Before you can treat your acne it is vital to know precisely what sort of acne you have as, in spite of what most of us think, acne can be much more than simply a case of pimples caused by trapped skin oil, dead skin cells, bacteria and white blood cells.

Acne is frequently classified by grade starting with grade I which includes mild, non-inflamed forms of acne like blackheads and whiteheads. We then move to grade II acne which covers instances of acne involving a large number of blackheads and whiteheads and normally also includes papules or pustules that are slightly inflamed.

A papule is a small break, or lesion in the skin, which appears as a bump that sits proud of the surface of the skin and is normally less than 5 mm in diameter. A pustule is similar to a papule but is filled with pus and contains a mixture of dead skin cells, bacteria and white blood cells.

Next on the scale comesCarrying on up the scale we arrive at grade III acne which is simply a severe case of grade II acne in which the pustules and papules are more numerous, larger and red.

Finally, we come to grade IV acne which is the severest form of acne and includes nodules and cysts. Inflammation in the case of grade IV acne is usually wide spread and grade IV acne almost always involves more than simply the face.

Grade I acne, which includes the commonest case of mild acne called acne vulgaris, is not usually hard to treat and can ordinarily be cleared up with over-the-counter medications.

A more severe form of acne is known as acne congoblata which is characterized by deep abscesses and heavy inflammation that can often result in scarring and other forms of skin damage, leading to the all too common problem of getting rid of acne scars. Inflamed and often painful nodules form around the acne pimples and will often grow until they discharge pus without warning. This form of acne can frequently lead to keloid-type scarring.

Acne fulminans is another form of acne where the nodules formed can ulcerate, causing a recurrent and painful form of acne. Sufferers can also sometimes have a fever and experience aching joints and treatment using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids is normally necessary. These drugs are however used to treat the symptoms of this form of acne and not its underlying cause.

Continuing on up the scale some people will develop nodulocystic acne in which odd looking cysts (red bumps which are caused by severe inflammation) appear and occasionally become so numerous and appear close enough together to form a fairly large area of inflammation. Nodulocystic acne can also form tunnels under the skin which allow infection to spread quickly and easily. This type of acne is generally treated with antibiotics such as isotretinoin, which is better known as Accutane.

Finally, we arrive at gram-negative folliculitis which occurs when the hair follicles are also infected. Bacteria which grow at the base of the hair follicle cause the body to react by diverting white blood cells to fight the infection and this can occasionally produce a deep eruption that needs specialist treatment. This particular type of acne is usually resistant to antibiotics and the condition can in fact occasionally be the result of using antibiotics for the treatment of other types of acne.

Despite the fact that it is very common, acne is far from being the simple condition which many of us have always thought it to be and it is often far from a simple case of purchasing a cream from the corner drugstore to treat it. As a result, the moment acne appears you should pop along to your doctor, or even better a professional dermatologist, and get a diagnosis so that you can select the correct proactive acne treatment from the outset.