Breakout Vs Purging
To treat a skin problem, you must know what that problem is. Many people confuse skin purging with breaking out and vice-versa. Know what is the difference between the two here!
Every once in a while, we use a new skincare product that suddenly throws our skin into a full-on freakout, making it much worse than when we started with. That’s is actually not breaking out. You are simply in the midst of a process called skin purging. Acne and pimples can be caused due to several reasons and to treat them, we must know what they are and what caused them.
When a new skincare product causes pimple formation to speed up and it makes all those clogged pores make their way to the surface that appears to be as a giant breakout, it’s called skin purging. And it’s not similar to a normal breakout. Let’s read how.
Skin purge is a reaction to an active ingredient in a product which increases skin cell turnover rate. Skin congestion rises to the surface before new skin cells appear. This includes all the things that can clog pores like excess sebum, flaky skin or any other build-up.
On the other hand, a breakout is a reaction caused by a product or a lifestyle choice. Breakouts are triggered by things like diet, hormonal changes, skin reacting to ingredients that are irritating the skin or environmental factors.
Generally, we see skin purging when we use products that increase cell turnover such as retinoid or hydroxy acids. Purging brings preexisting microcomedones to the surface which turns into whiteheads, blackheads, papules, pustules, and even cysts.
The main difference is that while skin breakouts mean that you need to stop using a product, skin purging can mean that the product is good for you and it is working by getting all the gunk out. The turnover of the acne should be far faster than normal in a skin purge. If the breakout lasts more than four weeks than that signals at a bigger skin issue.