Earlier this year, Kendall Jenner announced a partnership with acne-targeting skin-care brand Proactiv. At first, fans were surprised. After all, Jenner often looks flawless on the red carpet. Could acne really be affecting one of the world’s most famous people in such a meaningful way? In a new interview, Jenner explained exactly when she began to struggle with acne and what role it played in her life.
As Jenner told Bustle, she started getting breakouts as a freshman in high school, only getting them under control when she went on birth control at age 16. Her skin stayed clear — until she stopped taking birth control in 2018.
“I experienced [acne] in two different times in my life. One being high school, when all you’re trying to do is be accepted and be part of something, and I wouldn’t even look people in the eyes when I would speak to them,” she said. “The next time it came around, I was supposed to be this model who has everything together. That’s never the case, first of all — good skin or not. But the whole world is looking at you, and it’s like a magnifying glass on everything that you do and what happens to you.”
Now, one year into using Proactiv, Jenner’s acne is under control. In fact, Proactiv has worked so well that Jenner admitted she hasn’t yet tried Kylie Skin, her sister’s new skin-care line. You know the old saying: If a skin-care routine ain’t broke, don’t try your famous sister’s new products.
Jenner also has milia, which are tiny white facial cysts filled with keratin. She even woke up on her first day of high school with her forehead covered in the unpoppable white bumps. “And then it just grew from there,” she said. “It started to happen all over my face — milia and also gnarly zits.” It’s worth noting that a dermatologist should be the one to extract milia, although Jenner told Bustle that she’s learned how to do so herself.
Overall, she hopes that the campaign is a beacon of acne positivity. “I love that I can be vulnerable in this situation and show people that I’m human, too,” Jenner said. “And I hopefully can set a sort of example that it’s OK, and everyone deals with stuff like this.”
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