The Bachelor's Kristina Schulman Shares About Her Skin Condition In Brave Post
When we watch "The Bachelor," we often only see one side of contestants — the perfect, fully made up side! But now, Kristina Schulman, who was on Nick Viall's season as well as on season 4 of "Bachelor in Paradise," is opening up about a difficult skin condition she is battling, including sharing raw images (via ABC).
As Schulman shared via Instagram, she has perioral dermatitis (via Today). As Healthline notes, this is a bumpy inflammation of the skin that appears on a person's face, usually around the mouth. The cause of the rash, which primarily affects women, isn't fully understood.
Unfortunately, Schulman has been dealing with PD for years, according to her post, which included a video chronicling her ups and downs. In the lengthy caption, the reality star started out by labeling her share as "raw, emotional, and unfiltered."
"This morning I woke up feeling down, overwhelmed, sad, and defeated," she confessed, adding her mental health has been fragile as she continues to battle her PD.
Kristina Schulman has tried almost everything to deal with her condition
Schulman first opened up about having perioral dermatitis in December of last year, noting in her Instagram post about her followers, "many of you have responded to my IG stories with your own personal struggles and what has helped you to either cope or treat the condition. I listened, researched, and took the advice that seemed fitting for me."
Among the lifestyle adjustments she made was cutting out dairy and gluten. "While yes, those dietary changes have helped my overall health my PD seemed to keep coming back." She then joked, "I was frustrated (probably not as frustrated as my friends were going out to eat with me.. love y'all!)."
It seems the reality star has tried everything, sharing she switched to hypoallergenic detergent, washes her makeup brushes, and worked to eliminate products that may have led to more PD flare ups, among other treatments. "But here we are, still struggling with random flare ups that hurt, itch, burn, feel very dry and tight," Schulman confessed, adding she has also seen a dermatologist whose treatment plan worked at first, but not long term.
She ended her courageous post by saying, "While I know I am not alone in this or with this condition (which is very tricky to treat since triggers are different for each individual) I hope we can create a community where we can openly share our journey and success stories." She then thanked her followers for support.
Bachelor Nation supports Kristina Schulman after her brave post
Responding to her raw collection of Instagram images that showed her skin flare ups as well as her clear face over the course of her PD battle were many members of "Bachelor Nation."
Olivia Caridi commented, "Sending you lots of love." Astrid Loch wrote, "I love you for sharing this." Sarah Herron commented, "Kristina! This is so so so beautiful. Thank you for being willing to share. So many women are feeling deeply connected because of you right now. So powerful this will only be the beginning of your healing."
Ashley Iaconetti commended Schulman, saying, "Sharing this is going to make so many people feel less alone in this!" And Ben Higgins said, "Thank you for sharing, many will be benefited."
Many other "Bachelor" stars weighed in with compliments for Schulman's bravery in sharing her condition. At time of writing, the post had been liked over 24,000 times, with many followers also sharing their experiences with PD, and thanking the reality star for opening up about her journey.