At first glance, skin purging is going to look like a full-fledged breakout—or even more likely, worse than a full-fledged breakout. However, the trigger isn’t going to be your typical ones, be it hormone fluctuations, diet, or sleeping in makeup. In fact, purging breakouts are actually a side effect of your skin clearing up. “Skin purging is a process where blockages within your pores are brought to the surface all at once,” says board-certified dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, M.D. Think of it like a going-out-of-business sale for your zits. “Skin purging occurs both in people who have acne and in people with normal skin,” says Zeichner. “It tends to occur to a greater degree if you have acne because there may be more oil and more blockages within the pores to begin with. But it may occur to a lesser degree even in people who do not have acne. If you do not have acne at baseline, there still may be microscopic blockages within the pores allowing for buildup of mild levels of oil. " So, why is noting the distinction so important? Because you might be tempted to stop using a product when, in fact, it’s working. And on the flip side: If you are experiencing a breakout that’s unrelated to skin purging, you know that you might actually be going through a reactionary breakout and should stop using said new product. Here’s how you can tell if your breakout is the result of purging:
