As you may know there are different acne types. It is good to be aware of this.
The term “Acne Vulgaris” is the term used to describe this group of skin conditions.
Non-inflammatory & inflammatory
Acne is then sub divided into two main types; non-inflammatory and inflammatory.
This condition can also afflict your skin with varying degrees of intensity.
Non-inflammatory acne will mostly manifest as whiteheads and blackheads. Whereas inflammatory acne may swell and be caused by an infection
Non-inflammatory acne is characterized by breakouts of white-heads and blackheads on your skin and normally dosen’t cause any swelling.
Non-inflammatory acne can usually be treated with over-the –counter treatments, by sticking to a good diet and by staying hydrated.
Blackheads happen when a pore is clogged by such things as a combination of oils , dead skin cells and sebum.
Whiteheads happen when a pore becomes clogged, but the top of the pore is closed (unlike blackheads, where the top of the pore remains open). Whiteheads are sometimes more difficult to treat than blackheads because the pore is not open. People often use products containing salicylic acid to treat non-inflammatory acne.
Inflammatory Acne Inflammatory acne is often much more aggressive than non-inflammatory acne. The pimples on your skin are often much bigger, they are swollen and red.
They often sometime cause pain to the person suffering the condition, as well as they fact that the person suffering from it will regard them as unsightly.
With inflammatory acne bacteria plays a role which will cause infection and make the acne outbreak more aggressive.
For inflammarory acne many doctors prescribe products containing benzoyl-peroxide.
Papules are red raised bumps that may be tender to the touch.
Pustules are similar to papules, but with a visible white or yellow centre filled with pus.
Cystic acne
You may also want to watch out for cystic acne. This is severe and will cause large pus filled cysts.
Cysts will develop on a persons skin if there is a combination of dead skin cells, bacteria and sebum.
Cystic acne does not just occur at the skin surface, but may occur deep beneath the surface.
Cystic acne is often very painful, may cause a lot of discomfort and could leave scars.
The Severity of acne
Your doctor may grade the severity of your outbreak from Grade 1 at its least severe to Grade 4 at its most severe.
The mildest type of acne may be just an outbreak of blackheads or whiteheads which can be cleared up easily with some medication or by making small changes such as an improved diet.
A little bit more aggressive, but still treatable form of acne is in the form of postules and pustules and the most aggressive kind of acne is nodules and cysts.
