Keke Palmer discussed her PMOS-related “crippling acne” diagnosis in an interview with Gayle King at the Women’s Health Lab event hosted by Hearst Magazines on Wednesday.
Keke, 32, was diagnosed with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) (formerly polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS).
PMOS is a hormone imbalance that affects one in 10 women. The condition can cause symptoms like irregular periods, excessive hair growth on face and body, cystic acne, weight gain and infertility, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Keke told Gayle she had to fight to get her diagnosis while dealing with “unbearable” facial acne. She asked her doctor if she had PCOS at the time. But her doctor said no because she didn’t have cysts.
“I was telling doctors, y’all are wrong,” she said. “Everybody was on that glass skin and I’m over here with cracked glass. It is a very heavy thing on your mental health because [I felt like] if I do it right, I should have the results,” Keke explained, before adding that her symptoms worsened despite living a healthy lifestyle.
“I’m eating right. I’m doing the things. I’m exercising. I’m drinking water. Why is my body betraying me? It hurt emotionally in a way that you can’t describe… I had it all my life and it was a burden I learned to wear, but I didn’t want it,” she said. “I remember just reaching a point where I said, ‘I got to solve this. I’ve got to fix this. This isn’t just acne; this is my body telling me something more is going on.'”
The actress turned to an endocrinologist who ordered blood tests that confirmed her self-diagnosis. She continues to maintain a healthy lifestyle, exercising, avoiding sugar and carbohydrates, etc.
“As somebody that’s always tried to do things holistically, there is a reality where sometimes Western medicine is there to help you,” she explained. “There’s always going to be side effects and stuff, but sometimes that’s why science is there. I’m always going to have hormone dysfunction. Getting that diagnosis helped me understand, well, sometimes you need more help, girl, and there’s nothing wrong with you going and doctors getting more help.”