Olivia Molly Rogers shares important ‘reminder’ in side-by-side photos
Olivia Molly Rogers has shared side-by-side photos of her troubled skin, with an important “reminder” about the effects of “make up and lighting”.
Olivia Molly McKeone (nee Rogers) has shared an important “reminder” about the effects of “make up and lighting” with side-by-side images of her face, days after she opened up about her battle with adult acne.
The former Miss Universe Australia shared the photos with her 186,000 Instagram followers on Tuesday, showcasing her new brunette haircut as well as an update on her skin.
“Swipe to see my skin right now – a reminder that make up and lighting does wonders,” the 30-year-old captioned the pictures.
“It’s cleared up quite a bit in the last week, fingers crossed it continues to improve.”
Generally considered an adolescent problem, experts say acne has become increasingly prevalent among adult women in recent yeas.
Last week, Olivia shared in a lengthy post that she’d been struggling with acne again, having experienced it since the age of 13.
“With everything going on in the world, I realise that problematic skin is a trivial topic, but I just want to share this for anyone who is having a tough time with their skin right now. Because I know it doesn’t feel insignificant for you,” she wrote.
“On Thursday I turn 30, I first experienced acne at 13. It’s been 17 years of relentless acne and I am feeling frustrated & fed up. I have posted about my skin in the past but I probably don’t do it as often as I should. It still feels daunting, because every time I share it I open myself up to feedback, unsolicited advice and recommendations which really isn’t why I post at all.
“I feel it’s important to break up my feed & yours with some make up free skin, breakouts, scars and all. So, this is where I’m at with my skin currently. It is inflamed and persistently painful. Earlier this year it was okay, but the breakouts are back with a vengeance.”
She added that, over the past 17 years, she’d “tried it all” to try and help her skin.
“Antibiotics, ro-accutane, hardcore products that have burnt my skin and bleached my towels and clothes, gentle products, invasive treatments, laser, needling, the works,” she explained.
“I’ve had blood tests to look at my hormones and digestion tests & I’ve tried altering my diet (but this is tricky because of my history with an eating disorder, I want to be careful not to trigger any old habits or thoughts).”
Acne specialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Dr John S Barbieri, told The New York Times in October that “because fewer of their peers have it, adult acne is more socially isolating than teenage acne, and it can have a tremendous impact on a person’s life”.
In a study of 50 adult women with moderate to severe acne, Dr Barbieri and his colleagues revealed the toll the condition can take on mental and emotional wellbeing.
Women often experience problems with depression, anxiety and social isolation as a result, with some taking “obsessive measures” to hide their acne from others and feeling less confident at work and when dating.
Olivia said that she’s currently “working closely” with her skin clinic and naturopath, and while she’s “hopeful & trusting the process”, she was “also just feeling really over it at the moment”.
“If you’ve experienced acne, you know the feeling – you can’t escape it as it literally stares you in the face every day,” she wrote at the end of her post.
“I am definitely not asking for sympathy, and I know this is a minor issue in the scheme of things, however in this space where we so often see ‘perfect’ poreless, airbrushed and filtered skin, I want to share my raw skin and hope that any of you who also experience acne know you’re not alone in your struggles with it.”