Pimples can appear in many forms on the skin, and identifying their typology is the first step to their treatment.
Acne and pimples on the face are a series of pathologies and clinical signs truly widespread in society, as it is estimated that80% of adolescents between 13 and 18 years old will suffer from them at some point. The appearance of pimples on the skin represents, approximately, 25% of the consultations to the dermatological clinic (possibly many more in the general practitioner).
The skin is a very important organ for the immune system and the delimitation of the individual and, to be in contact with the environment, it presents a series of pores through which it “breathes”. When these pores become clogged, the appearance of pimples, blackheads and acne begins.
Whether for aesthetic value or as a telltale clinical sign, the appearance of pimples on the skin can involve many underlying processes: anxiety, stress, poor diet, hormonal changes and even infections and other pathologies with a worse prognosis. If you want to know the 8 types of pimples on the skin and their characteristics, read on.
- We recommend you read: “How to remove grains: 8 natural and quick solutions”
What is a grain and how is it formed?
A typical pimple can be defined as a primary efflorescence, that is, a type of eruptive lesion on the skin that can modify its color, appearance, or texture. The National Library of Medicine of the United States shows us the process of formation of one of these upwellings in broad strokes. We tell you quickly:
- Each pore of the skin is an opening to the hair follicle, which contains a hair and a sebaceous gland.
- The oil secreted by the sebaceous gland helps keep the skin soft and remove dead cells and foreign substances.
- When the glands produce too much oil, these pores can become clogged. By different means the types of epidermal grains appear.
Generally, the appearance of pimples is linked to processes of seborrhea (excessive production of fat) and hyperkeratosis (abnormal thickening of the outermost layer of the skin). The term “pimple” has no medical relevance, since it encompasses all the imperfections of the skin: comedones, papules and pustules.
How are skin pimples classified?
Once we have quickly defined what a grain is and how it is usually produced, we are prepared to dissect each of the types included in this term (or outside it, in some cases). Let’s do it, because we have a lot of information to offer you.
1. Blackheads
Have you ever wondered what differentiates blackheads from pimples? The answer is much simpler than you might initially imagine. A blackhead is an accumulation of sebum in the porebut, unlike the pimple, it remains open.
Blackheads, as the name suggests, are small, dark and painless abnormalities that appear on the skin. The dark coloration is caused by the oxidation of sebum which, when in direct contact with the oxygen of the medium, acquires this tone. That is why blackheads are not “exploited”, but are extracted: there is no cell layer to burst to make them disappear.
2. Pimples
If a blackhead is an open comedo, a pimple is a closed comedo. It’s that simple. In this case, a pimple could be defined as an inflamed imperfection filled with pus that can be painful.
Although it may not seem like it, acne (characterized by the appearance of multiple pimples) is a pathology of a mostly inflammatory nature, since microinflammations are the main cause of its appearance. The individual’s immune system reacts to bacterial growths, lipids and certain hormones (male androgens), producing the inflamed structure known to all.
Interestingly, the color of the pus enclosed by the pimples (and in general this liquid) is conditioned by the lymph and dead or living leukocytes that travel to the intercellular spaces around the affected cells to combat the infectious process. It also contains traces of dead microorganisms, fibrin and sections of damaged tissue.
- We recommend you read: “Acne on the back: why does it appear and how to remove it?”
3. Papules and pustules
The accumulation of sebum enclosed in the pore is a truly palatable environment for many bacterial strains, which normally remain on our skin as diners (they are there but do not affect us). Papules and pustules are defined assuperficial cavities of the skin filled with pus, that is, they are the next step after the blackhead or pimple.
Both black and white comedones produce a clinical picture of comedonic acne. When these develop to pustules, acne becomes papulous-pustular in nature, a more advanced event. The most common cause of papules and pustules is usually the bacterium Propionibacterium acnes, which finds in the accumulations of sebum an ideal environment for proliferation.
4. Milium
We change a little third, because the milium have little or nothing to do with the aforementioned upwellings. In this case, this type of “pimple” is formed by the accumulation of keratin in the skin, since a closed pore can prevent the exit of this protein.
It is important to differentiate these epidermal upwellings from acne: the latter comes in the form of reddened pimples, full of pus and evolves as a treatment is applied. On the other hand, milium always have the same shape and thickness: small cysts about 1-3 millimeters in diameter. In this case you do not have to go to antibiotics to fight the disease, because you simply have to extract them in a consultation.
5. Lipomas
We move further away from the typical conception of the grain, as lipomas are benign soft tissue tumors. These are skin nodules, that is,slow-growing fat lumps that are located between the skin and the muscle layer. They are usually painless to the touch and move over the tissue when pressure is applied.
In most cases this upwelling does not require treatment, but if it is annoying for the patient or causes some aesthetic imbalance, its surgical removal can be considered.
- We recommend you read: “Lump in the armpit: possible causes, symptoms and what measures to take”
6. Eczema
Again, we are not facing a grain to use as in the rest of the case, but a patient little experienced in the field of dermatology can confuse both clinical signs easily. Like pimples and acne, eczema is characterized by varying degrees of inflammation.
But here the differences with the primary efflorescences named in the initial sections end. Eczema is characterized by theappearance of intense itching, dryness, itching and a characteristic rash on the skin. They are usually caused by allergic processes or phenomena such as atopic dermatitis.
7. Boils and anthrax
A boil is a painful, pus-filled bump that forms under the skin when bacteria infect and cause inflammation of one or more hair follicles. An anthrax, on the other hand, responds to a series of boils communicated between them.
In general, boils are much more obvious, painful and large (sometimes more than 5 centimeters) than a pimple, since they advance one more step in the infectious process: an abscess or a focus of pus is formed. In the most severe cases, surgery may be requiredto address a boil. This goes through the incision and drainage to remove the pus from the lesion and, subsequently, the prescription of antibiotics to fight the infection of the follicle.
8. Epidermoid cysts
Epidermoid cystsare noncancerous lumps that lie under the skin. These grow slowly and are painless, which is why they do not usually require any type of treatment.
The surface of the skin is composed of an epidermal layer that is continuously replaced, giving rise to a large number of dead cells that are shed without us noticing. Most epidermoid cysts arise when these cells migrate to innermost layers of the skin instead of shedding.
Summary
As you may have read in these lines, there are many types of pimples and upwellings that can appear on the skin. While only the first three elements (blackheads, pimples, and papules and pustules) can be considered “pimples” in a strict sense, the rest can easily be mistaken for them.
If you get any swollen pimples on your body and it doesn’t go away in a few days, see your doctor. In general, the fact that it is painful to the touch, presents a more “ugly” tone throughout the days or does not improve over time, is usually an indication that the bacterial infection is getting a little out of control inside. Don’t worry, as most of these upwellings are clinically easy to treat.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.
