Before you start treating acne it is necessary to know precisely which sort of acne you have because, in spite of what many of us think, acne can be far more than a simple case of pimples caused by trapped skin oil (sebum), white blood cells, dead skin cells and bacteria.
Acne is often classified by grade beginning with grade I which covers non-inflamed, mild types of acne such as blackheads and whiteheads. From here we move to grade II acne which covers instances of acne with a large number of whiteheads and blackheads and generally also includes papules or pustules that are mildly inflamed.
A papule is a reasonably small break, or lesion in the skin, which appears as a bump that rises above the surface of the skin and which is usually less than 5 mm across. A pustule is similar to a papule although it is pus-filled and contains a mixture of white blood cells, dead skin cells and bacteria.
Next on the scale comesCarrying on up the scale we arrive at grade III acne which is just a more severe case of grade II acne where the papules or pustules are more numerous, red and larger.
Lastly, we come to grade IV acne which is the severest case of acne and includes nodules and cysts. In grade IV acne inflammation is usually wide spread and this form of acne generally encompasses more than just the face.
Grade I acne, which includes the commonest form of mild acne referred to as acne vulgaris, is not normally difficult to deal with and can ordinarily be cleared up with over-the-counter medications.
A more severe type of acne is acne congoblata which is characterized by deep abscesses and heavy inflammation which can often result in skin damage including scarring, leading to the all too common problem of getting rid of acne scars. Inflamed and normally painful nodules form around the acne pimples and will often grow until they discharge pus without warning. This type of acne can often result in keloid-type scarring.
Another form of acne is acne fulminans in which the nodules formed will often ulcerate, causing a recurrent and painful form of acne. Those suffering from acne fulminans can also occasionally run a fever and encounter aching joints for which treatment using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids is usually required. These drug treatments are however designed for the treatment of the symptoms of this form of acne and not its underlying cause.
Some people will also develop nodulocystic acne where unusual cysts (red bumps resulting from severe inflammation) form and sometimes are so numerous and close enough together to make a reasonably big area of inflammation. Nodulocystic acne can also create small tunnels under the surface of the skin which allow infection to spread quickly and easily. This type of acne is generally treated using antibiotics such as isotretinoin, which many people will know by the name of Accutane.
Finally, we come to gram-negative folliculitis which occurs when hair follicles are also infected. Bacteria which grow at the base of the hair follicle cause the body to react by sending white blood cells to fight off the bacterial infection and this can sometimes produce a deep eruption which needs specialist treatment. This type of acne is more often than not resistant to antibiotics and indeed the condition can sometimes be caused by using antibiotics for the treatment of other types of acne.
Despite the fact that it is extremely common, acne is not the simple condition that many of us have always believed it to be and it is not always a simple case of purchasing a cream from the local drugstore to treat it. So, as soon as acne appears you need to pop along to your doctor, or even better a dermatologist, and have the condition diagnosed so you can select the appropriate proactive acne cream from the word go.
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