Olympic Gold Medalist Simone Biles Opens up About Her Battle With ‘Miserable’ Skin Conditions

Famed Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles is speaking out amid her battle with “miserable” skin conditions, seborrheic dermatitis and eczema.

During a recent interview with PEOPLE, the athlete shared details about her struggles with the conditions, stating she spent years thinking the symptoms were for dandruff.

“I was itching and flaking. I would itch so hard and use a comb that I would bleed. I was just like, ‘I can’t live like this. I’m itching. I’m miserable. I feel uncomfortable. I need to see someone who can give me relief,’” she recalled.

Biles noted she was “itching all the time,” a symptom she had been experiencing leading up to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. She pointed out that the itching and flaking were around the crown of her head, which is why she initially thought it was dandruff.

“I was kind of in denial, so I did a lot of over-the-counter stuff,” the Team USA star shared. “Then I had some spots on my arms… I thought it was going to let up, and then some of my symptoms got a lot worse.”

Biles was eventually diagnosed with seborrheic dermatitis on her face and scalp. She now uses ZORYVE to manage her symptoms. The athlete was also diagnosed with eczema on her arms and uses ZORYVE to relieve the symptoms.

She further told PEOPLE that she didn’t see a dermatologist at first because of her busy schedule. This led to her skin issues worsening.

“I didn’t go to the dermatologist immediately because I’m so busy,” she pointed out. “I was always in the gym, I was always traveling, so I didn’t take that step, but it finally got so bad. At the Olympics, I was flaking everywhere, so I was afraid that someone would see it on the TV… that’s why I finally went.”

Biles has now teamed up with Arcutis Biotherapeutics for the Skin to Believe In Campaign, which aims to raise awareness of inflammatory skin conditions. The athlete hopes that by sharing her story, she’s helping others with similar struggles not suffer by themselves.

“Once we know that we can’t fix every problem on our own, it’s okay to get help,” she explained. “Once we raise awareness, then they can get that relief that they deserve. That’s really what it’s about, not silently suffering. There is help out there for you.”

She went on to add, “We just have to take that first initiative to go see a dermatologist and to get that relief because they deserve that. These are the trusted professionals… they’ve worked their whole entire lives to treat people for these causes. It’s just incredible that we have these resources.”