The Leeds revised acne grading system

Abstract

A simple, reproducible and rapid means of assessing a patients acne is essential for the GP, dermatologist and clinical trialist. In this article a colour photographic acne grading scheme for the face and trunk (back and chest) is presented. A series of colour photographs of facial and truncal acne were examined and ranked in order of severity. The criteria for severity included extent of inflammation, range and size of inflamed lesions and associated erythma. This produced 12 colour pictorial grades of facial acne and 8 grades for the back and 8 grades for the chest. Also a basis for grading non-inflamed acne is introduced.

Key Words:

• Acne grading
• Inflamed lesions
• Photographic assessment