Now we finally have new hope, in the shape of the first-ever genetic¹ study on acne. The researchers uncovered more gene markers for this condition than ever before, opening the door for potential new treatments.

现在，由于一项关于痘痘的新研究，我们终于看到希望了。研究者们现在发现了更多有关这个问题的基因点位，因此有可能研发出新的治疗方式。

It turns out that the genetics of hair follicles in particular could be leading to breakouts in some.

他们发现，对于一些人来讲，可能是有关毛孔的基因在引发痘痘问题。

The genome-wide association study yielded a real bounty² - the researchers pinpointed³ 15 regions of the genome that were linked to severe acne, 12 of which had never been implicated⁴ before.

这项覆盖人类全基因组的研究收获颇丰，研究人员确定了15个与严重痘痘问题有关的基因位点，其中有12个是以前从未发现的。

And, strangely enough, many of these regions were also associated with the human hair follicle.

而且，神奇的是，这些区域中的很多都和人类的毛孔有关。

"It was surprising that so many of the variants⁵ appear to influence the structure and function of the hair follicle," says the study's senior author Michael Simpson, a researcher in genomic information at King's College London.

研究的高级作者，伦敦国王大学的遗传信息研究员Michael Simpson说：“令人吃惊的是，这些基因型当中的很多似乎都会影响毛孔的形状和功能，”

"It may be that the genetic variation influences the shape of these hair follicles and makes them more prone⁶ to bacteria and inflammation, which are a characteristic of acne."

“可能是这些基因变体影响了毛孔的形状，让它们更容易滋生细菌、更容易发炎，这些都是致痘原因。”

In other words, the authors think that there may be some follicle shapes out there that trap bacteria and oils more easily, causing breakouts to occur more often and with greater severity.

换句话说，研究的作者们认为有些毛孔形状可能更容易贮存细菌与油脂，进而让长痘变得更频繁、更严重。

"A number of the genetic variants point to interesting mechanisms⁷ that could be really good targets for new drugs or treatments that would really help patients," adds Simpson.

Simpson还补充到：“这些基因变体中的一些显露出了很有趣的机制，我们可以把它们作为目标来研究新的药物和疗法，从而为病人们提供切实有效的帮助”

Today, one of the best treatments available for severe acne is isotretinoin (often known under the brand name Accutane), which works by reducing the amount of oil our skin produces.

如今，治疗严重痘症的最有效疗法是异维甲酸（通常直接用品牌名Accutane指代），它的作用机制是减少我们皮肤分泌的油脂。

But while this drug can be helpful to some, it doesn't work on every type of acne, and can come with some gnarly side effects, such as fatigue⁸, dizziness, dry and scaly⁹ skin, joint pain, and even birth defects.

但是，虽然这个疗法对一部分人来讲有效，但并不是对所有类型的痘痘都奏效，而且还可能带来一些副作用，比如疼痛、晕眩、皮肤干燥龟裂、关节痛甚至新生儿缺陷。