Glowing. Fresh-faced. Wellness personified. These are some of the words that crop up when tasked with describing actress Lea Michele. But the 32-year-old insists it hasn’t always been this way. In fact, she’s secretly battled with acne her “whole life.”
“I had to go on a lot of medication growing up,” she told her 5.4 mil followers via Instagram stories after she was quizzed on her tips on keeping a clear complexion. “[I went on] Accutane twice and many others to help my skin.”
Eventually, though, she cottoned on to the source of the problem – she was suffering from polycystic ovarian syndrome.
For those not in the know, PCOS is a condition that affects around 9 to 18 per cent of all women. It causes irregular periods, infertility and abnormal hair growth due and an excess of hormones in the body. It also increases the risk of a slew of serious diseases, such as diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity and depression.
“[It] is a common diagnosis for women,” she added.
Following her diagnosis, Lea sought the help of an amazing skin expert who put her on a strict skincare regime (including topical treatments by iS Clinical.) However, it wasn’t until she started changing her lifestyle that she started to see visible results.
“I strongly believe in taking care of yourself on the inside,” she said. “Drinking tons of water, good sleep, washing your face before bed, no smoking etc., is always a good place to start.”
We do get it, you guys; flawless skin is hard to maintain 24/7. But PCOS diagnosis or not, if you wanna look good, you gotta do good for your body first and foremost.
Thanks for the reminder, Lea.
This article was originally published on Women’s Health