It has long been noticed by dermatologists that acne (pimples) patients have reduced skin ageing, often observed many years after the acne has recovered. Signs of ageing, such as wrinkling and skin thinning appear later in acne patients compared to non-affected individuals. This was speculated to be due to increased sebum (naturally secreted oil in skin) release during a lifetime but other factors are likely to be involved.

In a recent study performed on thousands of twins, it was observed that people with acne have genetic benefits in terms of ageing changes. The researchers have observed reduced skin ageing in people with acne using genetic studies. They assessed telomere length in circulating white cells and gene expression in the skin. Telomeres are an essential part of human cells that affect how our cells age. Telomere shortening is involved in all aspects of the aging process on a cellular level. Many scientific studies have shown a strong connection between short telomeres and cellular aging.

Acne or pimples cases showed longer telomeres suggesting that the delayed skin ageing may be due to reduced senescence.