With today’s drugs, there’s no reason for anyone to put up with serious acne.

Persistent acne can affect self-esteem and confidence. The psychological, social, and sexual effects of acne are very, very prominent, and the social consequences can be severe. Children be treated fairly young if they start showing signs of acne, especially if their parents suffered from severe acne.

When should you see a dermatologist for your acne? Most dermatologists answer that by saying “when it bothers you.” Severity is in the eye of the beholder in this case.

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Most of us think of pimples when we think of acne. We don’t bother dividing up the different annoying spots we see on our face. But dermatologists have broken pimples down into the following
categories:

Comedo (pl. comedones). An oil duct plugged up with oil, dead skin cells, and bacteria.

Whitehead. A closed comedo, or a comedo with skin covering the top. It looks like a tiny, white bump.

Blackhead. An open comedo, or a comedo that does not have skin covering it. It appears black not because it contains dirt, as is commonly believed, but because the material has been exposed to oxygen.

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If you’re over 40 and suddenly develop severe acne, you could be suffering from acne rosacea, which is a different disease from acne vulgaris, the medical name for your garden variety of acne.

How can you tell the difference? Acne rosacea is characterized by redness, inflammation (swelling), and dilated blood vessels. Further clues. You don’t have any blackheads, the acne is located mainly on the central part of your face (your nose and cheeks), and you have a lot of pustules (pus-containing pimples). You’re more likely to suffer from this type of acne if you’re light-skinned.

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