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Are fingerprints determined by genetics?
Reviewed by Medicinsk Expert•Last updated: 2026-10-22•Traits

Are fingerprints determined by genetics?

Fingerprint patterns are unique to each individual and are influenced by a complex combination of both genetic and environmental factors.

Overview

Each person’s fingerprints are unique, which is why they have long been used as a way to identify individuals. Surprisingly little is known about the factors that influence a person’s fingerprint patterns. Like many other complex traits, studies suggest that both genetic and environmental factors play a role.

Development of Dermatoglyphs

A person’s fingerprints are based on the patterns of skin ridges (called dermatoglyphs) on the pads of the fingers. These ridges are also present on the toes, the palms of the hands, and the soles of the feet. Although the basic whorl, arch, and loop patterns may be similar, the details of the patterns are specific to each individual.

Dermatoglyphs develop before birth and remain the same throughout life. The ridges begin to develop during the third month of fetal development, and they are fully formed by the sixth month. The function of these ridges is not entirely clear, but they likely increase sensitivity to touch.

Genetic and Environmental Influences

The basic size, shape, and spacing of dermatoglyphs appear to be influenced by genetic factors. Studies suggest that multiple genes are involved, so the inheritance pattern is not straightforward. Genes that control the development of the various layers of skin, as well as the muscles, fat, and blood vessels underneath the skin, may all play a role in determining the pattern of ridges.

The finer details of the patterns of skin ridges are influenced by other factors during fetal development, including substances taken during pregnancy and the environment inside the womb. These developmental factors cause each person’s dermatoglyphs to be different from everyone else’s. Even identical twins, who have the same DNA, have different fingerprints.

Genetic Basis and Rare Conditions

Few genes involved in dermatoglyph formation have been identified. Rare diseases characterized by abnormal or absent dermatoglyphs provide some clues as to their genetic basis:

  • Adermatoglyphia: A condition characterized by an absence of dermatoglyphs, sometimes with other abnormalities of the skin.
  • SMARCAD1: Mutations in this gene cause adermatoglyphia. Although this gene is clearly important for the formation of dermatoglyphs, its role in their development is unclear.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Adermatoglyphia, sometimes referred to as immigration delay disease, is an exceedingly rare genetic condition caused by mutations in the SMARCAD1 gene. Individuals with this condition have completely smooth skin on their fingers, palms, toes, and soles, often accompanied by a mild reduction in sweat glands. Other rare congenital syndromes, such as Naegeli-Franceschetti-Jadassohn syndrome and dermatopathia pigmentosa reticularis, can also result in an absence of epidermal ridges.
Superficial injuries affecting only the epidermis will heal without altering fingerprint patterns, as the ridge template is preserved in the deeper dermal layer. However, if an injury, severe burn, or surgical procedure penetrates deeply into the basal layer of the dermis, it produces scar tissue that permanently disrupts the ridge pattern. Chronic dermatological diseases like severe eczema, psoriasis, or chemotherapy-induced hand-foot syndrome can temporarily obscure or wear down ridge visibility, but the original ridge structure typically reappears once the skin resolves.
Dermatoglyphics are evaluated in clinical genetics because skin ridges develop during the same early embryonic window as the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Distinctive atypical patterns can serve as physical clues for certain chromosomal and genetic disorders. For instance, a high frequency of low-arch patterns across all fingers or a single transverse palmar crease (formerly called a simian crease) is statistically correlated with conditions like Down syndrome (trisomy 21), Turner syndrome, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
Identical twins share identical genetic sequences, which gives them very similar general pattern classes (such as loops or whorls), but their individual ridge details (minutiae) are distinct. During weeks 10 to 24 of gestation, the development of skin ridges is shaped by micro-environmental forces in the womb, including localized amniotic fluid flow, fetal movement, blood pressure fluctuations, umbilical cord positioning, and differences in touching the uterine wall. These dynamic mechanical forces ensure that every single fingerprint is entirely unique.
Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine

MedlinePlus brings together authoritative health information from the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other government agencies and health-related organizations.

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