Types of Acne

Whiteheads (Closed Comedones)

Plugs of sebum, dead skin cells, and bacteria below the skin surface. These plugs are white because the sebum (oil) has not been exposed to air.

Blackheads (Open Comedones)

Enlarged plugs in pores that appear black because they have pushed through to the skin's surface and the sebum darkens when it is exposed to air. It is a MYTH that blackheads cause dirt.¹

Inflamed Pimples

Papules - Red, irritated bumps that are often painful to touch

Pustules - Papules containing pus, often surrounded by a red base

Nodules, Cysts, and Abscesses

Nodule - Solid, painful lesions that reach down into the skin, often damaging the deeper skin tissue

Cyst - Sac-like lesions that extend even further into the skin, sometimes leading to scarring or formation of craters deep in the skin called abscesses.

Abscesses - Craters that can permanently damage healthy deep tissue.