Lili Reinhart is on a mission to destigmatize mental health and acne discussions. In a TikTok video shared Thursday, April 25, the 27-year-old Riverdale actress humorously admitted to canceling plans when dealing with breakouts.
In the clip, Reinhart wears her hair up with her forehead dotted in what appears to be an acne treatment. “Sorry, I actually can’t hang out today because I have to keep staring at my acne every couple of minutes to make sure that it’s still there,” she told her 6.3 million followers, concluding with: “and it is.” She captioned the post with two hashtags: #acne and #ocd.
Reinhart’s followers rushed to the comments section to share their thoughts. The first, which has garnered over 6,000 likes and counting, read: “But your skin is like porcelain. So smooth and beautiful.” The actress replied: “Trust me… I have acne, dermatitis, and rosacea.”
Reinhart’s post struck a chord with many of her fans, including one who shared that they’ve “gotten to the point where I can’t look in the mirror,” mentioning they’ve missed school because they don’t want others to see them. Relatably, the Ohio native replied: “I experienced this as well in middle school. I did my makeup in the dark because I didn’t want to see my own face. I’m so sorry you’re experiencing this, but you’re absolutely not alone.”
Reinhart has been openly discussing her acne journey for years. Last year, she took to Instagram to share a makeup-free selfie of her radiant skin. “Since I was 12, I’ve struggled with acne,” she wrote in the caption. “My skin has suffered consistent breakouts, hyperpigmentation, redness, and scarring. I feel impassioned and motivated to find solutions for not only myself, but others who struggle as well.”
“This is my skin now, makeup-free… no filter,” she added. “I can’t wait to share more about what I’ve been working on.” The latter sparked excitement from followers and fellow celebrities who speculated that her comment hinted at an upcoming skin care line of her own. Reinhart hasn’t shared any updates on the potential line since.
But her openness to talk about acne and mental health goes back farther than 2023. In 2018, the actress got candid on her Instagram Story, sharing her “adult acne story time.”
“I have a cystic breakout on my forehead currently,” she wrote as a text overlay on the since-expired Instagram Story. “And I had to do a photoshoot all day long. I’ve had cystic acne since I was 12. And it has caused major self esteem issues ever since. I had to put my biggest insecurity on display. There was nowhere to hide. 20+ people were studying my face on the camera monitor at any given time during the 11 hour shoot. And all I could think about when I was in front of the camera were the pimples on my forehead.”
“I always text my mom when I have a bad breakout to tell her how ugly I feel, and these breakouts shatter my confidence every time they appear,” she continued. “I’m not sure if or when I’ll ever be able to accept my skin as it is. It’s problematic. It scars easily. It’s painful. But I’m hoping that someday I can feel beautiful even if I’m having a breakout. And that I won’t feel obsessive or paranoid.”
