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Is Your Skincare Helping or Hurting? How to Tell If It’s Purging or Just Breaking You Out
You just started using a new skincare product—and now your skin looks worse.
Maybe you’re seeing more pimples than before. Or your skin feels different. And now you're wondering... is this normal?
Before you panic, here’s what you need to know:
A temporary breakout doesn’t always mean the product isn’t working. In many cases, it’s just your skin adjusting and purging—not reacting badly.
Let’s clear up the confusion so you can tell if your skin is simply purging or if this product isn’t right for you.
What is Skin Purging?
Purging is a normal and temporary process that happens when your skin speeds up cell turnover.
Here’s how it works:
• Your skin naturally sheds dead cells, but sometimes clogged pores stay trapped underneath.:
• When you introduce certain active ingredients, they push those trapped impurities to the surface faster—which can cause a temporary spike in pimples or tiny bumps
• Once the purge is over, your skin looks clearer and healthier than before.
Purging happens with products that speed up skin turnover, such as:
- Exfoliants (salicylic acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid)
- Retinoids (retinol, tretinoin, adapalene)
- Benzoyl peroxide
- Deep-cleansing treatments
What About Sunscreen, Moisturizer, or Cleanser?
These don’t “purge” in the same way—but your skin might still need time to adjust.
If you’ve switched to a new sunscreen, moisturizer, or cleanser, you might notice:
Sunscreen
Mineral sunscreens (like those with non-nano zinc oxide) sit on the skin’s surface and may take a few days to settle into your routine.
Moisturizer
If your skin is used to synthetic creams, a more natural, skin-compatible formula (like ours) might feel different at first.
Cleanser
If you’ve switched from a harsh cleanser to a gentler one, your skin might need time to rebalance oil production.
This is normal. Give your skin a little time to adapt before deciding if the product is a good fit.
What is a Breakout?
A breakout means your skin isn’t happy with something in the product. Instead of helping your skin clear up, it’s causing irritation, clogged pores, or barrier damage.
This can happen with:
- Heavy moisturizers that clog pores and cause congestion
- Harsh cleansers that strip the skin and trigger irritation
- Oils or serums with pore-clogging ingredients
- Fragrances, preservatives, or unnecessary fillers that your skin reacts to
If your skin is breaking out because of a product, it won’t get better with time—it will only get worse.
Purging vs. Breaking Out: The Cheat Sheet
What Should You Do?
- If it’s purging, be patient! Your skin is clearing out what was already trapped. Give it 4-6 weeks to adjust.
- If it’s an adjustment phase, stick with it. If you’ve switched to a new sunscreen, moisturizer, or cleanser, your skin might need time to rebalance.
- If it’s a breakout, stop using the product. Your skin is reacting badly, and the longer you use it, the worse it will get.
- Still unsure? If your skin feels irritated, inflamed, or more sensitive than usual, it’s probably a reaction—not purging.
How to Reduce Purging
If you’re starting a product that can cause purging, ease into it to minimize the intensity:
Start slow
Use it just 1-2 times a week before increasing.
Use a lower concentration
A little goes a long way!
Hydrate & protect
Keeping your skin moisturized helps it recover faster.
Listen to
your skin
If irritation goes beyond mild breakouts, it’s not purging—it’s damage.
Purging should only last 4-6 weeks. If your skin is still reacting badly after that, the product isn’t a good fit for you.
Final Thoughts: Does Your Skin Really Need to Suffer?
A lot of people think "your skin has to get worse before it gets better." That’s not always true. Not all skincare should make you suffer first.
If your skin is constantly irritated, red, and inflamed, that’s not healing—it’s damage.
At Sky and Sol, we don’t believe in making your skin "adjust" to bad formulas. We make bioidentical, skin-compatible products that work with your skin—not against it.
No filler. No irritation. No nonsense.
Is Your Skincare Helping or Hurting? How to Tell If It’s Purging or Just Breaking You Out
You just started using a new skincare product—and now your skin looks worse.
Maybe you’re seeing more pimples than before. Or your skin feels different. And now you're wondering... is this normal?
Before you panic, here’s what you need to know:
A temporary breakout doesn’t always mean the product isn’t working. In many cases, it’s just your skin adjusting and purging—not reacting badly.
Let’s clear up the confusion so you can tell if your skin is simply purging or if this product isn’t right for you.
What is Skin Purging?
Purging is a normal and temporary process that happens when your skin speeds up cell turnover.
Here’s how it works:
• Your skin naturally sheds dead cells, but sometimes clogged pores stay trapped underneath.:
• When you introduce certain active ingredients, they push those trapped impurities to the surface faster—which can cause a temporary spike in pimples or tiny bumps
• Once the purge is over, your skin looks clearer and healthier than before.
Purging happens with products that speed up skin turnover, such as:
- Exfoliants (salicylic acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid)
- Retinoids (retinol, tretinoin, adapalene)
- Benzoyl peroxide
- Deep-cleansing treatments
What About Sunscreen, Moisturizer, or Cleanser?
These don’t “purge” in the same way—but your skin might still need time to adjust.
If you’ve switched to a new sunscreen, moisturizer, or cleanser, you might notice:
Sunscreen
Mineral sunscreens (like those with non-nano zinc oxide) sit on the skin’s surface and may take a few days to settle into your routine.
Moisturizer
If your skin is used to synthetic creams, a more natural, skin-compatible formula (like ours) might feel different at first.
Cleanser
If you’ve switched from a harsh cleanser to a gentler one, your skin might need time to rebalance oil production.
This is normal. Give your skin a little time to adapt before deciding if the product is a good fit.
What is a Breakout?
A breakout means your skin isn’t happy with something in the product. Instead of helping your skin clear up, it’s causing irritation, clogged pores, or barrier damage.
This can happen with:
- Heavy moisturizers that clog pores and cause congestion
- Harsh cleansers that strip the skin and trigger irritation
- Oils or serums with pore-clogging ingredients
- Fragrances, preservatives, or unnecessary fillers that your skin reacts to
If your skin is breaking out because of a product, it won’t get better with time—it will only get worse.
Purging vs. Breaking Out: The Cheat Sheet
What Should You Do?
- If it’s purging, be patient! Your skin is clearing out what was already trapped. Give it 4-6 weeks to adjust.
- If it’s an adjustment phase, stick with it. If you’ve switched to a new sunscreen, moisturizer, or cleanser, your skin might need time to rebalance.
- If it’s a breakout, stop using the product. Your skin is reacting badly, and the longer you use it, the worse it will get.
- Still unsure? If your skin feels irritated, inflamed, or more sensitive than usual, it’s probably a reaction—not purging.
How to Reduce Purging
If you’re starting a product that can cause purging, ease into it to minimize the intensity:
Start slow
Use it just 1-2 times a week before increasing.
Use a lower concentration
A little goes a long way!
Hydrate & protect
Keeping your skin moisturized helps it recover faster.
Listen to
your skin
If irritation goes beyond mild breakouts, it’s not purging—it’s damage.
Purging should only last 4-6 weeks. If your skin is still reacting badly after that, the product isn’t a good fit for you.
Final Thoughts: Does Your Skin Really Need to Suffer?
A lot of people think "your skin has to get worse before it gets better." That’s not always true. Not all skincare should make you suffer first.
If your skin is constantly irritated, red, and inflamed, that’s not healing—it’s damage.
At Sky and Sol, we don’t believe in making your skin "adjust" to bad formulas. We make bioidentical, skin-compatible products that work with your skin—not against it.
No filler. No irritation. No nonsense.