Did you just start using a skin serum and instead of the skin glow you were expecting it only left you with a break out and dry flaky patches and a hole in your pocket and all bummed out?!!! 

BUT HERE IS THE GOOD NEWS,  it could be good sign that your new wonder serum could actually be working as it is common to have a reaction to a new product. IT'S CALLED SKIN PURGING. 

Here are the facts. 

Skin Purging is the reaction our skin is having to an active ingredient in your skincare product.  The active ingredient is speeding up the skin cell turnover rate leading to increased cell formation. This in turn  also means that you’ll be shedding dead skin cells faster than normal. During this process, the pre-existing clogged pores beneath the surface of your skin (microcomedones) are pushed out, causing your skin to flare up.

So let's think of Skin Purging as a deep cleanse. 

It take up to 8 weeks for a pimple to show on the outer layer of our skin and when adding in your new actives, your soon-to-be pimples get activated together, faster than they normally would on their own. In other words, purging gets all the nasty stuff out of your skin all at once, leaving only the goodness behind.

What does skin purging look like?

Skin purging typically looks like tiny red bumps on the skin that are painful to touch. They are often accompanied by whiteheads or blackheads. It can also cause dry flaky patches of skin. The flare ups caused by purging have a shorter lifespan than a breakout. It should heal much quicker. These bumps also tend to appear on areas of your face where you frequently breakout. So, if you’re seeing irritation on new areas, that’s probably not purging. That being said, everyone’s skin is unique and purging may show up in various different forms.

How long does skin purging last? 

The duration of skin purging can vary, but it should not last any longer than four to  six weeks. This is because after six weeks your skin should become used to the ingredients in the product that caused the purge.  You can reduce the intensity of skin purging by using small amounts of the product or use it less frequently. 

The End Is In Sight 

It may be tempting to stop using said wonder serum that got your skin breaking, but  do resist.

Think of purging as the terrible twos of skin care: Your skin may be throwing temper tantrums left and right, but it’s only a phase and definitely a frustrating one. BUT in the bigger picture,  of having the skin of your dreams, is four to six weeks really that long of a  time? We think not!