What if we told you that having all that acne throughout middle school and high school was worth it? A new British study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology that included just over 1200 twins concludes just that. There may be a link between acne and slower aging. A quarter of the twins in the study struggled with acne in their teenage years or at some point in their life—and the study suggests their skin may age more slowly because of it.
"For many years, dermatologists have identified that the skin of acne sufferers appears to age more slowly than in those who have not experienced any acne in their lifetime. Whilst this has been observed in clinical settings, the cause of this was previously unclear," explained lead researcher Dr. Simone Ribero, a dermatologist at King’s College twin research genetic epidemiology department.
The results of their findings are that telomeres, located on the ends of chromosomes, could be linked to skin aging. “Our findings suggest that the cause could linked to the length of telomeres, which appears to be different in acne sufferers and means their cells may be protected against aging,” Ribero detailed. Telomeres gradually break down as cells age, eventually resulting in cell death. But longer telomeres ostensibly protect cells during replication for a longer amount of time, providing anti-aging effects after experiencing acne.
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Telomeres exist at the end of the chromosomes in cells. Source: nih.gov |
In this twin study, the twins with a history of acne in or around their teenage years were more likely to have longer telomeres in their white blood cells. There has been earlier research linking telomere length in white blood cells to biological aging and other telomere length in other cells in the body. Dr. Veronique Bataille, senior author of the paper and also a dermatologist, said: "Longer telomeres are likely to be one factor explaining the protection against premature skin aging in individuals who previously suffered from acne."
While the study does begin to draw a connection between telomere length in white blood cells and skin over time, it does prove a pure cause-and-effect relationship between acne and aging skin. More research is needed before we understand the full effects of acne and its effect on skin aging rates. Researchers like Dr. Ribero and his team learn more about the field every year, as we uncover the mysteries of telomeres.
