Should You Pop Spots When Purging?

Suffering from skin purging?

This post will get you all covered about skin purging, its causes, do’s and don’ts, how to stop skin purging, things that can aggravate skin purging and related FAQs!

What is skin purging?

Skin purging is a reaction of the skin to certain ingredients in a cosmetic product or any medicine that shows on the skin in the form of acne, breakouts, rashes, irritation and redness. Purging may show up as a bump or pimple.

Is skin purging the same as pimples or acne?

No, skin purging is not acne or pimples though it might look alike. Skin purging appears as small red bumps or rashes on the skin but they are short-lived than acne and pimples.

Purging subsides quicker than acne and pimples. So, if you get skin irritation and breakouts suddenly after applying a certain cosmetic or medicine, it’s mostly a purging.

What causes purging?

Purging is caused due to cell turnover rapidly. The ingredients that accelerate skin cell turnover are some active ingredients such as AHA and BHA, Vitamin C, Glycolic acid, Retinol and harsh physical scrubs.

What happens is these ingredients cause the upper layer of the skin to get removed so that the new skin cells and the layer beneath can come up as your new skin. In this process, the skin might get irritated and inflamed and show up as purging.

Let’s talk in details about the ingredients that cause purging in some skin:

Vitamin C:

Vitamin C is an active ingredient that helps to brighten your complexion and diminish signs of ageing. In order to brighten your complexion, Vitamin C also accelerates skin cell turnover as it exfoliates dead skin cells. Higher concentration of Vitamin C can disturb your skin and cause purging of the skin.

Retinol:

Retinol is a very strong agent for collagen production that helps to renew skin cells and prevent ageing. In the process of boosting collagen production, Retinol disturbs the epidermal skin cells which results in purging.

AHA and BHA:

Both AHA and BHA are chemical exfoliants. While AHA helps to brighten skin complexion and make the skin look healthy and glowing, BHA helps to fight acne.

Both these ingredients accelerate skin cell turnover (BHA being more harsh to the skin as it cures active acne) and hence cause skin purging.

How to prevent skin purging?

You can prevent skin purging by following the tips below:

1. Start with a mild chemical exfoliate

Mild exfoliants will not disturb the cell skin turnover rapidly and will thus prevent purging being less aggressive to your skin.

2. Use low concentration of Retinol in the beginning

If you are new to Retinol, start with a very low concentration of it and limit the application to only twice a week. Gradually increase the frequency and then shift to higher concentration after a year.

3. AHAs are less harsh than BHAs

AHA will just help to brighten and smoother the skin, therefore, they are less harsh in the skin. So first start with products that contain only AHAs and then shift to BHAs.

4. Do a patch test before using any new product

A patch test will tell you how your skin will react to the new product and whether you should be going ahead with it or not.

How to treat purging skin?

If you have suffered purging or are going through it, the following skin care routine will help you get rid of it quickly:

1. Shift to a chemical free skin care routine

When your skin is purged, it’s already irritated, so using any chemical product will only aggravate the condition. So while your skin is purged, go for a chemical free skin care routine and use only natural skin care alternatives.

2. Use mild cleansers

Harsh cleansers will lead to more purging as they can open up the pores and irritate the purged areas. 

3. Do not pop your purging bumps

This is the worst thing that you can do to your purged skin! Please don’t pop them or else you will be left behind with spots that will take ages to fade.

4. Introduce peptides in your skin care routine

Peptides help to rebuild the barrier of the skin, are anti-inflammatory in property, and restore the suppleness of the skin.

5. Apply ceramides

Ceramides also help to repair skin barriers and provide intense moisturisation.

6. Hyaluronic acid is a great ingredient to soothe the skin

Hyaluronic acid will provide intense hydration and moisturisation to the skin and will also fight signs of ageing.

7. Honey is calming to the skin

Honey treats inflammation and soothes the skin. It helps to subside rashes and irritation quickly and also gets rid of dry patches.

8. Centella extract acts as soothing element

Centella is calming and soothing and relieves pain from purging and rashes instantly.

9. Coconut oil

Coconut oil provides an instant cooling effect to the skin and calms down irritation and purging. It also helps to moisturise intensely and relieve dry patches and itchiness.

10. Apply an SPF

Sun rays will aggregate your purged skin and therefore using an SPF is compulsory.

11. Use a mild toner

Toners will help to close pores and that will prevent further breakouts.

Is it okay to pop spots when purging?

Believe me, that’s the worst thing to do. Popping your purged bumps will not only leave behind scars that can never fade away, but popping can also lead to infection and very serious skin conditions that will require medical help.

If your purged areas are itching, instead of popping them, apply a soothing component such as coconut oil, Centella extract, aloe vera, jojoba oil and honey.

These ingredients will not only help to get rid of irritated skin, but will also help to heal the dry patches caused by purging.

See you soon!

So, remember, hydration is the key to heal purged skin and popping your purged area will aggravate the condition!

Hope you have learned all about purging and how to prevent and heal it. Stay tuned for more skin care and hair care updates. Till then……

Keep it simple, keep it graceful!