NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. is reminding us that you have no idea what people are struggling with behind closed doors. The athlete who could easily double as a style icon recently opened up about a chronic skin diseases he’s been navigating for a couple of years.
“I started to notice things with my skin, really my beard and the lining of my hair,” he told PEOPLE, detailing symptoms such as flaking in his signature beard and a “deep, burning itchy sensation” along his hairline.
Some potential causes Beckham explored included a medication he was taking after having surgery on his ankle in 2017 and weather conditions.
“I didn’t really think anything of it at all, especially because all my life I was a person who didn’t have any skincare routine,” the 32-year-old said. “But it was uncomfortable for a while so I tried to find solutions myself. I started putting vitamin E oil on it to help so at least it doesn’t feel dry.”
About two years ago, the athlete decided to seek professional help after trying to self treat the condition to no avail. One of Beckham’s motivations for seeking help was maintaining his physical image.
“Obviously, my appearance is what’s going to bring in the money or make certain deals. So I wasn’t ultra embarrassed by it, but I also know that being in a lot of pictures, it’s not something that I want to be seen,” he says. “I really had to figure it out and find a solution for it.”
The Miami Dolphins wide receiver met with a dermatologist who eventually diagnosed him with seborrheic dermatitis–a condition that causes itchy rashes on oily parts of the skin that often show up as patches with flaky scales.
“I’ve seen that flakiness in other people and never understood what it is,” Beckham says of his diagnosis. “But there’s millions of us that have it and we probably would never know because you don’t usually seek medical advice on that level.”
The Dolphins player was relieved when he was given a formal diagnosis and glad he now had access to treatments to help him navigate the skin condition.
“I wasn’t too concerned, but also it was still serious to me, especially as someone who went to college for anatomy and kinesiology. The body was always going to be my tool and my way of providing for my family,” he shares. “So I’m always looking to improve my health because at the end of the day, I have a son. I want to live for a long time and be able to be there and experience his life.”