Acne severity characteristics

Characteristics supportive of mild acne vulgaris

Scattered, small (<5 mm), comedonal or inflamed papules or pustules without associated scarring
Limited skin involvement (involvement of one body area or relatively few lesions in more than one body area)
Absence of nodules
Absence of near confluent skin involvement

Characteristics supportive of moderate to severe acne vulgaris

Visually prominent acne consisting of many comedonal or inflamed papules or pustules
Presence of nodules
Involvement of multiple body areas with more than a few scattered lesions
Associated scarring

There is no universally accepted method of assessing acne severity. Other approaches may be reasonable.

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