Can your genetic history increase your chances of acne?

    When teenagers go through puberty it is not uncommon for acne to be appear. During these changing times, your body is under a lot of stress and pressure to mature for adulthood. Acne has levels of severity, but when sebaceous glands get clogged and become swollen which can create lesions through the skin is when acne can be considered a disorder. There are not exact causes of acne as everyone is their own individual, but some suggestions are; diet, stress, medications, hormones and even genetics.

    Teenagers that develop acne usually have parents or another family member that had acne as well. Based on a study of adolescent twins approximately 50%-90% of acne was caused by genetic variation. Another important finding from the study showed that up to 47% of at least one twin had acne. It is believed that the G-variant in the MYC region has an influence on acne, breast and prostate cancer.

    There are many studies being conducted in order to define more exact causes of acne. This way there can be preventative measures taken in order to satisfy patients who may develop acne later on. Although everyone is unique to one another, it can be inferred that if acne or skin disorders are common in your family, there is the risk of having it as well. 

Inked Mice Hint at How Tattoos Persit in People

French researchers suggest that tattoos are able to stay on skin due to a hand off of immune cells between generations known as macrophages. If proven true, this could overturn the idea that ink persists in connective tissue. Mice were tattooed on their tails with green ink to see how waste-disposing macrophages in the skin would respond. This was done by Immunologist Sandrine Henri. The study showed that macrophages gobbled up the ink but did not remove it. The cells held onto the ink until researchers killed the cells. About 90 days later, new macrophages moved in and absorbed the ink. This is what preserves the ink. Further research needs to be done says Desmond Tobin, a dermatologist. Macrophages that live in Mice do not live as long as those in humans. The persistence of those cells may be responsible for preserving ink in skin. These studies may help improve tattoo removal. With the combination of laser therapy and getting rid of skin macrophages, the ink could be removed.

I think this is fascinating because all this time we thought the connective tissue absorbed the ink, meanwhile there were cells behind it. This discovery could help better understand tattoos and help people who want to get rid of their tattoos. During these times, many people have tattoos. They are becoming more popular as society integrates them into an everyday style. Some people may jump into getting a tattoo and regret it later on. I think this discovery will be helpful for those who want tattoos removed.

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