over the recent Mr Singapore contest last Friday.

Not only did he walk away with the top title, he also won the subsidiary award for "best skin".

When interviewed by Lianhe Wanbao, Nelson said: "I used to think that I was very ugly and joining pageants never crossed my mind.

"However, things changed three years ago when I started taking proper care of my skin, my complexion improved over time."

To stay committed to the contest, Nelson resigned from his job as a researcher and took up a part-time position as a swimming instructor.

One month before the finals, the 1.82m tall Mr Singapore started working out rigourously by swimming and working out at the gym almost every day.

He also kept a strict diet.

Apart from staying away from unhealthy food, he ate five servings of fruits a day.

He said: "I'd eat porridge, fish slices and vegetables and avoid deep-fried or spicy food.

"Even the vegetable I eat are either steamed or grilled. When I'm hungry, I'll eat an apple or banana to quell the pangs."