For years, Keke Palmer carried a burden she never fully showed the world a relentless battle with hormonal acne that left deep marks not just on her skin, but on her sense of self. The actress and singer, 32, opened up about that painful chapter during the Women’s Health Lab event hosted by Hearst Magazines, where she sat down with Gayle King for a candid conversation about her experience living with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, widely known as PMOS.
PMOS formerly referred to as polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS is a hormonal condition that affects roughly one in 10 women of childbearing age. The condition can trigger a wide range of symptoms, including irregular periods, unwanted hair growth, weight changes, fertility challenges and acne. For Palmer, it was that last symptom that proved the hardest to carry.
She described the acne as both crippling and unbearable not just a cosmetic issue, but something that quietly wore her down emotionally over time. She had lived with it for most of her life, but reached a turning point when she realized the breakouts felt like more than a surface level problem. Her body, she felt, was signaling something deeper was wrong.
How doctors dismissed her early concerns
Before her diagnosis, Palmer took matters into her own hands. She began researching the root causes of hormonal acne online, diving deep into what she learned about hormones and cross referencing it with her own family health history. The more she read, the more convinced she became that PMOS then still referred to as PCOS was at the center of what she was experiencing.
When she brought the possibility to her doctors, they dismissed it. Because she didn’t have visible cysts, they concluded the diagnosis didn’t apply. Palmer pushed back, certain that something was being overlooked. She held firm even as medical professionals questioned her self assessment.
At the same time, she was watching the culture around her celebrate glass skin and effortless complexions, which made her own struggle feel even more isolating. She had been doing everything right eating well, exercising, staying hydrated and still wasn’t seeing the results that were supposed to follow. The emotional weight of that disconnect was significant.
The diagnosis that changed everything
Palmer eventually sought out an endocrinologist, a specialist in hormonal conditions, who ordered a series of blood tests. Those tests confirmed what she had suspected for years: she had PMOS. Getting that official diagnosis was, in many ways, a relief. It gave her a framework for understanding what her body had been going through and, more importantly, a path forward.
Since then, she has been on medication to help manage her acne, alongside consistent lifestyle habits including diet and exercise. She credited the combination and particularly the medication with making a meaningful difference.
Why she changed her thinking on Western medicine
Palmer, who described herself as someone who has long leaned toward holistic approaches to her health, said the experience shifted how she thinks about conventional medicine. She acknowledged that for years she tried to manage her condition on her own terms, but PMOS required more than natural remedies could provide.
The diagnosis helped her understand that needing additional medical support is not a failure. Hormonal conditions like PMOS are often lifelong, and for Palmer, accepting that reality meant accepting the help that comes with it including pharmaceutical intervention. She noted that while every treatment comes with potential side effects, science and medicine exist precisely for moments like hers.
Her broader message is one she shared openly at the Women’s Health Lab: if something feels off in your body, keep advocating for yourself, even when doctors aren’t initially listening. For Palmer, that persistence over years of confusion and dismissal is ultimately what led to answers, to treatment and to a new relationship with her own health.
