Waking up to a pimple, or having constant acne is never fun (we’ve all been there at some point) but it might not be as bad, long term, as you think

For those who feel they drew the short straw when it comes to their skin, results from a new study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology might just change how you feel about acne.

Believe it or not, they’re saying acne-prone skin actually ages slower. So who’s really winning?!

Before you write it off as nonsense, here’s the science behind it. There are these things called telomeres, which essentially act as ‘caps’ to the end of our DNA strands, that shorten as we get older. This explains cell aging and eventually cell death, also known as dreaded wrinkles.

BUT King’s College London researchers found that those who suffer from acne actually tend to have longer telomeres in their white blood cells. So, when you put two and two together, this means these skin cells age slower, looking firm and healthy for longer. Brilliant!

Dermatologist Dr. Simone Ribero explained that the study’s findings suggest acne-sufferers’ cells “may be protected against ageing,” and that “by looking at skin biopsies, we were able to begin to understand the gene expressions related to this.” The research is still in its early stages and there is need for further development, but in the meantime it’s pretty much safe to say that those breakouts that ruin our day, could actually be a future blessing in disguise. Hallelujah.

Words: Zoe Madden-Smith

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