When your face Breaks...out.

What type of acne do you get during your Private Part-y?

When I think back though,  I wasn’t quite sure which type of spot a ‘whitehead’ was… and I’m still not even sure if I’ve ever had cystic acne, or if what I’ve had would be more classified as nodules… or maybe even just bad papules…

Either way! Here is your acne types with plenty of pictures:

Whiteheads

whiteheads

We’ll start with whiteheads. To me, it made perfect sense that whiteheads would be the smallish red pimples with the tan-ish white pussy “heads” on them. But apparently those are actually called pustules. 

 Whiteheads are simply clogged pores that are not inflamed. They are clogged below the surface of the skin, so they remain closed and flesh colored, but create a little bump on the skin. 

Blackheads

blackheads

Then comes blackheads. Blackheads are basically the same as whiteheads – a non-inflamed clogged pore – but the difference is that the top is open and therefore exposed to the air. The air oxidizes the sebum and keratin that’s stuck there and it turns black.

Papules

papules

And now we get into inflamed acne. Inflamed acne is when a clogged pore – a whitehead or a blackhead – gets irritated and becomes inflamed. This mean it swells, turns red, and begins to hurt. This is why cleansing after wearing make up and perfume is so improtant. 

Papules are tender red bumps … usually fairly small, up to a cm in diameter, and somewhat raised. The defining factor is that they are not filled with pus, although they may go on to fill with pus later on and become a pustule.

 Do not squeeze these!!! It’s only going to make matters worse and encourage scarring. And the cycle continues. 

Pustules

pustules

Pustules are your classic zit. Hard, inflamed, and full of pus that has the defining yellow-ish centre. Like a fleshy volcano. While it’s  tempting to pop these, please try to refrain. It may not be as harmful to pop one of these vs squeezing some other varieties, especially if it’s waiting to burst…but still keep your dairy intake down and your face clean while your hormones are raging popping these babies up all over your beautiful skin

Nodules and Cysts

Cyst

And now on to severe acne lesions… nodules and cysts. These are large (much larger than papules and pustules) painful bumps under the skin that take quite a while to go away and can create scarring.

Nodules are generally hard and not filled with pus. Cysts are filled with pus and feel like fluid filled sacs underneath the skin.

Inflamed acne happens when a plug ruptures a follicle wall and leaks fluid into the skin, which your immune system then responds to with inflammation. if this rupture happens near the surface of the skin, the result is usually a minor papule or a pustule. If it happens deep within the skin, it’s much more likely to become a serious nodule or a cyst (another great reason to never squeeze your skin… you push the bacteria further into your pores, making it more likely for you to get nodules and cysts. And if you do get them, don’t ever, ever, EVER even dare THINK of squeezing this type of acne. Since caused by bacteria you may want to think of seeing a doctor, but beware antibiotics can lead to a whole host of other problems below your bikini line. Diet and topical treatments may be the way to go. 

Nodules is where I’ve gotten confused about my own acne… in the past, whenever my acne started taking a turn for the worst, I would begin getting a lot of big, hard inflamed spots that don’t have heads on them, mostly around my chin. I have never really known if these are actual nodules or just bad papules, because I’ve never had a ginormous one that has lasted for months. I still don’t know the answer.