Notice how in the image on the left, the acne isn’t deep and very inflamed, and the puss is gently coming to the surface?
In the image on the right, the acne is very “angry”, inflamed and kind of out of control?
The first should be ideally how purging looks like, and the second is breaking out.
Purging is when the acne isn't very deep, and the pus is gentle coming to the surface, often forming a whitehead while breaking out is when the acne is very “angry”, inflamed, and deep (plus they also developed quite suddenly).
How to recognize purging?
- Existing comedones are getting inflamed or coming to the head (turning into whiteheads)
- Smaller comedones are getting bigger
- Breaking out more where you usually have congestion and acne
If you are getting acne where there wasn’t any before, you see comedones in unusual places, and this phase is lasting longer than 4-5 weeks (meaning, your skin isn’t calming down at all), you are BREAKING OUT.
Why is it happening?
- Too harsh for your skin.
- Used too frequently or incorrectly.
- Used together with other irritating products, which raises inflammation beyond what you can tolerate.
Skincare ingredients that speed up cellular turnover, including retinoids, exfoliating acids (glycolic, lactic, salicylic, etc), etc can cause the skin to purge, and nothing else should cause you to purge.
However, there are more things to consider.
If you are using a product without the ingredients that speed up cellular turnover (moisturisers, oils, sunscreens, etc), you are just breaking out.
Another scenario is that a product with an ingredient that speeds up cellular turnover ALSO has pore-clogging ingredients, which are breaking you out.
Some people never stop “purging”…Why is that?
Because those skincare ingredients are powerful and with that power comes irritation.
Don't I just need to go through a purging period?
- Retinoids
- Exfoliating acids (glycolic, lactic, salicylic, etc.)
Moisturizers without these ingredients, SPFs, oils, etc do NOT cause purging, only breaking out.
How to recognize breaking out?
- You are using a product that also has pore-clogging ingredients that can cause purging.
- You are getting lots of new, inflamed acne, also in places they weren't before.
- You started to use retinoids or exfoliating acids every day right after introducing them then you are likely breaking out, and it probably won't go away in a matter of weeks unless you lessen the overall irritation and inflammation.
The reason for likely breaking out (instead of just purging) is that your skin is too irritated and your skin barrier damaged.
-> Irritation -> Inflammation -> More congestion and acne
When you cross over the threshold level of what your skin can currently tolerate, your purging phase turns into a breaking out phase (or they mix from the start)…..and it doesn't stop.
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