Ini Dima-Okojie opens up on how hormonal acne affected her confidence

• Ini shared her acne experiences, which began in late 2023 and worsened in early 2024, in an Instagram video.

• Ini’s acne persisted despite her healthy lifestyle, which included regular exercise and a balanced diet.

Actress Ini Dima-Okojie has opened up about her personal battle with hormonal acne, discussing its effects on her self-esteem and professional life.

In a video posted on Instagram, Ini recounted her journey with acne, which started in late 2023 and intensified in early 2024.

Even though she adhered to a healthy lifestyle, characterized by consistent exercise and a nutritious diet, her acne continued to be a persistent issue.

She admitted that working on two films during this period was difficult, as she faced both the emotional and physical challenges associated with her skin condition.

She wrote: “I want to talk about skin, acne, and hormonal acne in particular, and my experience with it. Most of you do not know this but I had a very traumatic experience with my skin last year. It was pretty bad and I just remember feeling so sad, downcast and guilty. I felt like I was going to the gym, eating right, I felt like I was doing all the right things and I did not know why this was happening to my face.“And you can imagine, as an actor this is literally where the money is and I actually shot two films in that state. For those of you who have seen ‘A Night In 2005’, that was what was going on there. I had to find a way to still perform truly, luckily the character was dealing with so many things internally and I drew from what was going on with me.

“That was that film. I shot another film, a beautiful film, it is not out yet, ‘The Fire and The Moth’. I shot that going through that experience as well and this character, was not wearing any makeup, she was with her natural hair.

“So it was pretty tough. The beauty standards for women are already high, no one wants to have acne, and it hurts your self-confidence. It affects work, everyone is wondering what is happening to your face, telling you one million and one things to do.

“It was November 2023, I was filming a film in Namibia, it is called ‘Skeleton Coast’, but it is not out yet. I just noticed that I was breaking out more than normal. Usually, I would only break out maybe when I was on my period or if I was a little stressed but nothing serious like one or two.“Fast forward to 2024, end of January I literally started having acne from my arm, from there it progressed to my neck, then to my face and my ears and I was like what is going on? There is nothing I did not do, I went to so many aestheticians. You know how it is with aestheticians, they would clear your whole skincare routine and replace it. It was very expensive and nothing was working. My face was getting worse and worse. I almost gave up and I did not know what to do.

“Going out became a chore. I was really downcast about it. Hormonal acne is something so many women deal with, but we don’t talk about it enough. My experience with it tested my confidence, my patience, and my understanding of my own body. It was frustrating, overwhelming, and at times, disheartening”.

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