Different Types of Acne and How to Treat Them?

What Is Acne? The Condition, the Causes, and Why It's Not About Being Dirty

Short answer: Acne (acne vulgaris) is a chronic inflammatory condition of the hair follicles and oil glands. It happens when four things overlap: too much sebum, skin cells that don't shed properly inside the pore, an overgrowth of a bacterium called Cutibacterium acnes, and the inflammation your immune system throws at all three. It's driven mostly by hormones and genetics, not hygiene. It affects roughly 85% of people at some point, usually between 12 and 24, but often well into adulthood. It's the most common skin condition in the world, and it's treatable.

Acne is the most common skin condition on the planet, and it's still one of the most misunderstood. People think it's dirt. It isn't. People think you grow out of it. Many don't. People think a "pimple" and "acne" are the same thing. Not quite.

This is the plain-language explainer: what acne actually is, why some people get it and others don't, and where to start if you've got it.

Acne vs pimples: what's the difference?

Acne is the condition: a chronic tendency for pores to clog and inflame. A pimple is one lesion that condition produces. If you get the occasional spot, you have pimples. If you get them regularly, in patterns, over months, you have acne. The distinction matters because you treat a pimple with a spot treatment and you treat acne by changing what your skin is doing underneath.

What causes acne?

Not one thing. Four things, at once, inside a single pore.

Every treatment you've heard of works on one or more of these. Salicylic acid dissolves the plug (2). Benzoyl peroxide kills bacteria (3). Retinoids normalise shedding (2). Anti-inflammatories calm the response (4). Hormonal treatments and oil-regulating supplements work on the sebum itself (1), which is upstream of everything else.

Why do some people get acne and others don't?

Same four factors, different settings. What turns them up:

• Genetics. The strongest predictor. If your parents had acne, your odds are much higher.
• Hormones. Androgens drive oil production, which is why acne surges at puberty, around periods, in pregnancy, with PCOS, and when starting or stopping hormonal contraception.
• Age. Peak years are 12–24, but adult acne is common, especially in women in their 20s to 40s.
• Stress and sleep. Both raise cortisol, which pushes oil and inflammation up.
• Diet. High-glycaemic foods and dairy have the best evidence as triggers; chocolate and greasy food mostly don't, beyond their sugar.
• Products and friction. Comedogenic cosmetics, hair products, tight straps and helmets, phones and pillowcases.
• Medications. Some steroids, hormonal treatments, and high-dose B12 or biotin supplements can trigger or worsen acne.

What doesn't cause acne: dirt, not washing enough, sex, or masturbation. Over-washing makes it worse.

Is acne a disease?

Yes. Acne vulgaris is classified as a chronic inflammatory skin disease. That framing matters for two reasons. First, it means it's treated like a condition, with consistent care over months, not a blemish you scrub off. Second, it means the impact is taken seriously: acne is strongly linked to anxiety, low self-esteem and depression, and "it's just pimples" is not an answer anyone should be given.

How common is acne?

Very. It's the most common skin condition worldwide. The figure most often cited is that around 85% of people aged 12 to 24 experience it at some point (approximate; the exact number varies by study). Adult acne is far more common than people assume, particularly in women. If you have it, you are in the majority, not the exception.

The six types of acne, briefly

Acne shows up as six kinds of lesion, from surface clogs to deep inflammation. In rising severity:

1. Blackheads. Open clogged pores, dark from oxidised oil (not dirt).
2. Whiteheads. Closed clogged pores; small white bumps.
3. Papules. Small red bumps with no head; early inflammation.
4. Pustules. Red bumps with a white or yellow pus tip; the classic pimple.
5. Nodules. Large, hard, painful lumps deep in the skin; no head.
6. Cysts. Large, soft, pus-filled lumps, the deepest and most likely to scar.

The first two are non-inflammatory; the rest are inflammatory. Which ones you get, and how deep, decides how you treat them. We've written the full field guide to identifying the six types and what causes each, and a separate treatment guide by type.

Mild, moderate or severe?

• Mild: mostly blackheads and whiteheads, occasional papules. Over-the-counter care and oil support usually manage it.
• Moderate: frequent papules and pustules, some risk of marks. Add a retinoid; see a GP if 12 weeks of consistent care doesn't shift it.
• Severe: nodules, cysts, widespread, scarring. Prescription treatment from the start. Don't wait; scars are much harder to treat than acne.

How to start treating acne

Because acne has an inside cause (oil) and an outside expression (the clogged, inflamed pore), the approach that works best treats both.

Outside: cleanse morning and night with something gentle and non-stripping (over-washing triggers more oil). Use a salicylic acid product for clogs, a light non-comedogenic moisturiser always, and sunscreen by day. Our Acne Control Cleansing Mousse and Acne Control Moisturiser are the two-step version.

Inside: address the oil. Sebum is the first of the four factors and the one topical products can't reach. Our Extra Strength Acne Control Vitamins use high-dose Vitamin B5 to support healthy oil balance and skin renewal from within. Diet (less sugar and dairy), sleep and stress management work on the same lever.

Time: skin takes 8 to 12 weeks to show a change in behaviour. Judge any routine at week 12, not week 2.

Doctor: for nodules, cysts, scarring, acne that's affecting your mental health, or anything that hasn't improved in 12 weeks. Prescription options are effective and there's no prize for waiting.

FAQs

What is acne?
A chronic inflammatory condition of the skin's hair follicles and oil glands, caused by excess oil, abnormal cell shedding inside the pore, bacterial overgrowth and inflammation. It's driven by hormones and genetics, not hygiene.

What is the main cause of acne?
Excess sebum, driven by androgen hormones, is the starting point. Dead skin cells then plug the oily pore, bacteria multiply, and the immune system inflames it.

Is acne caused by poor hygiene?
No. Acne forms inside the pore, not on the surface, and over-washing makes it worse by stripping the barrier and triggering more oil.

At what age does acne stop?
There's no set age. It peaks between 12 and 24 and often eases in the mid-20s, but adult acne into the 30s and 40s is common, especially in women.

Is acne genetic?
Largely. Family history is the strongest predictor of who gets acne and how severe it is. Genes set the sensitivity of your oil glands and immune response.

Can acne be cured?
Acne is managed rather than cured. Consistent treatment can keep skin clear indefinitely, and many people's acne eases with age, but the underlying tendency usually remains.

Acne starts with oil. So does treating it. The SkinB5 Starter Kit pairs Vitamin B5 supplements for oil balance from within with a gentle two-step routine for the surface.

Related reading: Types of Acne: The 6 Kinds of Pimples and Their Causes · How to Treat Every Type of Pimple · Hormonal Acne · Adult Acne Is on the Rise