Mild, Moderate & Severe Acne

Acne Vulgaris, the most common form of acne, may be considered mild, moderate or severe.  There are several racne ratings scales,, including the Burton scale and the Leeds scale.  Both use different methods of grading an acne patient.

Using a practical acne grading methodology is much more common.  Mild, moderate and sever acne will often be graded by your physician simply by the observing the number, type and depth of the acne lesions you have.  An appropriate course of action will then be determined based on the physician observation.

Generally speaking, if your acne condition is limited primarily whiteheads and blackheads, you probably have mild acne, especially if the lesions do not cover large areas of the face or body.  If you have papules, raised reddish bumps, or pustules, the same raised reddish bumps but with white centers, you may have moderate acne, especially if the lesions are widespread across the face or body. .  Finally, if you have large, deep, solid, and painful masses under your skin, you may have severe acne.  These masses, also called nodules or cysts, are most common in those with sever acne.

Check the photos below to idenitfy the types of lesions associated with mild, moderate and severe acne:

Acne Illustration - Whitehead

Whiteheads: Whiteheads result when a pore is completely blocked, trapping sebum (oil), acne bacteria, dead skin cells, causing a white appearance on the surface.

Acne Illustration - Blackhead

Blackheads: Blackheads result when a pore is only partially blocked, allowing some of the trapped sebum (oil), bacteria, and dead skin cells to slowly drain to the surface. The black color is not caused by dirt. Rather, it is a reaction of the skin's own pigment, melanin, reacting with the oxygen in the air. Blackheads tend to be stable structures, and often take a long time to clear.

Papules

Papules: Papules are small, red, tender bumps with no head.

Pustules

Pustules: Pustules are similar to whiteheads, but are inflamed, and appear as a red circle with a white or yellow center.

Nodules

Nodules: Nodules are different from blackheads, whiteheads, papules and pustules in that they are much larger (usually 5 mm or more across), can be very painful, and can last for months. They are large, hard bumps under the skin's surface, and they often cause carring.

Cysts

Cysts: Cysts are similar to nodules, but are pus-filled. They are also very painful and can cause scarring.

Identification of Mild Acne

Those with mild acne experience the occasional breakout that includes whiteheads and blackheads.  As a teenager this is a normal, common reaction based on the hormonal changes that are occuring in the body.   To find out how best to treat your mild acne browse the acne treatments.

Identification of Moderate Acne

Those with moderate acne experience breakouts that cover large areas of the face or body and breakouts include whiteheads, blackheads, papules and pustules as described above.  Breakouts last longer than in mild acne and often do not go away.

Identification of Severe Acne

Those that experience severe acne have breakouts that cover large areas of the face or body and include whiteheads, backheads, papules, pustules , cysts and nodules as described above.  Breakouts and cysts last longer than in mild acne and often do not go away for months and years at a time.