Bella Thorne shows off glowing complexion after years-long struggle with cystic acne
Bella Thorne has long been open about struggling with acne-prone skin, as the 23-year-old grew up in the spotlight while going through puberty and dealing with the blemishes that come with that. Now, she’s showing off just how far she’s come with a video of her glowing complexion.
”If u a real one u know I have struggled [with] my skin for soooo long,” she captioned an Instagram Reels video posted on Thursday. “...to finally be at this stage where I can not wear makeup and feel so beautiful in my skin is a blessing.”
Thorne first began opening up about her skin troubles on social media back in 2017, saying that she was “very self conscious and constantly feeling bad about myself” as a result of having acne.
”BUT I shouldn't feel bad. It is normal to have acne. EVERY1 does! It's only our society and social media outlets like this one that tells us we have to have ‘perfect skin’ to be considered socially acceptable,” she wrote on Instagram. “I'm going to show my skin for what is it and own it.”
She later elaborated on the pressure that she feels to hide her imperfections in a mini documentary for Vogue, mentioning that she feared the media would shame her for her appearance. ”There’s paparazzi parked outside of my house at all times and I have to think about what I look like. I go out without makeup, ‘She must have been partying the night before. Look at her skin, it’s wrecked,’” she imagined the next day’s headlines would read. “No, it’s because I struggle with cystic acne.”
As her skin cleared up, she was eager to show the products that had worked best for her skin in a video for Harper’s Bazaar where she used a homemade face mask made with lemon, olive oil and sugar.
“I struggled with acne for a very, very long time, cystic acne. I was on Accutane for like two years. Nothing really worked for me on that level and I went to every different dermatologist and this and that, and basically got everything done to my face that you can for acne,” Thorne shared. “Then I came across this one woman, Jennifer, who is so amazing and she changed my skin.”
The concoction that she claimed to be her skin’s saving grace, however, was quickly bashed by dermatologists and skincare gurus alike who called it “damaging.” Still, Thorne continued to see improvements in her skin and shared those updates with followers.
”No makeup,” she captioned a series of photos in May 2020, showing before and after shots of her complexion. “I’m so proud of my skin and how far we have come.”
Now, Thorne continues to share less about her struggles with acne and more makeup-free selfies with her 24.3 millions of Instagram followers. “I’m so proud of you,” a fan commented on her latest Reel. “Congratulations.”
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