Acne Types

Acne can occur anywhere on your upper torso, neck, arms and face. Acne comes in six types: whiteheads, blackheads, papules, pustules, nodules and cysts. Acne is not caused by dirt or chocolate; it is caused by your own individual hormones. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, these hormones "stimulate the sebaceous glands of the skin to enlarge, produce oil, and plug the pores."

Whiteheads

Whiteheads, also called comedones, look like little white bumps. They form when the sebum from the sebaceous gland clogs the pore.

Blackheads

Blackheads are also called comedones. They are also clogged pores, but they open up and the air oxidizes the sebum and it turns black or brownish.

Papules

Papules, also referred to as pimples, are small, red and flat. They are caused by a clogged hair follicle, but the white blood cells in your body come to help unplug the follicle and it gets red and inflamed.

Pustules

Pustules are larger papules that are very painful and have pus in the center.

Nodules

Nodules are similar to boils. The follicle infects deep under the skin surface and becomes red or sometimes purple. The bump can be hard and painful when you touch it.

Cysts

Cysts are similar to nodules but the hard, red bump has pus in the middle near the surface of the skin.

References

• American Academy of Dermatology
• Acne.org
• Skin Care Physicians