Is your Skin Purging or Breaking out? Here’s How to Tell

Have you ever noticed your skin getting ‘worse’ before it clears up? Chances are you encountered the phenomenon known as skin purging. Interestingly, skin purging often occurs with skincare products formulated to reduce acne breakouts and clear your skin long-term. This is because the blemish-fighting, brightening and exfoliating ingredients in these products increase cell turn over and help remove dead skin cells. However, it can be hard to decipher whether your skin is purging temporarily or breaking out from the ingredients in your skincare products.

What is skin purging vs breaking out?

To understand skin purging, think of it this way: when you get a pimple, it doesn’t appear out of nowhere. It starts as a microscopic plug in your skin that is not visible. As that plug gets stickier and more inflamed, eventually that pimple comes to the surface. Now, when you apply a skincare product that accelerates cell turnover, it speeds up the process of bringing these spots to the surface. This can result in skin purging where you may experience increased breakouts such as pimples, blackheads, pustules, cysts, or whiteheads.

Even though purging can be frustrating, it can be a good sign that your skincare product is working with your skin. Over time, these products can reduce the number of microscopic plugs in your skin, so you should have fewer breakouts due to unclogged pores. 

The skin normally undergoes a cell turnover every 4-6 weeks, but as we age this cycle can extend up to 9 weeks. Products that increase cell turnover, like retinoids, essentially fast-forward this process of acne gradually appearing over a longer period. Instead, the spots all surface at once to clear the skin long-term. 

If your breakouts persist after 4-8 weeks and are not getting better, it could be a sign that the skincare product is irritating your skin rather than purging it. Also, if you’re getting acne where you don’t typically break out, this could be a sign that the product is breaking you out and not purging pre-existing clogged pores. Excessive redness, itchiness, allergic reactions, and stinging sensations signal to irritation from a skincare product and are not typically signs of skin purging.

What are the key ingredients that can cause the skin to purge?

Not all actives cause a skin purge. For example, Vitamin C, antioxidants, peptides, and growth factors do not cause the skin to purge. If you’re experiencing breakouts from these ingredients, it is likely a sign to stop using the skincare product that contains these actives.

Some key ingredients that can cause the skin to purge include BHA's (Beta Hydroxy Acids) and AHA’s (Alpha Hydroxy Acids). These promote skin cell turnover and can bring hidden pimples to the surface, leading to increased breakouts initially. Popular AHA’s include glycolic acid, lactic acid and mandelic acid. Currently, the BHA most commonly used in cosmetics is salicylic acid.

Physical exfoliation through facial scrubs can stimulate the skin and accelerate cell renewal by removing the dead skin cells on the surface of the skin. Also, retinoids can cause temporary spots lasting 6-8 weeks as they also speed up the skin’s cell turnover. These both can cause the skin to purge.

Niacinamide is a common ingredient used in skincare products to control sebum production. While generally well-tolerated, it can cause a purging effect which is why I recommend starting with a lower concentration of 2% and gently easing this ingredient into your skincare routine.

Another ingredient commonly used for oily, acne prone skin is Benzoyl Peroxide. This can be quite a drying and irritating ingredient, so I recommend starting slowly with 2.5% and incorporating this gradually into your routine. This way, you won’t get a sudden purging of the skin.

How do I know if my skin is purging or reacting?

Normally, our skin's cell cycle is about 4-6 weeks. If you're still experiencing breakouts beyond this timeframe, it's more likely that you're having a reaction to a skincare product rather than purging. The main concern is nobody wants to wait that long to see if they are having a reaction to a product. To prevent reactions and better manage your skincare routine, introduce products that can increase cell turnover one at a time. Through this systematic approach, you can monitor how your skin responds and identify products that may cause a reaction. 

What can you do to help yourself while your skin is purging?

When your skin is purging, it can become dehydrated. You want to include humectants into your skincare routine i.e. glycerin, since they allow the skin to retain moisture. This is especially true in the winter, in order to trap water in the top layer of skin and refresh the skin’s surface. After you have applied your glycerin, apply our Cera Pep Moisturiser to deeply renourish the skin. Tight skin triggers more sebum production and acne, so moisturising regularly with help avoid this. Also, by using a humidifier at night-time, you are drawing water molecules from the air into your epidermis too. These are all things that will allow your skin to recover from a skin purge. 

I would also add anti-inflammatories into your skincare routine. My favourites are aloe, bisabolol and D panthenol. As well as this, use an anti-inflammatory Micellar Gel Wash and always apply your broad spectrum InZincable SPF50 with PA++++ rating, to help and prevent a skin purge.

What ingredients should I steer clear from to avoid breakouts?

To prevent breakouts, it's essential to avoid skincare ingredients that have a tendency to clog pores and prolong the duration of acne. Some of these problematic ingredients include oils and fats, as they can contribute to blemishes that persist for longer than 6 weeks. These ingredients include linseed oil, cocoa butter, coconut oil, lanolin acid, isopropyl palmitate, to name a few. Also, avoid skincare products which contain denatured alcohol, fragrance, and essential oils as this can be irritating to the skin and exacerbate acne issues.

By Dr Vanita Rattan, Oct 2024