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Why do some adults get acne?© Getty Images

Why do some adults get acne?

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Spotty skin is a common plight for teenagers, but spots also follow some unlucky people into adulthood.

Asked by: Melissa Thompson, London

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Almost everybody experiences at least some acne during adolescence but severe acne, and acne that persists into your twenties and thirties, tends to run in families. How much sunshine you get or how much fatty food you eat doesn’t make any difference. Whether the genetic link is because of oilier skin or different natural skin bacteria still isn’t clear.

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Authors

luis villazon
Luis VillazonQ&A expert

Luis trained as a zoologist, but now works as a science and technology educator. In his spare time he builds 3D-printed robots, in the hope that he will be spared when the revolution inevitably comes.

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