Adult acne affects an estimated 44% of women in the UK, with more of us than ever before seeking professional help to clear up our skin. While some women break out periodically as a result of hormonal fluctuations or stress, others have long-term, stubborn acne that’s more difficult to treat.

And if you’ve ever had acne for long stretches of time, you’ll know that there are always some people who just can’t resist offering you their opinion on how you could ‘fix’ your complexion. Now, pop star Lorde has taken aim at these well-meaning but clueless people in a new video.

In the video, posted on Instagram Stories, Lorde is seen shining a purple LED light (used for treating pimples) onto her face. “For real though, acne sucks,” she says.

“You know what also sucks?” she adds. “When you’ve had acne for years and years and years, done all the drugs, tried all the things, and people are still like, ‘You know what worked for me, is moisturising! … Make a mask out of honey, Greek yogurt and avocado. All you need to do is buy an apricot scrub! Coconut oil – the secret is coconut oil!’”

She continues: “The very worst one, of course, is when people think you’re just dirty. ‘Do you wash your face?’ It’s like, ‘Yes, I wash my face, I’m just genetically cursed.’”

Lorde concludes her video by pledging solidarity with other acne sufferers. “For anyone out there who’s got bad skin – and actual bad skin, not the kind of bad skin you can just use a fancy cream for for a few days and it will get better – I feel your pain,” she says.

“We’ll get there, we will. I promise.”

It’s not the first time Lorde has spoken frankly about her skin: she has previously posted photos of herself with acne cream on her face on Instagram, and has been known to tweet unairbrushed photos of herself alongside airbrushed photos to remind her fans that “flaws are OK”.

Other stars to discuss their experience of acne include Kendall Jenner, who spoke out after people noticed her pimples in photos from the 2018 Golden Globes. When a fan tweeted, “Ok but @Kendall Jenner showing up and strutting her acne while looking like a gorgeous star is what every girl needs to understand”, Jenner replied: “Never let that s**t stop you!”

Writing on her now-defunct blog, Jenner said that her acne “completely ruined her self-esteem” as a teenager.

“Even after things started to clear up, it took a solid amount of time to be okay with my skin and gain back my confidence,” she wrote. “I realised that it’s a part of life for some people and it doesn’t define who you are.”

In recent months, meanwhile, women have begun sharing make-up and filter-free photos of themselves on Instagram to break down stigma around acne.

“I strongly believe that the more we talk about these things, the less taboo these conversations will become,” says beauty blogger Em Ford, who helped pioneer the skin positivity movement. “The less judgmental we become of others. And the less insecure we become about ourselves.”

Main image: Rex Features