Acne Symptoms & Diagnosis

Symptoms

Acne symptoms vary from person to person and can range from mild to severe. They include:

• Excess oil in the skin
• Blackheads
• Whiteheads
• Papules—small pink bumps that may be tender to the touch
• Pimples—inflamed, pus-filled bumps that may be red at the base (also called pustules)
• Nodules—large, painful, solid lumps that are lodged deep within the skin
• Cysts—deep, inflamed, pus-filled lumps that can cause pain and scarring

Diagnosis

The doctor will examine the areas of your skin with the most sebaceous glands like the face, neck, back, chest, and shoulders. If your acne is severe, you may be referred to a dermatologist, a skin specialist.