There is no greater game of chance than genetics. Some people are born predisposed to have a dull and dry skin. And there are others who take home the prize of the most even and radiant complexion. You can’t control what you get in the raffle, you can only control what you do with it.
There is no greater game of chance than genetics. Some people are born predisposed to have a dull and dry skin. And there are others who take home the prize of the most even and radiant complexion. You can’t control what you get in the raffle, you can only control what you do with it.

"It's a question of genetics," a friend once told me when I asked her what the secret was to have such a perfect skin. It didn't take me long to confirm the truth of that answer. A few days later, a result of chance - that chance which is never truly random - I ran into her mother who, at the height of her fifties, had a magnanimous face with wrinkles only visible under a microscope. It really was genetics (and maybe a plastic surgery or two, but that's a different conversation). The problem is that genetics also works the other way around. The unlucky way, that is. I grew up hearing my mother complain about how yellow her skin was. Yellow? Where? I couldn't see anything. At first, I thought it was one of those labels we put on ourselves, and with which we force ourselves to live until the end of our lives. Until, one day, a brief comment made my perspective change. "Your skin is such a strange color, are you sick?" It was Winter, my tan had long disappeared, and it is likely that the night had not been that well slept. Nevertheless, no, I was not sick. It was a matter of genetics, perhaps. The result of a complaint I had heard repeatedly throughout my adolescence, and which was now being reflected in me. It was the first time I had to learn to embrace the genetic code I had drawn in the lottery.
"Skin type, pigmentation, hair.... Everything about us is genetically determined." The statement made by Teresa Almeida, dermatologist at ClinOffice, in Porto, may seem like a kind of a bad omen for those who are not satisfied with the cocktail of genes they were assigned at birth. However, the specialist also has good news: "Of course, this genetic expression is always going to be shaped by the multiple external environmental factors to which we are exposed throughout our lives." They say the house always wins, right? In our body, it is no different. Even if we have been dealt the worst cards in the deck, the truth is that, here, we are the ones who make the rules of the game. However, in order to understand how to act, it is important to know in which parameters hereditary traits have the most impact on the state of our skin. Let's start with what we commonly refer to as skin type - and its division into dry, combination, or oily skin. Besides genetics, "the type of cleansing that is done to the skin, the products that are used in daily care, the exposure to external aggressors, such as solar radiation or tobacco, concomitant diseases, hormonal changes, such as pregnancy, are determining factors in the quality of the skin and in the way it changes throughout life", shares Teresa Almeida.
Let's focus for a moment on the case of acne. It is believed that this skin condition is aggravated by numerous external factors derived from a more or less healthy lifestyle. However, when there is a family history of acne, this can aggravate the intensity and duration of the pathology. Does this phenomenon make acne a hereditary skin disease? Contrary to popular belief, no. "Hereditary skin diseases, the genodermatoses, are extremely rare. The most common and well-known pathologies, such as psoriasis, acne, atopic dermatitis (...), have what we call a family association", says the dermatologist. In short, such skin conditions "are not hereditary in the strict sense of the term, but it is common for the disease to appear in several generations.” And if there is this family association, the pathology in question may manifest itself "earlier in life in the next generation, appearing at younger ages, and often in a more serious form", Teresa Almeida adds. Knowing that our behaviors have a major impact on the condition of our skin, it is normal to wonder whether there is any way to prevent the appearance of such conditions. The answer is no - because, as mentioned at the beginning, we have to learn how to play with the cards we are dealt -, but that doesn't mean that it is impossible to minimize the effects of skin diseases by family association. Quite the contrary, believes the ClinOffice dermatologist: "A well cared skin, treated daily with the right products and adapted to the skin type in question can minimize the severity of the disease or even delay its appearance. When this predisposition is known, special care should be dedicated to the skin, in order to adopt the most appropriate care and behaviors for the pathology in question", says Teresa Almeida.
In addition to skin type and the conditions that may be associated with it, there is particular concern about the role of genetics in aging. It wasn't long ago that TikTok was flooded with Asian beauty videos, where young women were showing off their skincare routines alongside mothers who easily passed for their sisters. The luminous skin, free of pronounced marks, seemed to be the greatest family heirloom transmitted by the genetic code of those duos. Nevertheless, those same videos addressed the importance of a set of practices for the maintenance of that state of grace. Teresa Almeida wants to precisely underline that: "The characteristics of our skin are genetically determined, and this applies to the aging process that it undergoes throughout life (intrinsic aging). However, the way this genetic predisposition will manifest itself will be completely dependent on the environmental factors to which we expose it, with particular emphasis on sun exposure and smoking, which are responsible for a large percentage of the aging of our skin (extrinsic aging)." It is these factors that explain why "individuals with the same genetics, but with different lifestyles in terms of photoprotection and smoking habits, can have completely different aging processes." In the same way that there are "patients who have all the proper care and feel their skin to be disproportionately aged for their age. In these situations, we understand the importance of the role of genetics", exemplifies the dermatologist.
Just as genetic expression is the perfect combination of the people who conceived us, the state of our skin is a combination between that same genetic inheritance - which we do not control - and the behaviors that we not only can, but should, control. Which of the two will have a greater impact in the end? Let's say they are on the same level. This is why Teresa Almeida reinforces that "a healthy lifestyle is fundamental for beautiful and luminous skin. Not only when it comes to diet and hydration, but a healthy lifestyle in all its components, which also includes physical exercise, adequate sleep, low stress levels and emotional stability." According to the dermatologist, "the skin ends up being the mirror of our body, and if any of these factors is unbalanced, we will inevitably have changes in its quality."
The next time we find ourselves wishing the universe had given us a more hydrated skin, let's remember the actions that actually fall under the scope of our control. And that these actions can be taken on all fronts, from correction to prevention. "In general, I think that daily care appropriate to the type of skin is fundamental and should be adopted by everyone, regardless of the existence or not of a skin pathology in the family." Still, Teresa Almeida reinforces that in cases where the family history may be more worrying, "a more proactive attitude is advisable in the sense of seeking professional help in order to minimize or delay the eventual appearance of the disease." And this advice becomes a must whenever that history goes through a case of skin cancer, in which "regular surveillance should be done in consultation, for body mapping and digital dermatoscopy throughout life."
Accepting the genetic peculiarities that gave us life is not easy, especially when these put obstacles in the way of what could be a more carefree life. However, there is a certain freedom in knowing that not everything is under our control. We should think about embracing our genetic inheritance just as we embrace the uncertainty that dominates a game of chance. When we buy that scratch card, when we bet our set of lucky numbers, we know that we will most likely not reach our desired goal. But we play anyway and leave the answer up to the universe. Our genetic code is, in a way, an expression of that answer. Of the game that shaped our arrival in this life. The best part is that, unlike a scratch card, we don't have to sit around waiting for others to dictate the fate of our play. We can shape the rules of the game, so that in the end, the house wins once again.
Translated from the original on The Good Luck Issue, published March 2023.Full stories and credits on the print issue.
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