Acne Types – Which Do You Have?

There are several different acne types. Identifying which type of acne you have is the first step to finding an acne treatment that will work for you.

All types of acne are formed in a similar manner. Dead skin cells and debris clog hair follicles and trap oil under the skin. This build-up continues until it bulges outward to form a pimple.

Acne vulgaris is the most common type acne. It occurs during puberty and affects the area of the face, chest and back. This type of acne is a little more common in boys.

Acne vulgaris can manifest in several different ways.

Common lesions (abnormal or damaged tissue) called comedones can form whiteheads or blackheads.

Whiteheads: Tiny white dots that appear on the face and neck. These are caused by a completely blocked pore. The oily substance produced by the skin follicles (called sebum) gets trapped along with dead skin cells and bacteria, resulting in a raised, white appearance on the skins’s surface. Whiteheads are also called closed comedones. Never touch or rub these. It can easily result in the infection of nearby pores. Whiteheads usually clear up naturally and are easier to get rid of than blackheads.

Blackheads: Tiny black dots that appear on the face and neck. Blackheads: These are caused by partially blocked pore, allowing some of the bacteria and dead skin cells to slowly rise to the surface. The black color isn’t caused by dirt, but due to a reaction of the skin’s pigment with oxygen. Blackheads are also known as open comedones. Blackheads are harder to get rid of than whiteheads.

Papules (inflamed red bumps with no head). It’s made up of inflammatory blood cells and doesn’t contain noticeable pus. Once these papules develop pus they are called pustules. A pustule is like a whitehead, only inflamed. It is a round red pimple containing visible pus (dead white blood cells) which appears white or yellow at the center and red at the base. These are most commonly called zits.

Never pop papules or pustules! It could cause infection and leave acne scars!

Nodules: A large lumpy, inflamed, pus-filled papule or pustule that’s lodged more deeply in the skin. The term cyst is often used interchangeably to mean nodule because of the resemblance of a nodular acne lesion to a cyst.

The worst form of this type of acne are cystic and nodular acne. This is the type of acne that is bumpy and painful to the touch. This type can often cause permanent scarring.

The other kind of acne is acne rosacea. Rosacea has a similar appearance to acne vulagaris, but affects mostly people over thirty. More women get this than men. It looks like a red rash composed of bumps, blemishes, and pimples. Sometimes the blood vessels become more visible too. Unlike acne vulgaris, acne rosacea is normally confined to the forehead, nose, cheeks, or chin.

Body acne is different due to the pores of the body being different from the pores on the face. Body acne in generally caused by tight clothing that keeps the oils that block your pores close to your skin. Body acne can also be caused by not washing certain parts of your body, like your back.

These are the basic acne types to watch out for. Once you have a better understanding of the type of acne you have, you’ll be better able to find the best acne treatment and stay acne free for life.

We Highly Recommend The Exposed Acne System To Our Subscribers