The 1 Reason Having Acne May Actually Be a Good Thing

Though your zits may be driving you crazy and causing you to need an extra layer of foundation, a recent study is proving that it might not be the worst thing, since acne is a is a characteristic of people who live longer. Researchers at King's College London discovered that people who struggle with acne may have longer lifespans than those who are blessed with clear skin.

Let's break it down: according to the study, acne sufferers have longer telomeres in their white blood cells. Telomeres are compound structures at the end of a chromosome, and they affect how cells age and die. As we age, telomeres gradually shrink and get shorter. Since acne sufferers have longer telomeres, it takes longer for their cells to mature. If the cells in the body live longer, the person lives longer. This ultimately means that those with acne (and longer telomeres) have cells that live longer, giving them a longer lifespan.

Even when looking at subjects of varying ages, weights, and heights, the researchers still found that the telomere length in acne sufferers was longer than those who do not frequently have acne.

One of the authors of the studies, Dr. Simone Ribero, said, "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." This study is now providing some clarity on that perceived phenomenon.