Guide: Am I Purging?

Happy Friday addicts!! I came across this post about purging on Skinacea. It makes great distinctions between purging and breaking out. Parts of the post are listed below.

Link to post

Purging is when "things get worse before they get better." This most often happens when using products with active ingredients on the label. Most commonly experienced when starting retinoids, AHAs, BHA, or chemical peels. Purging should not occur with products like a sunscreen or moisturizer.

I do disagree with their statement that scrubs can also cause purging. Scrubs are more likely to irritate the epidermis and disrupt a healthy barrier function. All of the products listed previously work at the dermal level and can bring underlying problems to the surface, whereas a scrub is probably just irritating your skin.

Purging vs. Breaking out

If you use a new product and start breaking out in places you normally don’t break out, then you are probably not purging. For instance, if your forehead is normally clear but you start getting acne there after using a new glycolic acid scrub and the breakouts don't subside after a few weeks, you are probably breaking out from the product. It is possible to break out in new areas of your face during the purging process, but if these breakouts continue for a long time without improvement, then you are just breaking out and should discontinue product usage.

Purging vs. Allergic reaction

If you start getting tiny red bumps and/or itchiness, then those are probably signs of allergy or irritation. Allergic reactions to products will usually go away with hydrocortisone cream, so if you use hydrocortisone and you still have bumps in places you normally don't break out after a few days, then it's probably the product that is breaking you out.

Purging vs. Irritation

How can you distinguish between initial purging and irritation? After all, even when you are purging, your skin is probably red because pimples that form are red, right? Well, irritation usually makes your skin feel hot, prickly, and sensitive. For example, if your skin stings when you wash your face with your regular cleanser or use your normal products, your skin is probably irritated.

To tell if your skin is irritated or purging, you can stop using the treatment product for a few days. If your skin feels calmer after taking a break, then your skin was probably irritated. If your skin is the same after not using the product for awhile (you might have to take a break for a couple of weeks), you either didn't take a long enough break or you really are purging or breaking out (purging = shorter time, breaking out = longer time).

People often irritate their skin by exfoliating too much, causing the natural skin barrier to be disrupted and grow vulnerable to bacteria. Stripping your skin and over-exfoliating are ways to self-induce acne and is why some people see their skin clear up after doing "nothing" for awhile. You also don't have to use an acne treatment every single day in order for it to work. Treatments can be effective even if you aren't being aggressive with your skin.

Conclusion

There isn't a definitive way to tell if you are purging, breaking out, having an allergic reaction, or experiencing irritation, but the above points will hopefully help you figure things out a bit better. A rule of thumb is, if you feel like you've been "purging" forever, you are probably just breaking out.