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Skin Purging - What Is It, Do I Have It, and When To Wait It Out

So I keep seeing this being brought up and I thought I go into this in a bit more detail to clarify the confusion companies seem to be creating around the term ‘Purging’.

Skin Purging - So what is purging this term ‘skin purging’, this refers to a acne breakout as a reaction to an active ingredient that increases the skins cellular turnover rate in acne prone skin types. This is an indication that the prescribed/recommended product is functioning correctly. This commonly occurs with more acidic or active products like Retinoids, Chemical Exfoliants or other potent acids. This can result in breakouts or dryness like flaking in areas where this usually occurs. This generally is resolved within a 4-6 week period.

Some tips to reduce the severity:
- Don’t use products that can excessively dry out the skin
- Don’t pick, squeeze or try and extract these breakouts, or peel skin off directly
- Ease yourself into the product. If you gradually introduce a product once a week allow your skin to adjust, increase and repeat this will minimise this occurring and the severity if it does occur.

Reactive Skin Purging - This refers to the skin reacting to certain product or ingredient that appears like purging but has some variances. Generally a good indication is this happens in a new area where you don’t usually break out. Typically it takes approximately 7-10 days to appear, mature, and shrink.

If this occurs then it’s best to discontinue use of the product and keep a note of the ingredients to cross check if there are any common irritants. Keep your routine neutral until the reaction has subsided before going back in with other actives/exfoliants.      

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