What to know

Different Types of Acne (Pimples) & How To Treat Them

Know the many types of acne (pimples)

Don’t let a pimple cancel your Friday night out ever again. Learn about different types of acne and how to treat them.

Acne, more commonly known as pimples, are one of the biggest source of insecurities with youth. Teens wake up one day to find their smooth and clear faces covered in pimples and their world is ruined.

The tiny life-wreckers are the result of a skin disease that happens when hair follicles are clogged by a buildup of dead skin cells and oil under your skin. This makes it a perfect home for bacteria, which builds up in the form of pus.

Different types of acne

different types of acne (pimples)

Whitehead

When the buildup of bacteria and oil reaches the surface of the skin without breaking it, it forms a small white headed bump.

Blackhead

When the oily substances inside a whitehead breaks the surface of your skin, Oxygen interacts with the oil and turns it black.

Both whiteheads and blackheads can be easily treated with over-the-counter medicine, such as benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid and resorcinol.

Papule

Papules are whiteheads that have survived long enough to become infected. When your body tries to kill it with white blood cells, it swells up and causes inflammation.

To treat a papule, you might need to visit a dermatologist to get a prescription for antibiotics or retinoids.

Pustule

Over a long period of time, a papule will will create enough puss to become a pustule. These visible bumps under your skin, sometimes the size of a pea.

Although they could be treated the same as papules, they might in some cases need some stronger treatments, like accutane or isotretinoin.

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