According to the American Academy of Dermatology, acne is the most common skin condition in the U.S., affecting over 50 million men and women — which means acne can't only happen to everyday peeps. Our friends in Hollywood are also amongst the breakout bunch, despite what Photoshop and makeup might lead you to believe.
How do we know? Well, a number of brave souls have opened up about their skin struggles. You might know the (oft-overused) phrase: celebrities, they're just like us. But they truly are, we swear! We have the interviews and Instagrams to prove it.
Click through to read up on the times some of your favorite pretty faces proved that us normal folks don't monopolize zits — acne is equal-opportunity. And stick around for the products stars swear by to keep acne at bay.
The grown-up guide to dealing with acne. Read more from The Acne Diaries, here.
Katy Perry
A former spokesperson for Proactiv, Katy Perry has never been shy about her acne. Although she doesn't have a relationship with the brand anymore, she told us in a recent interview that she still uses the line's exfoliant and toner. Other products she swears by to combat her breakouts? Grape seed oil as a moisturizer and Shu Uemura's cleansing oil as a makeup remover.
Photo: Variety/REX/Shutterstock.
Kendall Jenner
The Kardashian-Jenners are often praised as being makeup mavens, but underneath all of that contour and bronzer, they, too, have suffered at the hand of acne. Kendall Jenner penned a heartfelt post on her website back in October about how her then-blemishes took a toll on her self-esteem.
"I wouldn’t even look at people when I talked to them," she wrote. "I felt like such an outcast; when I spoke, it was with my hand covering my face. Sure, I had crushes in high school, but I wouldn’t even think about looking at guys."
With the help of her dermatologist and an almost $500 Laser Genesis treatment, her skin began to clear up and her confidence rose. She offered up these final words of advice: "It wasn't anything that happened overnight," she writes. "Even after things started to clear up, it took a solid amount of time to be okay with my skin and gain back my confidence. I realized that it's a part of life for some people, and it doesn't define who you are."
Photo: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock.
Mindy Kaling
The ever-so-candid Mindy Kaling approaches her skin-care problems with — what else — humor. "That zit cream in your 30s life," she captioned a selfie of herself dotted with cream in December. Last year, she also revealed that she's all about the DIY beauty-treatment life to help keep her pimples and oily skin at bay. Apple cider vinegar and Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay are her go-to mask ingredients, making her a girl after our own all-natural hearts.
Photo: Broadimage/REX/Shutterstock.
Kate Bosworth
Reflecting on her bumpy history with her skin, actress Kate Bosworth was quick to remind us in an interview that acne doesn't simply disappear once you nab a high school diploma. "I feel like we always associate acne with teenage years, but it never really leaves you," she says. "You'll have issues with your skin and your body, and you just have to find the things that will help you balance everything out."
How does the star stop her skin from teetering off the deep end? She takes evening primrose capsules in the morning, applies the acne treatment Aczone in the evening, and uses the gentle-but-effective Epicuren Herbal Cleanser, as well as the brand's face cream.
Photo: Broadimage/REX/Shutterstock.
Daisy Ridley
Just last month, Star Wars: The Force Awakens star Daisy Ridley opened up about her problems dealing with acne after being diagnosed with endometriosis. "One laparoscopy, many consultations and 8 years down the line, pain was back (more mild this time!) and my skin was THE WORST," she wrote on Instagram. "I've tried everything: products, antibiotics, more products, more antibiotics, and all that did was [leave] my body in a bit of a mess."
Although endometriosis only affects up to 10% of women and might not be the direct source of your particular zits, she leaves fans with this last bit of wisdom: "To any of you who are suffering with anything, go to a doctor; pay for a specialist; get your hormones tested, get allergy testing; keep on top of how your body is feeling and don't worry about sounding like a hypochondriac," she writes. "From your head to the tips of your toes, we only have one body, let us all make sure ours our working in tip top condition, and take help if it's needed."
That help can also include, but is not limited to, DIY turmeric fails.
Photo: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock.
Bella Thorne
One of the biggest takeaways we got from our interview with actress Bella Thorne about acne: clear skin is a work in progress. She opens up about going on Accutane for two years and the uphill battle she's constantly climbing. Some of the products she's used to help her get over the humps include Sisley's plant-based cleanser, Burt's Bees towelettes, and Kate Somerville's toner and oxygen spray. She also tweeted recently about the cream she credits as her holy-grail product.
Another tidbit she left us with: love your skin, flaws and all. "When you have acne, you keep thinking about how ugly it is and how everyone is just looking at it all the time — and it makes it so much worse!" she said. "It really stresses your skin out to another level, which causes more stress acne. It is literally so difficult. I’m like, 'ARGH this pimple!' but then I stop and I’m like, ‘I love this pimple.’ It is so hard to take your own advice, but I try a little and hope it will get better."
Photo: Broadimage/REX/Shutterstock.
Chrissy Teigen
Chrissy Teigen got real about her post-pregnancy skin back in April, which basically just made us love her even more than we already do. She posted a sad-face selfie on Snapchat with the caption, "Goodbye pregnancy glow. Hi itchy red spots." As Miami-based dermatologist Dr. S. Manjula Jegasothy told us, the hormonal roller coaster that women go through after having a baby can result in temporary skin conditions like hives, rosacea, and our favorite epidermis woe, mild cystic acne.
While newly minted mom Teigen didn't share how she was treating her condition, Dr. Jegasothy suggested using an over-the-counter cortisone cream if you're breast-feeding.
Photo: Rob Latour/REX/Shutterstock.
Lorde
The originator of the zit-cream selfie, singer Lorde is another acne- suffering public figure. "In bed with my acne cream on," the 19-year-old casually captioned her Instagram photo.
She even called out a Photoshop instance back in 2014. "I find this curious," she wrote on Twitter. "Two photos from today, one edited so my skin is perfect and one real. Remember flaws are ok :)"
What Lorde says, ultimately goes.
Photo: Broadimage/REX/Shutterstock.
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus sees your zit-cream selfies and raises you a plethora of different options. See: a butterfly pin, stickers, a faux beauty mark, the lot. She's openly talked about her skin stress in the past and it's nice to see she doesn't take herself or her pimples too seriously.
Photo: Variety/REX/Shutterstock.
Emma Stone
Emma Stone told us back in 2012 that she suffered from hormonal acne when she was 17 and stress acne when she turned 20. "I realized how debilitating and embarrassing it can be to have cystic acne," she said.
These harrowing experiences have since turned her into a skin-care obsessive of sorts. "I'm pretty slutty with products. So, that's part of the problem...for the most part, I use Cetaphil, the bar soap; and then, these pads that I get from the dermatologist; and then, Elta lotion," she tells us. For spot treatments, she uses tea tree oil and she's even dabbled with cortisone shots in the past.
Photo: BFAcom/REX/Shutterstock.
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