When you have adult acne, it’s easy to feel alone, as if you’re the only one getting breakouts past the age of 18. However, anywhere between 12% and 22% of women ages 26 through 44 experience acne, and that number is increasing by the day (on the other hand, only around 3% of adult men experience the condition). In our Acne Diaries series, we’re asking influential women who happen to have acne about their relationship with their skin and the products they use to keep it happy. Next up: actor Lucy Hale.

You’d think acne would have been the least of Lucy Hale’s concerns when she showed up on set to film Pretty Little Liars. But it often wasn’t newfound fame, nailing her lines, or navigating on-set relationships that caused her the most stress; it was her constant breakouts.

“There were tears,” Hale tells Glamour. “There were days when I didn’t want to be in front of a camera. I remember vividly one day we were filming Pretty Little Liars—and the show’s called Pretty Little Liars, so they wanted us to look a certain way—we had to specially light my skin to reflect in a different way so you wouldn’t see my acne. I remember being just so embarrassed and mortified.

“When you’re growing up and you have bad skin, it’s just another added layer of getting comfortable with who you are,” she says of why her skin had such an effect on her sense of self. “I think the reason I’m so obsessed with skin care and beauty is because I struggled with my skin—you just want to crawl in a hole. It feels very isolating, and it can feel so heavy and so difficult. Looking back, I wish I could have had more grace and compassion with myself, but when you’re in it, it’s excruciating.”

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