Actress Keke Palmer says sharing her struggle with polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS has helped her cope with the disorder.
The “Brotherly Love” star sat down with talk show host Tamron Hall, where she spoke candidly about her diagnosis, which is marked by irregular menstrual cycles, excessive hair growth, acne, and unwanted weight gain. She says that being diagnosed with the hormonal condition solved the mystery of why hair would grow on her face and why she would experience such extreme breakouts.
“I had like a little beard going on that I had to shave every couple of days,” Palmer revealed. “I started to zero in on the fact that, to deal with acne past puberty the way that I did, there had to be something deeper going on. That’s when I came upon PCOS, and also things I had to change in terms of my diet.”
By definition, PCOS occurs when the ovaries produce an abnormal amount of androgens, which are the male sex hormones that usually appear in women in low amounts. PCOS affects over 5 million women in the U.S. annually, but unfortunately, there is still no cure for the syndrome.
Palmer said that while sharing her diagnosis in December 2020 was her “responsibility” to others, it also helped her to accept herself.
“I’ll be honest, though, when it came to PCOS and my acne struggles, it was to empower myself. It was to give myself the opportunity to say, ‘You know, just own who you are. Love yourself.’”
Last year, in the transparent Instagram post that received nearly 1.3 million likes and thousands of supportive comments, the 28-year-old gave words of encouragement to anyone suffering from PCOS.
“To all the people struggling with this, please know you’re not alone and that you are still so f—–g fine!” she wrote.
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