We embody the aura of glowing up at The Glow Up, but, of course, that sentiment also applies to glowing up from the inside.
On Wednesday, Keke Palmer took to Instagram and shared a few closeup photos of her face, revealing prominent acne spots on her skin. In the caption, she revealed that she had been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).
“Hey you guys, for some of you this may be TMI, but for me my platform has always been used for things much greater than me,” the 27-year-old actress wrote. “Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome has been attacking me from the inside out my entire life and I had no idea. My acne has been so bad that people in my field offered to pay for me to get it fixed. I tried EVERYTHING. I did Accutane TWICE. People say drink water, have a better diet, but I did all that, I ate all the “right” things, my blood tests were fine. But it took ME taking a personal look into my family that has a history of diabetes and obesity, to understand what was ACTUALLY happening with me.”
Per the Office of Women’s Health (under the U.S. Department of Health & Services):
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a health problem that affects 1 in 10 women of childbearing age. Women with PCOS have a hormonal imbalance and metabolism problems that may affect their overall health and appearance. PCOS is also a common and treatable cause of infertility.
Palmer further revealed the journey it took for her to get a proper diagnosis, including challenges she faced when she went to a doctor who mis-diagnosed her simply because she “looked healthy.”
“The least harmful thing PCOS can bring is acne,” she continued. “To all the people struggling with this please know you’re not alone and that you are still so fucking fine! MY ACNE AINT NEVER STOPPED ME. But we don’t have [to] accept this. Now I can really help KEKE! And I love her so it’s ON.”
“Pray for me on this journey and I will pray for you too,” Palmer concluded. “I’m not afraid to show myself to the world and you shouldn’t be either.”
In the same spirit of opening up, Palmer spoke with E! News’ Daily Pop to reveal the inspiration behind the viral video of her kissing a mystery white man.
“Rare footage of me in the process of becoming randomly suspicious of someone I trust because I struggle with distinguishing reality from my crippling anxiety and emotional trauma,” Palmer captioned the video.
Fans wondered who she was kissing and zeroed in on that, but apparently, Palmer said the point of the video was to highlight the significance of anxiety,” she captioned the video, posted on Halloween.
“You know, it’s so funny…that tweet was for something so much more that I wanted to bring a discussion about, which is the anxiety that sometimes we take with us,” she noted. “You know, in situations that’s not needed or not necessary. And it was just a video that I found on my phone.”
There you have it!