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There are several types of acne and not all of them are characterized by the stereotypical zit full of white looking pus. (Yes, it sounds gross!) Acne ranges from the mild outbreaks that likely will not lead to scarring to some forms that can be not only disfiguring but also debilitating physically and emotionally.

Before getting into the types of acne, you should know how it is formed in the first place. First of all, it has nothing to do with your hygiene. Your skin overproduces oil that would normally keep your skin soft and pliable. Instead, this excess oil blocks your oil ducts, causing various forms of acne. Its medical or scientific name for the following types of common zits is acne vulgaris.

Here is acne vulgaris in its most popular forms:

1. Whiteheads – Also known as pimples, these are those unsightly bumps with the white tips or heads. Basically, when one of your skin’s pores is fully blocked by oil, bacteria collects there forming a white head on it.

2. Blackheads – These form in a similar fashion as the whitehead. However, in the case of the blackhead, the skin pore is not all the way blocked. When this trapped oil gets exposed to the air, it also reacts with the melanin in your skin causing the dark color. These take longer to go away.

3. Pustules – This yucky sounding name is also called a zit. Typically, it resembles a whitehead only the skin around it is red and inflamed. That inflammation means a definite bacterial infection and is best treated with antibiotics. To make these zit matters more disgusting, the “head” of this form of acne vulgaris can also be a lovely shade of green or yellow.

4. Papules – If you have ever had what you thought was a pimple but it never forms a head, then chances are that you have a papule. This form of acne vulgaris just looks like a big red bump, almost like an insect bite, only it does not go away so quickly. You definitely don’t want to try and squeeze anything out of it because these will scar.

5. Nodules – Getting into the more extreme form of acne vulgaris, a nodule is a hard, large bump just below the skin’s surface. This type of lesion can feel like it is warm or throbbing.

6. Cysts – This is the most painful form of acne vulgaris. Teenagers who have this on their face are often called “pizza face.” Acne cysts are nodules, only filled with pus that has been infected. Cysts can extend to deeper than a few layers of skin. If you try to pop a cyst, it will not only be painful, but you will be prolonging this infection and the cyst site may grow larger.