Justin Bieber Opened Up About Dealing With Adult Acne & The Pressure To Have Perfect Skin
When I was younger, I thought acne just disappeared when you weren’t a teenager anymore. Sadly, I was mistaken. But, I’m not alone in my struggles with blemishes that continue into your 20s. In the latest episode of his Facebook Watch series, Justin Bieber spoke about dealing with adult acne, particularly in the social media era. While his wife Hailey Bieber gave him a facial, the singer opened up about his struggle to feel confident amid the pressure to always look perfect.
“I would break out when I got super stressed, but it would never stay. But now, it's so cystic, and it's bubbly and won't go away. It definitely bugs me," the 26-year-old says in the fourth installment of The Biebers on Watch. Bieber has even taken to wearing a hat most of the time, which he feels might actually make his breakouts worse. The star continued about how his routine differs from Hailey’s, and although he has a twice-daily routine, his acne still doesn’t go away.
For Bieber, some of his breakouts seem to relate to his stress levels. "I feel like every time I get pimples, [it's] at the worst time. Like, I'll have to do a Grammys performance or like, go on Ellen,” the pop star says while relaxing in a face mask. “I won't have a big pimple for a long time, and then, I'll get a huge one on my nose [or chin]." But, as Hailey says, it can be hard to pinpoint the exact culprit behind adult acne.
“It’s the worst for your self-confidence, especially because [of] all of these filters on Instagram,” Bieber says. “People are, like, looking perfect with their skin, and you feel like that’s reality. But in reality, a lot of people probably have bad skin.” Even Hailey has struggled with adult acne since getting her IUD. “I’d never been on birth control before, so my hormones were a little out of balance,” she says in the video. “But for me, my spot was my forehead … I’d never experienced acne like that.” While frustrating, it’s so incredibly relatable. “People struggle with their skin,” Bieber admits. “You’re not alone.”
Bieber’s not the only one who’s cited social media as a potential trigger for feeling self-conscious. Since Instagram’s release in 2010, people have debated whether or not the app makes people feel more self-conscious or not. And after an uptick of people reporting body dysmorphia attributed to filters, according to an article in the JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery, it appears that viewing altered and “perfected” faces constantly can indeed lead to more feelings of insecurity. That doesn’t change even for a Grammy-winning, multi-platinum musician and a model. As Hailey said, “The smallest little thing feels bad, like the end of the world.”
No matter who you are, acne can feel like the worst. But hearing two A-listers discuss their own experience with adult acne so honestly is refreshingly comforting. So, if you’re on your own skin journey like Bieber, try not to get discouraged by all the filtered faces on social media. If you want to see more, the couple’s 12-part series airs on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on Facebook Watch.
