Is your skin purging when you are trying new active ingredients? Read this to find out how to stop it! But first, what is skin purging? Purging is when your skin is adjusting to the new product and persevering with the product will eventually make your skin better. In fact, the sudden crop of pimples means that it’s working as intended.
Purging generally occurs in very small, tiny bumps on your skin and usually occurs in the areas that always have purging. This means that once you've applied skincare on a particular area, the purging stays on the area and it doesn't really spread further.
This is the reason why purging is due to over-exfoliation, or also because of skin renewal. Skin renewal happens when you're using new skincare that contain an exfoliating chemical, which is either glycolic acid, lactic acid, or salicylic acid. You might also be using something like retinol or azelaic acid. It will come the times when it is necessary for us to exfoliate. Exfoliation is important to remove dead skin cells but sometimes these particular dead skin cells can get trapped in the pores. Once it gets trapped in the pores, it accumulates more and more dead skin and hence you get all these particular small, tiny bumps.
Common Forms of Acne During a Skin Purge
When your skin purges while you introduce a new product to your routine, it is because the acne was already there, it just takes sometimes before you see it on your complexion. A purge speeds that process up, and often results in various types of acne, which all fall under the umbrella of "inflammatory acne". They are:
- Pustules
- Whiteheads
- Blackheads
- Cysts
Inflammatory acne is a type of acne covers a wide range of acne types, as itappears as the result of an inflammatory response from the body. When sebum mixes with dead skin cells, inside of a pore, they sometimes create bacteria known as P. acnes. When your body detects this bacteria, it sends white blood cells into the area to attack the foreign substance. This is called inflammation, and this is why acnes look red, swollen, and filled with pus
How to reduce skin purging?
1. Acne Patch
Acne patch sucks all the pus and dirt out of your acne and pores. These patches are effective because they absorb excess fluid and have a vacuum-like effect that gets out any dirt and oil that could be causing a skin purge. It then converts those impurities into a gel-like substance that sticks to the patch and is sealed away from the face. They may also prevent bacteria from entering the pimple and exacerbating redness and inflammation.
2. Cleanse and moisturize in the right way
It’s important to cleanse morning and night to eliminate any dirt, impurities and leftover makeup and skincare residue from your skin that can clog your pores. Opt for a gentle, hydrating cleanser and be consistent with it. Additionally, only use lukewarm water to cleanse and try to avoid hot water. Hot water will strip your skin of moisture and dry it out which is not ideal for purging skin.
When it comes to moisturizer for those that are having skin purge, aloe vera is one of the best skin soothing herbs. Aloe vera also has amazing anti-inflammatory properties that can prevent inflammations and reduce acne caused by skin purging. You can apply aloe vera gel that is directly extracted from the plant onto your skin. Aloe vera is safe to be used as an overnight skin calming treatment and can also act as a mild sunscreen for irritated skin.
3. Sandwich Technique
Similar to the sandwich, after cleaning your face, apply toner then follow your skincare routine. As we have explained, the skincare that you have been using might cause you to have a purge. This is the reason why it`s important to have a thin layer of moisturizer before you start applying the rest of your skincare.
What you have to do is, let your moisturizer sit for about 2 minutes before applying any skincare. Then after you have applied your skincare, let it rest for 2 minutes, then reapply another think layer of moisturizer. The reason for this sandwich technique is, you are trapping the active ingredients in between the two layers of moisturizer and prevent them from having direct contact with your skin. Therefore, skincare will not really irritate your skin and cause a lot of purging. When you trap the active ingredients between the 2 layers of moisturizer, it reducing the amount being absorbed in your skin. This means it`s more to a slow release of active ingredients to your skin.
The duration of skin purging can vary, but according to Dr. Ingky, it should not last any longer than six weeks. This is because after six weeks your skin should become used to the ingredients in the product that caused the purge. Its important to know that you cannot speed up the proses of skin purging, but you can reduce its intensity.
For example, you can use small amounts of the product or use it less frequently. For instance, if you are starting on retinol, you might want to start applying it once a week, then slowly build-up to every day. As annoying as skin purge could be, it would all be worth it once your skin has adjusted to its new routine of active ingredients. Your youthful skin was waiting just beneath the surface the whole time!
Would you like to learn more about skincare and healthy skin? Let us help you! SkynFyx is run by a group of skin doctors and skincare experts who want everybody to achieve flawless skin at the cheapest possible cost. We customize a skincare range just for your skin condition. SkynFyx also provided a pool of information such as Blogs and Videos for FREE! It’s time to make SkynFyx a selection for your beauty prescription.
Join the conversation