Is Acne Hereditary?

She was a TV presenter at Kenya Broadcasting Television (KBC TV) from where she honed her professionalism. Now a media development manager at Internews Network, Kenya, Ndonye remembers those moments when she was being prepared to host a program at KBC TV with a touch of sadness.

"They would coat my face with a couple of cosmetics to make it attractive while I was on air," Ndonye, who now wears a spotless brow, recalled while speaking to IslamOnline.net (IOL). "But this would later have serious repercussions on me, since it would catalyze the rate at which I was affected by acne."

After several consultations, Ndonye decided to visit Dr. E. N. Kamuri, a dermatologist working at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH). This is where she learnt that acne was a common problem affecting the youth and that it can be occasioned by artificial as well hereditary factors.

"I could not believe it," says Ndonye. "After Dr. Kamuri made this revelation, this is when I recalled that my father, brother, and grandfather too suffered from serious bouts of acne. He, however, gave me several prescriptions, which I have followed keenly, and this is how I have been able to contain the problem."

Like Ndonye, many people are not aware that chances of developing moderate to severe acne may depend on whether the problem was prevalent in the their family line.

It Runs in Families

The study, which sampled 1,000 Iranian high school students, found out that prevalence among 14 percent of the students varied according to family history, while parents of 20 percent of the students who reported incidences of moderate to severe acne had the same problem.

However, 10 percent of the infected students did not come from a family line that had the acne problem.

"We have been receiving cases of moderate and severe acne here, and when we investigated the family history, we found out that one member of the family suffered from the same problem," Kamuri told IOL. "This problem is universal and could explain why some youths are prone to severe acne outbreaks."

According to Kamuri, acne breakouts in both boys and girls may be caused by hormonal shifts, the fact that supports the presence of a hereditary link. He says that acne breakouts may occur when skin cells are shed too quickly or when the body releases inflammatory substances due to a rise or a fall in hormonal levels. Eating oily junk food largely contributes to the problem as well.

He says acne can sometimes be controlled at home by gently washing the affected area with warm water and mild soap twice a day, but he warns that even mild cases of acne may require the intervention of a dermatologist. "In moderate and severe cases, one may be required to use prescription medications such as antimicrobials as well as drainage and surgical extraction," he adds.

A Herbal Solution?

However, Dr. Peter Murugu, a practicing herbalist in Kenya's capital city, Nairobi, says many people today are turning to herbal remedies to cure acne because most have actually gained an acne-free skin through the use of herbs. Many traditional healers claim their ability to treat acne through natural methods, but experts warn that few of these remedies actually work, while most of them have side effects.

According to Murugu, herbs like red clover, primrose, wild yam, as well as Acnezine have been known to treat acne. He singles out Acnezine, which he says is capable of eradicating acne because of its ability to treat the condition from inside.

"A lot of people visit me with this condition and many report back after a while with claims that the acne they were treating has disappeared," Murugu told IOL. "This is why many people are turning to traditional medicine to cure what modern medicine has failed to cure."

David Njagi is a Nairobi-based freelance journalist whose work has been published in Africa and the United Kingdom. He is fluent in both English and Kiswahili languages. He can be reached at danjagi@gmail.com or +254 720 480 830.