Have you started a new skincare routine and noticed the appearance of spots? This could be your skin purging, or you may be experiencing a rash in response to a treatment, or even an acne breakout. But how can you differentiate between these three situations and avoid confusion?
How can we determine if our skin is purging or if it is experiencing an acne breakout, an allergic reaction?
Summary
Published on December 20, 2024, by Stéphanie, PhD, Doctorate in Life and Health Sciences — 3 min of reading
Themes:
Skin detoxification: what does it look like?
The term "skin purge" or "rebound effect" refers to the emergence of skin lesions, similar to an acne breakout. Although 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 the dead cells on the surface and thus bring out the 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 afterwards, free from 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 removing the upper layer of dead cells more quickly and accelerating cell 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 a pimple outbreak.
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 spots persist, this indicates that it is an acne outbreak. They take much longer to recede.
The location of spots.
Spots resulting from a purge almost always appear in the areas where you regularly experience acne breakouts, whereas a spot eruption linked to an allergy will occur in places where you are not accustomed to seeing them.
The type of spot.
Purging is characterised by the emergence of microcomedones such as blackheads and/or whiteheads, whereas an allergic skin reaction tends to cause more of a red bump appearance. It is often accompanied by other symptoms indicative of an allergy, such as red patches, itching, and skin dryness.
