There are multiple types of acne. Identifying the various types of acne will help you to determine the right treatment to handle your acne. It is important to understand the differences between acne types and identify the best type for your situation. Here are a few tips for distinguishing different types of acne in order to provide the best treatment for your acne. If you are uncertain regarding treatment for your acne, you may want to schedule our guest services at the Skin Institute! We offer excellent classes to help educate our students to ensure that they are able to identify various skin conditions and provide services to resolve them.
Common Causes of Acne
Understanding the various causes of acne can aid in preventing acne from arising. In some situations, acne is simply a result of genetics. If your parents had an issue with acne, it is more likely that you will also have an issue with acne. When certain bacteria types are present on the skin, it can also lead to the development of acne. Too much oil production causes pores to become clogged, which allows acne to develop. An excess amount of the androgen hormone, as well as other hormone fluctuations can lead to acne. Many people think that stress is one of the main causes of acne. Though it certainly can increase the likelihood of acne, this is in a more roundabout manner. When you are more stressed, your skin’s oil production is likely to increase. This means that it is more likely that pores will become clogged and acne will surface. Alternatively, dry air in the winter can cause the skin to overcompensate and produce too much oil.
Distinguishing Different Types of Acne
There are many common types of acne. Identifying the type of acne that is present on your skin will help to ensure that you treat it with the use of the most appropriate and effective method. Keep in mind that acne types tend to be organized into two categories, inflammatory and non-inflammatory. It can be useful to help you identify the different types of acne by paying attention to whether your acne is inflamed or not.
Cysts
Cysts are often considered the most severe kind of acne and they certainly fall into the inflammatory category. Cystic acne tends to result from an infection that is present deep within the skin. The infection produced bumps that are large, painful, inflamed, red, and filled with pus. One of the major issues with cystic acne is that the cysts often burst, which spreads the infection to the surrounding skin. Consulting with a skin expert can go a long way toward providing you with the appropriate treatment for the health of your skin.
Nodules
Nodules are another inflammatory form of acne. This type of acne tends to form red or flesh-colored bumps that are deep under the surface of the skin, because the infection occurs within the pore. In these situations, it is unlikely that over the counter treatments will work. These treatments tend to be more effective for acne that is present on the surface of the skin. It will likely be necessary to consult with a skincare professional in order to rid your skin of nodules.
Pustules
Pustules are a type of acne that is also inflammatory in nature. This type of acne involves bulging bumps that contain a white center, because they contain pus. Red, inflamed skin surrounds these bumps. Pustules typically form in clusters and are common on the back, chest, or face. Pustules arise due to a blocked pore becoming infected. Popping pustules can simply cause them to spread to other areas of your skin. Benzoyl peroxide is an over the counter treatment that contains antibacterial properties, so it may still be beneficial for use on pustules.
Papules
Papules are the final inflammatory type of acne of the six most common types of acne. This type of acne has small red bumps that don’t contain pus. Papules form when dead skin cells or excessive oil block a pore and then mix with certain bacteria that are present on the skin. This mixture is too much to contain inside of the pore, which causes the contents to spill out and create an inflamed lesion. The treatment for papules tends to be similar to the treatment that is effective on pustules.
Blackheads
Blackheads are a non-inflammatory form of acne that features black bumps. This particular appearance occurs because the head of the pore is unclogged while the rest of the pore remains clogged. It is not recommended that you try to squeeze out blackheads, because this can lead to scars. Many over the counter treatments can be effectively implemented in order to remove blackheads from the skin. Sulfur, benzoyl peroxide, and salicylic acid all tend to be rather effective. These methods aid in removing dead skin cells and excess oil from the skin.
Whiteheads
Whiteheads are the other non-inflammatory form of acne. The difference between whiteheads and blackheads is that they are clogged all the way through, including both the length and the head of the pore. This type of acne has white bumps on the surface of the skin. It is important to refrain from trying to pop a whitehead. This won’t help to remove them and can cause scarring to arise. If you have whiteheads, you will likely want to use the same methods as blackheads for treatment.
It is beneficial to understand the various types of acne in order to protect the health of the skin and identify the best possible treatment. Our thorough classes can help to inform students regarding the various skin problems they will likely come across. This, in turn, helps them to provide superior services to their clientele. Our expert education also helps to ensure that every guest to the Skin Institute obtains the best services possible to enhance the health and appearance of their skin. To learn more about our classes or guest services, contact us at the Skin Institute today!
