This page provides the general information about acne to give you a clearer understanding of what it really is.

Acne is a general term of a skin disease that encompasses a variety of manifestations. It is caused when oil from the oil glands beneath the skin gets trapped due to a blockage of your pores and/or hair follicles. The blockage may be too much oil, dead skin cells, or even bacteria.

These manifestations are grouped into two (2) categories, namely: non-inflammatory acne and inflammatory acne.

Non-inflammatory acne includes two kinds: whiteheads and blackheads. On the other hand, inflammatory acne includes four (4) kinds: papule, pustule, nodule and cyst.

A pimple is a colloquial term used to refer to inflamed acne regardless of its specific kind.

TYPE OF ACNE              SPECIFIC KINDS
Non-inflammatory       Whitehead, Blackhead
Inflammatory               Papule, Pustule, Nodule, and Cyst

Non-Inflammatory Acne
1. Whitehead – produced when a pore is completely blocked, trapping sebum (oil), bacteria, and dead skin cells, causing a white appearance on the surface. Whiteheads are normally quicker in life cycle than blackheads.

Whiteheads

2. Blackhead – result when a pore is only partially blocked, allowing some of the trapped sebum (oil), bacteria, and dead skin cells to slowly drain to the surface. The black color is not caused by dirt. Rather, it is the skin’s own pigment, melanin, reacting with the oxygen in the air. A blackhead tends to be a stable structure, and can often take a long time to clear.

Blackheads

Inflammatory Acne
1. Papule – inflamed, red, tender bumps with no head.

Papule

2. Pustule – inflamed, and appears as a red circle with a white or yellow center.

Pustule

3. Nodule – consists of acne spots which are much larger, can be quite painful, and can sometimes last for months. Nodules are large, hard bumps under the skin’s surface. Scarring is common. Unresolved nodules can sometimes leave an impaction behind, which can flare again and again.

Nodule

3. Cyst – can appear similar to a nodule, but is pus-filled, and is described as having a diameter of 5mm or more across. They can be painful. Again, scarring is common with cystic acne. Squeezing an acne cyst may cause a deeper infection and more painful inflammation which will last much longer than if you had left it alone.

Cyst

Whiteheads and blackheads are categorized as mild acne while papules and pustules are moderate acne. Nodules and cyst on the other hand are labeled as severe acne.

The most common locations of acne lesions are the face, neck, back, upper arms, and chest.