Hannah B. (as she was known on The Bachelor) was introduced to the world as the bubbly pageant queen from Alabama who opened up about her struggles with maintaining a perfect image. But as filming of the show ensued, her skin was going through major changes. And it was all caught on camera.
Yesterday, in a live Q&A on Instagram , the newly announced star of the upcoming season of The Bachelorette, shared her ongoing struggles with her skin . She said that her acne had gotten so severe that she made the decision to go on Accutane , a vitamin A-derived medication that helps control your skins oil glands and reduces acne-causing bacteria.
I was on it during the show, but I was in the purging stage, Brown said during the Q&A. So what exactly does skin purging mean? This refers to one of the initial periods of time (usually after a few weeks) when some patients experience their acne worsen before it gets better.
The influx of breakouts, sometimes more that you had to begin with, is the result of increased inflammation in the skin. But don't worry, this is all temporary. Debra Jaliman, MD, New York City dermatologist, typically recommends pre-Accutane antibiotics to her patients to prevent this from happening. The antibiotics can also help clear up some of their active breakouts.
As Brown soon realized, when your skin is in a hyper-inflamed state, you can just use your regular skincare. "I had a lot of blemishes during that time, so I have to be really careful about what I use on my skin," she says. Because Accutane reduces the amount of oil you product, it is extremely drying. Brown switched to a gentle cleanser to keep her moisture barrier in tact, then added a few extra hydrating products, like SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel and Aquaphor, which she admits she keeps nearby to smooth over the flaky skin around her mouth and lips.