DR. WALLACE: My mom tells me that I should exercise more often as it would help my skin and the occasional acne outbreaks I suffer from. I'm not so sure about her logic here as I always thought that acne was caused by oils on and in the skin.

Do you think she just wants me to exercise more so she's using my acne condition as an excuse to get me out there exercising more often? — Dubious of Her Logic, via email

DUBIOUS ABOUT HER LOGIC: Actually, in my opinion, your dear mother is likely trying to legitimately help your acne condition. I say this since regular exercise can enrich the skin by drawing more blood to the body's cells, and this in turn keeps your facial cells healthier and more active.

This activity can help to flush your skin and at times reduce the amount of oils stagnating in locations that eventually result in acne outbreaks. Now, keep in mind that exercise is not a panacea as it will not clear acne up on its own. It's simply a positive factor that fits into the mix of several other factors your body is experiencing at any given point in time.

But exercise is indeed beneficial to some degree. And don't be alarmed by any false narratives such as sweat from exercise being negative for your skin. Good facial hygiene takes care of sweat, bacteria and accumulation of oils that can lead to acne. Any exercise routine you engage in will have slight incremental benefits to your skin and excellent overall benefits to your body in general, especially if your exercise involves cardiovascular fitness.

WHY DID MY FAMILY KEEP THIS SECRET FROM ME?

DR. WALLACE: I'm 16 and I just found out that my father had twin daughters several years before he met my mother. Apparently, they have always lived with their mother, and I also just learned that this mother has remarried and she lives in Georgia, over 2,000 miles from where we live.

I was shocked to say the least! I had so many questions for my mother and especially my father, but although they did finally reveal this family secret, they still only gave me basic information about it, and they didn't seem to want to go into many details about this matter.

The good news for me is that my parents have a very stable marriage, and I have both a younger brother and a younger sister, so I do have a few siblings. But now I'm beyond curious about my two twin half-sisters! I would love to meet them and see how their lives are going. Hopefully we can be friends someday.

This news has been sweet for me to hear, but also a bit sad since I never knew they existed until last week and I've had no chance to think about them my whole life up until now. Why do you think my parents kept this from me for so long? — Can't Wait To Meet Them, via email

CAN'T WAIT TO MEET THEM: Your letter did not state what triggered this very significant disclosure at this time, so I'll take my best guesses at why your father and mother never brought this up to you earlier.

It could be that when you were younger, your parents didn't want you (as the eldest sibling) to be concerned about what this might mean to your core family's stability. Apparently, your mother knew about these twins before she married your father, but based solely on your letter, I can't be certain that is factual.

At this point, you live in a very stable family unit with both of your parents and two younger siblings. Your siblings have you to look up to at this time, so the fact there are only two twins out there who are related to them won't likely impact them as much as it will you. And at 16, you are now probably deemed by your parents to be mature enough to handle and appreciate this news.

I'll readily admit that this is mere speculation on my part, but it's my best guess based upon what I could gather from your letter. I do believe that as you grow older, you will at some point be able to contact and likely meet your twin sisters in person. Finally, I feel that it was wise for your parents to finally disclose this information to you, even though I understand that you would have preferred to learn about them sooner.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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