Have you started a new skincare routine and noticed some breakouts? It could be your skin purging, a rash reaction to a product, or even an acne flare-up. But how can you differentiate between these three situations and avoid confusion?
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How can we determine if our skin is purging or if it's experiencing an acne breakout, an allergic reaction?
Summary
Published February 27, 2023,
updated on July 11, 2024,
by
Stéphanie, PhD, Doctorate in Life and Health Sciences
—
3 min read
Skin Detox: What does it look like?
The term "skin purge" or "rebound effect" refers to the appearance of skin lesions, similar to an acne breakout. Even though this sudden and unexpected phenomenon can happen to anyone, it is more common in skin prone to blemishes. When certain active ingredients are incorporated into a skincare routine for the first time, they eliminate all dead surface cells and thus bring out blemishes, by increasing the skin's cell renewal rate. These skin lesions would have surfaced one by one at some point anyway. Temporary, this phenomenon often heralds a clearer complexion in the future, free of all impurities.
Purge versus Skin Eruption or Allergy: How to Differentiate?
Here's how to determine if you're experiencing an acne breakout, an allergic reaction-type rash, or if your skin is simply purging itself.
Verify the ingredients present in the skincare product.
A purge occurs when you have applied a care product concentrated in active substances with exfoliating properties or that stimulate the production of new skin cells (salicylic acid, retinoids, glycolic acid...). Indeed, by more rapidly eliminating the top layer of dead cells and accelerating cellular renewal, imperfections may surface. Otherwise, it is a skin reaction caused by the use of a product unsuitable for your skin type.
The duration of the acne breakout.
The purge is a temporary phenomenon, which should disappear after a certain period of time. Generally, it takes between 4 to 8 weeks to subside, the necessary time for the skin to complete a full cycle of cellular regeneration. However, if acne pimples persist, this means it's an acne outbreak. They take much longer to retract.
The localization of pimples.
Pimples resulting from a purge almost always appear in the areas where you regularly experience acne outbreaks, whereas a pimple eruption related to an allergy will occur in places where you are not accustomed to seeing them.
The type of pimple.
The purge manifests itself through the appearance of microcomedones such as blackheads and/or whiteheads, while an allergic skin reaction more often results in the appearance of red bumps. It is often accompanied by other symptoms indicative of an allergy such as red patches, itching, and skin dryness.
Diagnostic
Understand your skin
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