NFL Star Odell Beckham Jr. Reveals Health Diagnosis

·      Odell Beckham Jr. opened up about his health and a recent diagnosis.

·      The NFL star recently told Prevention he has a chronic skin condition, seborrheic dermatitis.

·      “When I found out millions of others had this condition, it kind of just simplified it for me in not being embarrassed and just doing what we have to do.”

Since entering the National Football League as a first-round pick in 2014, Odell Beckham Jr. has spent over a decade captivating fans with his bold plays and confidence. The 32-year-old’s accomplishments are undeniable, but behind the scenes, he’s been quietly battling a chronic condition known as seborrheic dermatitis. Now, the star is opening up about his health journey, sitting down for a candid conversation with Prevention about his recent diagnosis.

Around the age of 26, Beckham Jr. says he began to notice the telltale signs of seborrheic dermatitis, though he didn’t know the cause of his symptoms at the time. “I started noticing stuff on my body—really my beard and my hairline—that I had just never seen before,” he explains of his experience with the dry, flaky skin that often occurs as a result of the condition.

 “Over the last couple of years, I was like, okay, this is not something I could just, you know, grab some vitamin E oil for,” which he says merely “put a bandaid” on his symptoms. Thankfully, Beckham Jr. found help from a dermatologist in getting the right diagnosis and managing his symptoms with a new topical treatment for seborrheic dermatitis. “About a year and a half ago, we found this product called Zoryve, and it’s just something that has worked so well for me personally,” he says. “Ever since then, it’s not something I really even worry about.” Beckham Jr. is partnering with the company to bring awareness to the skin condition.

Leading up to his diagnosis, Beckham Jr. had a few theories for what might be behind his symptoms. He wondered if it possibly had something to do with “getting older,” or the “extra-dry” weather conditions where he lives. The athlete even says he considered shaving his signature beard, where he often saw the signs of seborrheic dermatitis. “I was almost like, ‘I wanna shave my beard,’ to see what’s going on and if [my skin] was irritated because I hadn’t shaved my beard in so long, or if I needed to get a facial and a deep cleanse,” he says. “I didn’t really know what it was.”

“I never wanted to shave my beard,” Beckham Jr. laughs. “So I’m happy I didn’t have to do that.”

Though it took about six years for the football player to get a diagnosis and find relief, he maintained a positive outlook through it all—and now encourages others to do the same. “In life, things just happen. And I’m just a person who is about solutions and getting things done,” he explains. “It is what it is. Let’s figure out how to make it work best and go from there.”

For Beckham Jr., finding out he wasn’t alone made a big difference. “When I found out millions of others had this condition, it kind of just simplified it for me in not being embarrassed and just doing what we have to do,” Beckham Jr. says. He hopes that his journey to find answers helps others understand that having seborrheic dermatitis or a similar condition is “nothing to be embarrassed about.”

Seborrheic dermatitis is a chronic, inflammatory skin condition that often causes dry patches of skin. These patches can be scaly, itchy, or red, and often appear where there is hair on the body (like the scalp, beard, eyebrows, chest, or back), explains Beckham Jr.’s physician, Karan Lal, D.O., M.S., F.A.A.D., double board-certified dermatologist with Affiliated Dermatology in Scottsdale, AZ, who is also partnering with Zoryve. “Even though it’s really common, many people with seborrheic dermatitis don’t recognize the symptoms, and it takes a very long time to seek help from a dermatologist and actually get a diagnosis,” Dr. Lal explains.

One reason why it’s often hard to recognize the symptoms is that they sometimes manifest differently depending on the person’s skin type. “People with darker skin tones may not have redness. It might be slightly pink, or purple. And sometimes they may have lightening of the skin, or hypopigmentation,” Dr. Lal shares.

While there is no “cure” for seborrheic dermatitis, there are treatment options available, like topical steroids and anti-fungal shampoos. However, Dr. Lal admits there hasn’t been much innovation in this space—until now. Zoryve (roflumilast), the treatment Beckham Jr. uses once daily, is a prescription topical foam that’s steroid-free and has been shown to effectively treat seborrheic dermatitis. “It works by decreasing inflammation,” Dr. Lal explains, noting that it helps avoid some of the unpleasant side effects that can happen with long-term topical steroid use.

“I feel like I was put on this earth to help others and bring them up,” Beckham Jr. explains. “You’re not the only one in this world [struggling]. Seek a medical professional for advice, find out what works for you, and just know there are options and solutions out there to help you with what you have going on.”

That’s why the star is now speaking out about his condition and partnering with Zoryve to inspire others to find treatment options that work for them, too. “It just gives me an option so that I feel more comfortable within myself—to know that there are solutions out there,” he explains.