Brooklinn Khoury Recalls Being 'Scared' of How She Looked After Dog Attack: 'I Couldn't Change What Happened'

Brooklinn Khoury reflected on learning to embrace how she looked after she lost her top lip and parts of her nose when she was attacked by a pit bull in November 2020

Brooklinn Khoury is getting candid about seeing the beauty in herself after her life-changing dog attack.

On Tuesday, the 23-year-old posted a series of photos on Instagram featuring images from immediately after her upper lip and part of her nose were ripped off in a pit bull attack in 2020. She reflected on beauty standards and how much she's grown to accept how she looks.

"A lot of you have been asking, 'What was the first thing that went through your head when you were attacked?' To be honest I was scared and worried about looking so different in a society that strives for perfection," the pro skateboarder captioned the post.

"But instead of being scared of how I looked I started to embrace it," Khoury wrote. "I couldn't change what happened, I couldn't wish things were different. I just knew I needed to learn to accept how I looked, even if I was scared of it at first."

"I realized that to me beauty has no definition. We all go through things in life that change us," she ended. "Whether it's emotionally, mentally, or physically. We have all been through something that has changed us from the inside and out. Beauty is in everything, yet so undefinable."

Khoury received a bunch of praise from her followers under the post, including her girlfriend and Dance Moms alum Chloé Lukasiak, who wrote, "My pretty girl."

Related: Brooklinn Khoury Reveals Results of Final Lip Reconstruction Surgery: 'Almost at the Finish Line'

Related: Brooklinn Khoury Shares Photo of Face Immediately After Being Mauled by Dog: 'I Knew It Was Bad'

Since the dog attack, Khoury has been documenting her recovery journey on social media. She underwent her seventh reconstructive surgery in February, telling PEOPLE about the excitement she feels coming close to the end of this lengthy journey.

"Basically, my doctor is recreating the top lip in this surgery — creating a Cupid's bow and central columns. So kind of making my lip look more aesthetic," Khoury told PEOPLE, noting that her surgeries typically take all day to complete. "My doctor's very cautious and wants to do everything perfectly."

Looking to the future, Khoury says she is eager to put these surgeries behind her and resume the high-velocity lifestyle she led prior to the attack.

"That's one of the hardest things is just having to sit still and kind of refocus my attention into not being active and hiking, biking, surfing and skating," she said. "But we're almost at the finish line."

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Related: Brooklinn Khoury Says Her Doctor Wants to Perform One More Reconstructive Surgery

Back in January, Khoury shared a series of progression photos, recalling how scared she had initially felt about her injuries and reflecting on perseverance.

"Today I had to remind myself how far I've come since the attack. Looking back at photos and videos makes me feel a way I cannot put into words. But what it does is it shifts my perspective on how precious life is, and also time," she wrote. "Timing is so unpredictable, but it's also so divine. I would have never imagined something like this to happen, but I have learned so much about life, and finding happiness through this whole journey. Whatever you are going through it will get better, and it will happen the way it needs to."

"When I got into the attack it was so hard to see what the future held for me," Khoury added in another post. "Thank God for giving me the strength, and the people I have in my life to help me grow, and continue to trust the process."

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