Skin Purging: Why Does Your Skin Break Out After Switching Skincare Products?

Have you recently switched to a different serum or moisturizer and noticed more breakouts than before? You may be wondering why. Don’t worry, some people experience a few breakouts after starting a new skincare product, which may be skin purging. It usually settles on its own after a while. In this blog, you’ll learn what skin purging is, how to recognize it, how to distinguish it from a breakout, how long it lasts, and what to do while your skin adjusts.

What Is Skin Purging?

Skin purging, sometimes called acne purging, is a temporary increase in breakouts after you start a product that speeds up skin cell turnover. Faster turnover pushes the oil and dead skin cells already clogging your pores to the surface sooner, so pimples that were forming under the skin show up all at once instead of over the next few weeks.

Skin Purging After Changing Skincare Products: Which Ones Cause It?

Only products that change how fast your skin renews itself can cause purging. That means retinoids (retinol, retinal, adapalene, tretinoin) and exfoliating acids such as glycolic, mandelic and salicylic acid can cause skin to purge. A plain moisturizer, sunscreen or hydrating serum doesn’t speed up turnover, so a breakout after switching to one of those isn’t purging.

Signs of Skin Purging

• It starts within the first couple of weeks of using a new active
• Pimples show up where you usually break out
• Most of them are small bumps: whiteheads, blackheads and small red pimples
• Individual pimples heal faster than they normally do
• Itching and burning are mild or absent
• Things start to improve by week 4 to 6

Skin Purging vs Breakout: How to Tell the Difference

If the new product has no active that speeds up turnover, or your skin reacts in a different way, you’re likely looking at a breakout or irritation instead. It’s more likely a breakout if:

• Pimples appear in areas where you rarely break out
• Your skin stings, burns or itches, or you notice redness, swelling or an itchy rash
• The bumps are deep and painful
• It started within a day or two of the first use
• It keeps getting worse past 6 to 8 weeks

If any of these sound like you, stop the new product and let your skin settle.

How Long Does Skin Purging Last?

Skin purging usually lasts about 4 to 6 weeks, roughly the time skin takes to renew itself. Breakouts that continue past 6 to 8 weeks, or get worse each week, are unlikely to be purging. There’s no strictly defined timeline in clinical research, so treat 4 to 6 weeks as a guide.

Is Skin Purging Actually Real?

It’s less settled than skincare talk suggests. Yentzer, McClain and Feldman (2009), in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, reviewed clinical trial data on whether topical retinoids make acne flare when treatment starts. They found no primary trial data supporting the idea, and concluded that a flare is unlikely, though some patients do get worse in the first week or two as part of the natural course of acne.

That doesn’t mean your breakout is imagined. Acne naturally goes up and down, so a cluster of pimples after a new product could be purging, irritation or coincidence. The sensible response is the same in all three cases: go slowly, support your skin barrier and judge the result after a few weeks.

Also read: 7 Everyday Habits That Secretly Damage Your Skin Barrier

What to Do While Your Skin Adjusts

• Introduce one new product at a time. If you change three things at once, you won’t know which one caused the breakout.
• Start slowly with actives. Use retinoids and exfoliating acids on alternate nights, or 2 to 3 nights a week, and build up as your skin settles.
• Keep your hands off the pimples. Picking adds inflammation and can leave dark marks behind.
• Support your barrier. Actives can leave skin dry and tight, and a ceramide moisturizer helps. CITTA’s Ceramides & White Tea Moisturizer rebuilds the barrier with its 5-ceramides complex, cholesterol, and hydrogenated lecithin, plus Niacinamide and White Tea, which soothe irritated skin. Its advanced hydrating system hydrates you without leaving a heavy or greasy feel. 
• Cleanse gently. A harsh cleanser on top of an active adds to the irritation. 
• Wear sunscreen every morning. Retinoids and exfoliating acids make skin more sensitive to the sun. 
• Know when to stop. Stop the product if you get stinging, burning, swelling or hives, and see a dermatologist if breakouts are deep and painful or haven’t improved after 6 to 8 weeks.

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The Takeaway

Skin purging is a temporary phenomenon that happens after starting a retinoid or exfoliating acid, and it settles within about 4 to 6 weeks. A breakout in a new area, with stinging or redness, points to irritation instead. This matters even more if you’re starting retinol or exfoliating acids for the first time. So know the difference, give yourself time, and choose products consciously.

FAQs

Is it normal for my skin to purge after using a new product?

Skin purging after a new product is completely normal, as products containing a retinoid or an exfoliating acid speed up skin cell turnover.

How long until skin purging goes away?

Skin purging usually goes away within about 4 to 6 weeks, and breakouts that continue past 6 to 8 weeks are unlikely to be purging.

How do I tell if my skin is purging or just breaking out?

Purging shows up in areas where you usually break out within the first couple of weeks of a new active, whereas pimples in new areas, with stinging, redness or deep, painful bumps, point to your skin suffering from breakouts.

Does purging make your skin break out?

Purging makes skin break out temporarily by pushing clogged pores to the surface faster, so pimples that were forming anyway show up sooner.

Which skincare products cause skin purging?

Retinoids such as retinol, adapalene and tretinoin, and exfoliating acids such as glycolic, mandelic and salicylic acid, can cause skin purging because they speed up skin cell turnover.

Should I stop using a product if my skin is purging?

Continuing the product is reasonable if the signs match purging. You can use it less often, such as every other night, to let your skin adjust. However, stop if you experience stinging, burning, swelling, or hives.

Also read: Can Over-Cleansing Damage Your Skin Barrier? 7 Cleansing Mistakes to Avoid