Acne is the most prevalent skin condition, affecting people of all ages and races. Although acne can leave scars and hyperpigmentation marks behind, with proper skincare treatments it can often be eliminated completely.

Know the difference between inflammatory and noninflammatory acne to select appropriate skincare products and treatments that fit your complexion.

What Causes Inflammatory Acne?

When the oil glands (sebaceous glands) become clogged with excess sebum, dead skin cells, and bacteria, our immune system sends white blood cells to fight off an infection – leading to redness, swelling, tenderness and red bumps that look similar to cysts or nodules on our faces, chests or backs. When this happens, redness, swelling and tenderness become signs of acne inflammation – often in its milder forms ranging from mild bumps up to cyst-like nodules which appear within 24 hours or sooner!

Inflammatory acne can leave pitted scars if you pick at blemishes or use harsh cleansers and makeup products on them, or cause further inflammation through picking at them or irritating them with harsh cleansers and makeup products. Furthermore, cysts or nodules that lead to severe inflammation may form.

Identification of triggers can help you manage and prevent future breakouts. Avoid touching your face throughout the day, which can transfer dirt and oil onto pores and follicles. Instead use noncomedogenic cleansers and moisturizers designed not to irritate skin and lead to further breakouts. Squeezing or popping inflamed blemishes could worsen inflammation as well as increase chances of bacterial infections which cause painful red lesions that require medical intervention.

What Causes Non-Inflammatory Acne?

Inflammatory acne occurs when pimples contain pus and appear red, swollen and sore. Common sites for this condition include the face, back and chest. Blemishes originate in blocked pores clogged with oil, dead skin cells and bacteria – when an irritated or infected pore becomes irritated or infected, white blood cells attack these microbes triggering an inflammatory response and thus creating inflammation.

These inflammatory lesions include blackheads (closed comedones), papules (inflamed bumps without pus) and cysts (large, painful pus-filled lumps that lie under the surface of skin). Their causes may include hormonal shifts, overproduction of sebum or irritation from cosmetics or skincare products – or simply heredity.

Benzoyl peroxide, retinoids and oral antibiotics can all help treat acne vulgaris. Chemical peels may also help remove dead skin cells and unclog pores. Inflammatory acne may also be treated by using noncomedogenic products and avoiding greasy makeup to minimize inflammation; taking anti-inflammatory supplements such as omega-3 fatty acids or antioxidants may provide additional assistance. Cutibacterium acnes activates both innate and adaptive immune systems in early lesions of acne lesions by producing IL-6, IL-8 or TNF-a secretions from mononuclear cells.

What Are the Symptoms of Inflammatory Acne?

Red and swollen bumps that contain pus are hallmarks of inflammatory acne, and usually appear on the face, back, or chest. While difficult to treat and potentially scarring-inducing, they may also form cysts and nodules when disturbed or poked at by others.

Papules are red or pink bumps on the surface of your skin that may become pustules, becoming larger and more painful than papules. Nodules are firm lumps under your skin’s surface that may become painful over time and possibly lead to an infection of some sort.

Noninflammatory acne has no clear source, yet tends to be less serious than its inflammatory counterpart. Noninflammatory acne may be due to oil production, blocked hair follicles, dead skin cells or bacteria accumulation on skin cells and dead skin cells; treatments for noninflammatory acne tend to be simpler than for its counterpart. Picking or squeezing blemishes will only aggravate their condition further and eating well and managing stress can help immensely in treating noninflammatory acne.

What Are the Symptoms of Non-Inflammatory Acne?

Acne is a skin condition caused by pores becoming clogged with sebum and dead skin cells, irritating surrounding skin tissue and prompting an immune response from your body. This triggers redness and swelling. There are two main forms of acne: inflamed and non-inflamed; the former comprises papules, pustules, nodules and cysts, while non-inflamed acne includes blackheads or whiteheads that do not become red or swollen infuenced types such as blackheads or whiteheads whereas non-inflamed forms are comprised of blackheads/whiteheads/blackheads/whiteheads which do not affect surrounding tissues inflicting discomfort on surrounding skin cells inflicting response from immune systems within.

Papules are small red bumps on your skin that appear as pimples. They form when blocked pores mix with bacteria on your skin and become infected, leading to an inflammatory reaction which leads to papules forming as lesions on the surface of the skin.

Pustules are larger papules that contain pus. These lesions appear as inflamed lesions with yellow centers that appear after white blood cells have consumed bacteria from an infected pore and caused tissue damage; as a result, this causes more pus production from your body which builds into lumpy cysts characteristic of cystic acne.