You could have anything from mild acne to intense acne. Here are the grades by skin care technicians. Dermatologists and medical skin-care experts use only three categories, but technically there are six grades of acne.

Acne Grade One. Inactive acne.

You have no inflammation and your skin feels normal - no points of hurt or pain. You are taking great care of your skin, cleansing, toning, moisturizing, and exfoliating with salicylic acid regularly. No one can tell you have acne-type skin.

Acne Grade Two. Whiteheads and blackheads.

White-heads are closed comedones; blackheads are open comedomes. You may have some small early stage red bumps under the surface of your skin.

Acne Grade Three. Mild eruptions.

Your skin is not severly inflamed. Under the surface are close comedomes with fewer blackheads.

Acne Grade Four. Pustules or raised bumps.

You have many closed comedomes with inflamed pores. They are starting to be both red and white with pus underneath the surface of the skin.

Acne Grade Five. Hard nodules.

You have cysts under the surface of your skin. They're tender to the touch. They may even hurt. You have both closed and open comdomes.

Acne Grade Six. Totally active acne.

Everything seems to be happening to your skin at once - whiteheads, blackheads, pustules, papules, cysts. It's painful and hurts to touch your face,which is highly inflames. You need to visit a doctor immediately. If you suspect that your skin rates a grade of four or higher, you need to visit a dermatologist about your skin condition.