Purging vs breakout, is it purging or is it irritation. These are some of the most important
questions you might ask when you start off with any product that can increase cell turnover,
for example, your AHAs, retinoids like differin, retinol and tretinoin, benzoyl peroxide,
chemical peels, and certain exfoliants. You definitely want to know how to tell
the difference because it could your skin from a lot of unnecessary trial and error. In this video,
we will look at how purging happens, 3 of the biggest signs to help you identity a purge vs
a breakout or reaction, and how to work around the purge for best results. So lets get started.
If you guys are new here, this channel is all about helping you make informed decisions as
well as be in the know when it comes to your health and wellness, and I would love for you
all to gently tap on that like button down below, and if you really like the content, then Id love
for you all to subscribe as well, to stay up to date with new weekly videos. Now without
wasting anymore time, lets get straight into it. To understand the difference between purging and
plain old breakouts, we need to understand how they happen. And for an easy example well start
off with an ol classic pimple. To understand the difference between purging and plain old
breakouts, we need to understand how they happen. Pimples occur when a pore becomes clogged,
usually by skin cells that wont detach and get wont come to the surface properly,
forming whats called a microcomedone. And, Microcomedones aren’t visible at the
surface of the skin. But sometimes they can develop to what we refer to as, whiteheads,
blackheads, pimples, or cysts. Which can go away on their own, and for them to appear,
it usually takes them about 8 weeks for a microcomedone to show up, being fashionably
late. Purging happens when your product your using, lets say retinol, speeds up this 8 week
process of skin shedding and replacing, which then accelerates the microcomedones to form whiteheads,
blackheads, pimples and cysts at a faster speed. Kind of like teslas ludacris mode.
And if your product becomes irritating, which btw for the most part is normal and doesnt mean
you should throw it out, the microcomedones that decided not to show up to the party,
end up showing up, since inflammation invites acne. But as the product starts to work,
less and less microcomedones form, and your skin should become clearer than when you first started
out. Thats basically purging and irritation in a nutshell which is a sign that the product is
working. And again, you dont have to throw out your product because youve had an minor irritation
to it, you should however stop the product if you have a reactive breakout. Which is what well
look at next. So what are the 3 biggest clues that its a breakout and not a purge, the first one is:
Location. With purging, the breakouts are happening in areas where you normally frequently
break out and in a reactive breakout, the breakout happens in a completely new area where you don’t
break out. For example, If you get cysts around your jawline or whiteheads under your nostrils,
purging will invite everyone back to the same house. The second clue is time. With purging,
your pimples are going to disappear faster than normal, because of all the cell turnover
happening. But if a reactive breakout, the timing typically takes 8 to 10 days to appear and go
away and sometimes months, which is quite long. And the third clue, is feeling. With purging,
your skin is going to feel more tender, but with a reactive breakout, your skin feels more swollen
and painful to touch. And this is because with purging, you typically get more dry,
flaky skin that you can tell is peeling, but with a reaction, you can get more nodules and cysts,
which if youve never got them before, it may be time to look for a new product.
And while There’s a small chance that your skin will get used to the product over time, but most
of the time you’ll just cause further damage if you dont stop in time, but if you decide on
stopping, make sure you do you due diligence to identify skin purging vs a reactionary breakout,
because you dont want to stop whats already working. Now lets get into my 3 tips around
the purge, and if you havent seen my video yet on how to prevent the purge and possibly bypass it,
then youll want to first start there. The first tip I have is if youre already purging, is Keep
yourself hydrated, make sure you getting in your vitamins and minerals like magnesium and zinc.
This potentially can help your skin heal faster. Number 2: Sunscreen. If you already use an spf of
30, increase it to 50. An SPF 30 allows about 3 percent of UVB rays to hit your skin. An SPF of
50 allows about 2 percent of those rays through. That doesnt seem like a big deal until you realize
that the SPF 30 is allowing 50 percent more UV radiation onto your skin. And number 3: Go through
your list of products you use and its ingredients and make sure they are all non-comedogenic. Which
means they wont clog your pores. Anything that disrupts the sebum outflow on our skin can lead to
the formation of whiteheads, and you wont believe how many ingredients are comedogenic. Not saying
there bad, but maybe its not there right time. And now for the bonus tip, since you guys made it
this far is you see, you may not know, but Certain fabrics can irritate your skin during the purge.
This is because your skin is most vulnerable at this stage. You want to Wear soft fabrics like
cotton, bamboo and silk that cause less friction, especially in your bedding. Your bed sheets are a
breeding ground for bacteria, as you sleep, your body sheds around 30,000 skin cells each hour,
which is all food for dust mites and potential breakouts, so if you can keep up with this,
try washing your bedding at least once a week during the purge. And switch over to what
I recommend silver infused pillowcases, which Ive left a link for down below.
When it comes to treating your skin during a purge, the best thing that you can do is actually
the least satisfying answer anyone really wants to hear—you just have to wait it out.
There’s a small chance that your skin will get used to the product over time,
but most of the time you’ll just cause further damage and it’s time to find a better product.
Click the red subscribe button down below if you found any value and ill see you on the next video.