Keke Palmer Says That Pregnancy Cured Her Acne

Keke Palmer found the cure for acne, and it's shockingly simple: getting "knocked up."

Palmer has had a long and public experience with chronic acne, sharing candid photos and videos of her skin journey to social media. After countless trials and errors (like two rounds of Accutane and following the misguided advice of "drink more water"), Palmer decided to take control of her health and research her family history.

"My skin has made me sad many nights, but I do not give up on myself," Palmer previously shared on Instagram. "I know this is not me, and my body has been looking for help." After looking into it with a doctor she trusts, Palmer uncovered that Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS for short) has been the culprit of her struggle with hormonal acne. "PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome has been attacking me from the inside out my entire life, and I had no idea," she shared. 

Fast forward to today, however, and the star shares that she's finally found the cure for her acne: pregnancy. "I know you can't see right now because I have a face full of makeup on, but if we really get into it, I want you to see that everything [on my cheeks] is extremely flat," the singer shared on Instagram. "What that means is, even with the discoloration…there [are] no more bumps. The reason my skin is clear is because I'm pregnant with a baby right now." Though she was cracking jokes in the video—even suggesting that she'll be pregnant for the rest of her life—her joy and confidence could be felt through the screen.

In addition to the video in her feed, Keke shared a makeup-free photo on January 4, showing that aside from some lingering hyperpigmentation, her skin was clear and glowing.

In the comments, others chimed in with their own experiences of clear skin during pregnancy. "Facts. When I was pregnant had the best skin I've ever had. Not even one pimple till like seven months postpartum," writes actor Vanessa Morgan.

As it turns out, this isn't as woo-woo as you may believe. According to SELF, many hormonal fluctuations happen during pregnancy, including increased estrogen and progesterone hormones that can balance hormonal acne. Plus, pregnancy increases blood volume, meaning there's more goodness in the circulatory system that can feed the skin with what it needs to thrive. This is typically known as "pregnancy glow" and can even support healthy hair growth and longer nails.

Still, you shouldn't nix contraception for many reasons, one being that clear skin isn't guaranteed. There is still something called "pregnancy acne," which can cause break outs in the first and second trimesters due to increased sebum production and those same hormonal fluctuations that are helping Keke (everyone responds to hormones differently). Truthfully, there's no telling which side of the acne-vs-no-acne spectrum you'll fall on.

Regardless, we're very happy for Keke's skin and excited to see her enter a new chapter of her life as a mom.