By removing dead skin cells, facial scrubs allow oil, dirt, bacteria, etc. that were trapped deep within pores to come to the surface. The blemish that results is actually the body's way of expelling toxins completely. Breakouts that occur anywhere from two to four weeks after a gentle scrub are normal.
Scrubbing can irritate your skin, causing acne to flare. What to do instead: Be gentle when washing your face and other skin with acne. You want to use a mild, non-comedogenic cleanser.
After applying an active exfoliant to the skin, it loosens up the congestion deep within pores and pushes it toward the surface of the skin -- causing what looks like a breakout but is actually just your skin going through a cycle.
But does exfoliating help acne or make it worse? Exfoliation is effective by helping to get rid of dead skin cells and impurities that perpetuate the appearance of acne. However, it can aggravate chronic or cystic acne if not done gently and correctly.
Traditional bar soaps have the same effect on the skin because they often disturb the skin's acid mantle (which only inflames it more). If proper hydration is not restored and the skin remains in this state, the skin will overcompensate with high oil production levels. This can start the acne process all over again.
Given the increase in oil production, she says your skin will usually look greasier and slightly more inflamed. Zeichner adds that stress acne can also look like a combination of blackheads, whiteheads, red bumps, and pus pimples.
Generally speaking, dermatologists say purging should be over within four to six weeks of starting a new skin care regimen. If your purge lasts longer than six weeks, consult your dermatologist.
It's normal for your skin to purge when you use a product with a chemical exfoliator, such as AHA's and BHA's. Sometimes, your anti-acne treatment with benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid can also cause skin purging.
Washcloths may be preferable for people with sensitive, dry, or acne-prone skin. This is because other mechanical exfoliation methods or strong chemical exfoliators may irritate the skin and cause breakouts. For exfoliation, a person can dampen a regular washcloth and use short, light strokes against the skin.
If you have skin purging, you may experience whiteheads, blackheads, dryness, or even flaking. While skin purging and breakouts have similar symptoms, skin purging is temporary and lasts for a maximum of six weeks, while breakouts can last longer.
What Does Skin Purging Look Like? Purging breakouts look like tiny, red bumps on the skin that are painful when touched. Often, there may be whiteheads and blackheads that appear along with the bumps.
Purging is a sign that the product is working and you should continue with the treatment as prescribed. After a few weeks of purging, your skin and acne will have noticeably improved. Breaking out is when your skin is reacting because it is sensitive to something in the new product.
The face scrub cannot treat your pimples. Rather if you scrub your face when you have pimples, it may irritate your skin and cause a burning sensation. Face scrub can however prevent pimples by removing the dead skin cells.
Short answer: Yes. Certain exfoliants can help reduce the appearance of acne and fade acne scars. However, it's crucial to choose a product that's gentle yet effective for your acne-prone skin. Physical exfoliants, like cleansing scrubs and textured cloths, require manual rubbing, which may irritate the skin.
Telltale signs that you are over-exfoliating your skin
These include irritation, redness, inflamed skin, plus your complexion can become dry and flaky. You may develop a rash like texture, leading to uneven tones like patchy, red blotches. Breakouts are another common reaction, especially small, rough, bumpy pimples.
Conclusion. In the end, exfoliation is essential for achieving visually appealing skin, but failing to hydrate the surface can cause painful irritations and dryness that leave your skin feeling worse than before you exfoliated.
DON'T rinse off a chemical exfoliant
After exfoliating, don't wash it off right away - the active ingredients take time to absorb into your skin and work their magic! Leave your exfoliant on for about 15-30 minutes to ensure the ingredients dissolve and remove all dead skin cells.
“Purging is neither good nor bad. It can happen after using excellent products but, equally, it also frequently occurs when the skin barrier is compromised prior to starting with a product or treatment.
The red, inflamed breakouts you were previously having (but aren't having any more), are a sign that your system is detoxifying! Yay! Red, inflamed breakouts are almost always a sign of poor detoxification (and build up of waste materials in the body), and systemic inflammation (meaning whole-body inflammation).
Skin purging may give you horrible high school flashbacks, but what you're experiencing is actually beneficial. Here are some of the benefits of skin purging: Your treatment is working – The sudden increase of blemishes means that the product is successfully increasing the skin cell turnover rate.
Skin purging usually develops when a person incorporates a new product into their skin care routine that causes a rapid skin cell turnover.
Usually, it occurs due to several things such as an unhealthy lifestyle, rarely exercising, eating too many high-calorie foods, consuming fatty foods, excess stress, and lack of sleep. Unfortunately, this condition is often ignored and not immediately corrected so that in the end only triggering more acne to your skin.
Cleanse. It is important to wash your skin every morning and night to remove any debris, pollutants, residual makeup, and skincare residue that might clog your pores when getting skin purging. You should choose a mild, hydrating cleanser.