Being a man is a pretty mellifluous deal on the whole . Then again , we do have our own unequaled problems to deal with : bills , existential crises , and acne . But why do world have it so bad when it comes to acne , while most other brute appear to get off Scotchman - costless ? Like many thing , you’re able to blame your evolutionary past .

Acne , scientifically known asAcne vulgaris , appears when hair follicles become clog up with peel oils and dead skin cells . Those characteristic red bumps emerge because the epidermic layer of skin has become irritated and conflagrate , often as a response toPropionibacterium acnes , a bacteria that usually live peacefully on our stunned skin and recondite in our pores .

Despite what many assume , cleanliness has relatively little to do with acne , but it can be affected by factors like dieting andgenetics . It ’s alsoone of the most commondiseases in the world , although some groups of people ( such as theKitavan Islandersof Papua New Guinea ) do n’t seem to get acne at all . It ordinarily arises in other pubescence , namely because internal secretion change induce the oily secretory organ in the skin to kick back out more of an oily secernment known as sebum . Most mammals producesebumas a path of lubricate and waterproofing their skin by creating a waxy coating . It can also help to protect your body against sickness by acting as a sealed roadblock to germs that might penetrate the tegument .

Here ’s where   the problem lie . Humans have evolved to be considerably less hirsute than our other evolutionary forebears . Nevertheless , our greasy secretory organ bear on to pump out a fair dollop of sebum on our skin . Without a thickset covering   of fur on   our consistence to " soak it up " , accord to evolutionary theorists Stephen Kellet and Paul Gilbert ,   thesebum build up , leaving our   pore more prone to getting choked and break out .

It ’s a standardised   job faced byshort - haired frump and guy . Certain breedsaresusceptible to zit during their awkward - teenager phase , most likely as a result of sebum buildup . Persian cat are especially susceptible to feline acne around their face and chins , where the pelt is substantially shorter than the rest of the body . However , it ’s not nearly as prevalent   as it is with us hairless humans .

Acne , theysuggest , could therefore be   a result of our comparatively late change   from hair - covered hominid to bare , upright apes .   However , this vestigial throwback stay on to live in our DNA pretty quietly because it does n’t   reduce our ability to survive , reproduce , and pass on our gene .

So , next time your skin breaks out with some zits , blame the juicy locks of evolutionary cousins from trillion of twelvemonth ago and your overachievingsebaceous secretor