Victoria Beckham has opened up about her struggle with feeling insecure over “bad acne” that has persisted throughout her adult life.
The 51-year-old former Spice Girl and fashion designer said she’s been “self conscious” about having “problematic” skin for many years and is “careful” not to irritate her face with makeup products.
Beckham explained she prefers “natural” looking makeup that keeps her “skin looking like skin” but strives for a “flawless” finish.
“I’ve been very open about how I’ve struggled with my skin, so I’m careful I don’t use anything that will irritate it,” she said while getting ready with products from her beauty line on an Instagram live video.
“I've been so self conscious with bad acne so this formula is so good and I have a lot of sun damage and it blurs that and filters that too,” she said.
Beckham said in an interview last year that she rarely smiled in photos in her youth because she felt “so uncomfortable” with her appearance. “Probably, I did look stern in a lot of pictures, but I was so uncomfortable,” she told The Telegraph.
The designer admitted there was a period where she’d read comments about herself online. “But now I just don’t have the time,” she said.
Beckham told the publication she’s been “very careful” about her diet, eating steamed fish and vegetables and cutting out meat, wheat and dairy for 25 years, in order to cure her adult acne.
“If you’d told me a few years ago I’d step on to a red carpet to pick up an award wearing only a bit of concealer and no foundation, I’d have thought you were mad, but that’s what I did last week,” she said.
Adult acne is a very common condition but can be emotionally distressing to sufferers, who feel like they should have outgrown skin issues.
The condition is more common in women, and is more likely to appear on the lower part of the face, including the jawline, cheeks and neck.
Hormones are often the culprit when it comes to women’s skin issues. However, a number of other lifestyle and diet factors, including stress, makeup, refined carbohydrates, and dairy may contribute.
