Although the blonde beauty looks like the epitome of confidence, she admitted that her cystic acne breakouts still embarrass her. Photo / Getty Images
Actress Lili Reinhart has been candid about her struggles with cystic acne - but she recently revealed that she used to be so uncomfortable with her skin that she would apply her make-up in the dark, just to avoid looking at herself.
The 21-year-old Riverdale star started developing 'really bad acne' when she was in the seventh grade, and nearly a decade later she is still dealing with breakouts. However, she now makes it a point to acknowledge her skin troubles, rather than hide from them, reports Daily Mail.
"I developed slight body dysmorphia — when I would break out, I couldn't look at myself in the mirror for a couple of months at a time," she told Seventeen. "I remember doing my make-up before school in the dark, which is an awful idea, but it's because I didn't want to see myself in that bright light."
Lili and four of her Riverdale castmates, including her rumored beau Cole Sprouse, all scored their own individual covers for the magazine's May/June issue.
And while the blonde beauty looks like the epitome of confidence in a crop top and jeans, she admitted that her cystic acne breakouts still embarrass her.
"Sometimes when I have a breakout it triggers me back to that time when I was a teen and I feel so self-conscious — like the whole world is looking at my bad skin," she said, noting that there have been times when she didn't go out because of the appearance of her acne.
"Maybe my acne will go away eventually, but for right now, I try to acknowledge it," she explained. "Acknowledge in my Instagram stories when I'm wearing pimple cream on my face. And poke fun at it in a way, as much as I can."
When she is feeling insecure in public, she said she reminds herself: "People don't give a s**t what my skin looks like."
Earlier this month, Lili gave her 7.5 million Instagram followers an honest look into her skincare routine by sharing a photo of herself fresh-faced with pimple cream dotted all over her face.
"Tinder profile: Hi I'm Lili. I'm 21, a Virgo, Cali-Girl. And I have cystic acne. Hmu," Lili joked in the post.
Although it's unclear what product she was using, Lili is known to be a fan of Mario Badescu's Drying Lotion. Last summer, the skincare brand shared a photo of Lili and her co-star Charles Melton posed with the product all over their faces.
The actress has previously opened up about her struggles with acne, and in an interview with Teen Vogue last year, she revealed she started getting the spots at a young age.
"Every time I have a big cystic pimple or something, it very much triggers that part of me where I don't want to look at myself in the mirror. It's hard to take pictures of myself, I don't want to go out in public, and I want to hide my face," she said.
"But, as I've gotten older, it's a matter of realizing that I can't let a pimple on my face decide what I do and where I go."
In addition to candidly speaking about her skin woes, Lili has also frequently opened up about the mental health struggles she has wrestled with since childhood.
She has said that she suffers from anxiety and depression, detailing how she went through debilitating panic attacks and how therapy ultimately gave her a new lease on life.
In an interview with V Magazine earlier this year, Lili discussed how the conditions have impacted her throughout her life, and why she thinks it's essential for students to learn about them at school.
"It affected me in every way, ever," Lili said of depression and anxiety, adding that the former has affected her since the seventh grade.
The actress, originally from Cleveland, Ohio, explained that her depression became "extreme" after she moved to Los Angeles at the age of 18.
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After struggling with a "horrible roommate situation," she settled in the Hollywood Hills and lived in a house she shared with seven people.
"I didn't know anyone there. I didn't have any friends there," she said. "I didn't have any family there. So when I moved there, it was just me. And I wasn't going to school, so I didn't have any way to really meet people, necessarily, or be social. I was just kind of waiting around for my auditions.
"I spent most of my days literally doing nothing, sitting in my room watching Netflix and waiting for an audition to come in. And it was miserable."
At that time, Lili didn't want to get a day job because she didn't want to be in a position to have to quit on short notice if she booked a gig. She remained in LA for five months before moving back home to tend to her health issues.
"My health got so bad because of how depressed I was," she recounted. "I was throwing up every day, [having] panic attacks, night sweats, and I was just sad. There came a point when I called my mom, and I was like, 'I need to come home. I'm not OK. I'm not good right now. My mental health isn't good.'
"My mental health has always been such a priority to me that I knew when it was affecting my physical health."
Once back at home, Lili saw a therapist for six months, saved up money, and "built [herself] back up again."
Eventually, she moved back to Los Angeles, and landed the part of Betty Cooper in The CW's Riverdale, which is inspired by the Archie Comics universe.
Now, she says she "definitely" credits therapy with helping her cope with the conditions.
Lili still sees a therapist in Canada, where Riverdale is filmed.
"I've seen a therapist at different points in my life for different reasons. I'm not very good at stress management, and I have a very high-stress job, so it's definitely convenient for me to see a therapist right now at this point in my life," she added.
"I am on medication — I've talked about that before—just to help my anxiety, so I'm not depressed all the time."
The actress stressed how important it is for schools to tell their students about mental health issues, because when her own struggles began, she was at a loss.
"I think it is important, and it's so f****d up to me that they don't talk about mental health in school," she said. 'I didn't learn about depression or anxiety at school.
"So when I had to go to my parents to say 'I need help, I need to go to therapy,' I felt like this weird, messed up kid. And I wasn't, but I felt that way."