Teenage Acne And Heredity

That's right. You may be able to thank your mom, dad, aunts, uncles, and grandparents for the current state of your face. Check in with your parents and their siblings to see whether they've had acne too and how severe it was. If acne runs in your family (or even hides — it may be lurking under shirts and blouses!), you're more likely to have it too. Feel free to drop them a thank-you note.

 

If both of your parents had acne, you're even more likely to have it. In fact, identical twins tend to share acne problems just like they share looks. And they got their acne genes from their parents, who inherited them from their parents, and so on, probably back to the Stone Age.

 

Why is acne hereditary? Well, for the same reason anything is inherited from your parents: for instance, the color of your skin, eyes, and hair. Scientists are still trying to pinpoint the exact genetic cause or causes of acne. We do know that you inherited something from your parents that tells your body:

 

All these instructions are just swimming in your gene pool. And sometimes, what finally emerges is often just a matter of luck!