Grade 0 — Clear Skin Baseline
Reference baseline with no acne lesions present.
- 0: IGA grade (Clear)
- 0: Lesion count (baseline)
- None: Inflammation (placeholder)
- None: Treatment (maintenance only)
Defining the clear skin anchor point
Placeholder: grade 0 anchors the IGA scale for comparison.
Grade 1-2 — Mild, Comedonal Predominant
Mostly comedones with a few scattered papules.
- 1-2: IGA grade (Mild)
- Comedones: Predominant lesion (placeholder)
- Few: Papule count (placeholder)
- Topical: Treatment (retinoid/BPO)
Comedonal predominance at low grades
Placeholder: comedones dominate the lesion mix at grades 1-2.
Grade 3 — Moderate Papulopustular
Numerous inflammatory papules and pustules appear.
- 3: IGA grade (Moderate)
- Papules/pustules: Predominant lesion (placeholder)
- Widespread: Distribution (placeholder)
- Combo + oral abx: Treatment (placeholder)
Papulopustular escalation
Placeholder: inflammatory lesion count rises sharply at grade 3.
Grade 4 — Severe Nodulocystic
Numerous nodules and cysts with deep inflammation.
- 4: IGA grade (Severe)
- Nodules/cysts: Predominant lesion (placeholder)
- High: Scarring risk (placeholder)
- Isotretinoin: Treatment (placeholder)
Nodulocystic severe disease
Placeholder: deep painful nodules dominate at grade 4.
Treatment Intensity by IGA Grade
Therapy intensity scales directly with IGA grade.
- Topical: Grade 0-1 (placeholder)
- Combo/oral abx: Grade 2-3 (placeholder)
- Isotretinoin: Grade 4 (placeholder)
- ~12 wks: Reassessment (placeholder)
Stepwise treatment ladder
Placeholder: treatment tier is chosen to match IGA severity grade.
Placeholder: higher IGA grade generally means more aggressive systemic therapy.