Sponsored message
Logged in as
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.

KPCC Archive

Ever wonder why zits happen to you? UCLA study has a possible answer

This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.

Listen 0:49
Ever wonder why zits happen to you? UCLA study has a possible answer

It’s a fact of life: most of us get zits at one time or another. A whopping 85 percent of teenagers and 11 percent of adults suffer from pimples. 

But there are a lucky few who go through life with barely a blemish.

Just why that happens is the focus of a UCLA-led study on zits, published in the Feb. 28 Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

Researchers say the reason some people are more pimple-prone than others may have do do with different strains of the acne bacteria: a bad one that causes pimples and good one they found that seems to protect the skin from blemishes.

And those who don’t get zits very often tend to have more of the good acne bacteria.

The researchers say they hope their findings will help stop breakouts before they happen – and allow dermatologists eventually to customize acne treatments for patients. 

JID_Li_acne by

Sponsored message

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible donation today