In the medical sense of the word, acne is not considered hereditary. Even then, most children suffering from acne have parents who have had acne or are still suffering from acne. For parents who have not had acne, it is common that their children are not affected by the disease. In identical twins, if one of them has acne, generally the other one also gets affected, but in non-identical twins, both may not be affected at the same time.
It has not really been proved whether acne is hormonal, though skin abnormality is caused by the effect of the testosterone hormone. But the levels of hormone in such patients have been tested, and found to be normal, especially with men. Women may show slight abnormalities in the levels of testosterone, but the need to measure their hormone levels has never been felt.
But, if some women have an abnormality of hormone levels they tend to develop acne. The hormone abnormality may result in overweight, excessive body and facial hair, irregular periods or infertility.
Though acne is not directly hereditary, the ‘skin type’ of the parents can be inherited by the children. If your mother or father has oily skin and large pores, the possibility of having acne is much greater than if both parents have a normal and clear skin. But these are all possible theories, so if you take good care of your skin and eat healthy food, you automatically prevent acne.
From a medical point of view, acne is a condition that is based on the anatomy of the skin, and there are several factors which give rise to the inflammatory response to it. If the skin naturally produces increased oil you are more prone to acne, and make up can aggravate the increase. Often skin cells are not shed properly and the pores on the skin get blocked. In this case the bacteria get trapped under the skin’s surface, which is normally present on the skin surface and is actually quite harmless.
Acne generally occurs in teenagers, and sometimes babies may get it few days after birth. But, both are closely related to increased activity in the hormone processes inside the skin and generally do not last very long. Adult acne is also caused by hormonal changes. There are different forms of acne, but for all of them the oil gland gets plugged and an inflammation occurs causing the disease.
If you believe that you are suffering from hereditary acne, it is best to start dealing with the problem early, because you need to be more careful about your skin and the treatment. First of all, take care of your skin and follow a healthy diet. If you get pimples, just don’t touch them, learn to leave them alone and they will go away. Consult a skin specialist and take medication as approved by the doctor. Herbal remedies are also popular. Surgery is also considered a treatment for acne, but should be used as a last resort, if medication or natural treatment fails.
General Acne Info 