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Home » Interesting Discussions » Your Say: Do you believe that some skincare causes your skin to purge before it gets better?

Your Say: Do you believe that some skincare causes your skin to purge before it gets better?

January 18, 2011 Paris B 63 Comments

does our skin purge? really?
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Here’s a touchy topic 😀

You know how sometimes you use a new product and within days, get pimples or spots? In very drastic cases, you might even get cystic acne. So you go back to the counter and the sales assistants will always say “Oh don’t worry. Your skin is purging. It will get better” …. and you wait… and it never does? Or it lasts weeks before it gets better?

Do you believe in this whole “skin purging” theory? That your skin is “ridding itself of impurities before it starts to heal”?

I personally think it a load of bollocks 😛

But thats me.

Oh I’ve been through it all. Use a new skincare product, break out, and be told that “your skin is purging”. And here I am thinking that if my skin is purging with this product, how is it that it was perfectly fine when I was using another product?

Also, I do not believe that we have hidden mines of pimples just waiting under our skin to erupt the minute we slap on a new skincare product. No. I believe any spots or pimples we get while using something new is caused by that product.

So personally, when a product breaks me out, I don’t hang around for 2-3 weeks to see if its my skin “purging itself of impurities” or if its a reaction to the product itself. I stop using the product altogether, go back to what I know works, clear my skin of pimples and try the new product again; and if I break out again, into the bin it goes.

No purging business for me.

How about you? Do you subscribe to this whole “skin purging” theory or do you too think it a load of bollocks? 😛

Paris B

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About Paris B

Paris B is a 40-something beauty and skincare enthusiast with a practical and very critical view of beauty products and the world of beauty. Her mission on My Women Stuff is to deliver clear, honest reviews and facilitate discussions about beauty trends and life, tempered with a healthy dose of humour. Let the buyer's remorse be ours not yours! When not testing the newest skincare creams and lotions, or playing with makeup, find her testing her culinary skills in the kitchen at Chez PB. Read more about us here or leave a comment below or connect with us on social media at Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!

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63 comments ... Read or JOIN THE DISCUSSION

  1. Stephanie/Yukaeshi says

    January 18, 2011 at 8:44 am

    Nope, don’t believe in it either- it either works for you or it doesn’t, and for me, if my skin starts to develop zits/pimples/spots/welts, the skincare product (Or even makeup sometimes) is not going to go onto my skin any more. I might give it another try or two just like you, and if my skin still reacts to it, it’s the bin as well 😛

    From what I know, any zits/pimples/spots/welts and even redness is your skin’s reaction to the product, and it simply means it’s irritating your skin/clogging your pores!

    Reply
    • Stephanie/Yukaeshi says

      January 18, 2011 at 8:49 am

      Oh, and I might as well add- it might work for some people (Their zits/pimples/spots/welts clear up after a while on the product and get good skin), but nope, it doesn’t work for me and I don’t believe in it, so yeah 😛

      Reply
    • ParisB says

      January 18, 2011 at 11:12 am

      Yup I feel the exact same way. Its either work or not and I don’t hang around waiting for it to 😛

      Reply
  2. xin says

    January 18, 2011 at 8:47 am

    i tried taking primrose oil and it broke me out really bad. and i took, stopped, pimple cleared, then the cycle happened again. and i was told that my skin was just trying to adjust to the pills and breaking out is good to flush out the toxins. oh well, it really sounded like BS to me. heck, im gonna stay away from primrose

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      January 18, 2011 at 11:14 am

      If I’m taking a product internally, I do give some credence to the “flushing of toxins” because its internal and we just don’t know what happens inside our bodies. But then it could also be an allergic reaction. Just because its good and natural doesn’t mean it works for everyone

      Reply
  3. Irene says

    January 18, 2011 at 8:58 am

    Bollocks! XD I don’t believe in this theory. If a product breaks me out, it means my skin is allergic to it or it’s too harsh.

    Skin Purging Theory conversation:

    Customer: I’m getting cystic acne from this serum you sold me last week.
    SA: Your skin is purging all the hidden impurities. Try a bit longer ya.

    Translation: Crap. The thing doesn’t work for her and my commission is on the line. Let’s see if I can persuade her into using the product a bit longer and hopefully her skin will build up more tolerance by then.

    This is what I think about the skin purging theory. -_-

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      January 18, 2011 at 11:14 am

      haha… who knows! That might just be it! 😉

      Reply
  4. Shay says

    January 18, 2011 at 8:59 am

    Nope. Don’t believe in that. The only product which I think is fine to break out from is a clay mask which is supposedly to draw out the impurities from deep in the skin to the surface. I had a bump once and after using origins clear improvement mask, a head resulted and it was extracted. Case closed. 😀

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      January 18, 2011 at 11:15 am

      Ah yes clay masks can break you out but those sorts of break outs usually clear up quite quickly, I find, just like in your case 😀

      Reply
  5. Jenn says

    January 18, 2011 at 9:23 am

    No purging theory for me too! If it breaks you out, means your skin is allergic to something in there!

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      January 18, 2011 at 11:15 am

      LOL looks like many of us have the same sort of idea 😛

      Reply
  6. Nadia says

    January 18, 2011 at 9:25 am

    Haha..Good one PB! I definitely don’t believe in it. If it doesn’t work, it’s coz the product is just not meant for your skin, no such thing as purging and what not. If its bad, it’s bad. The skin reacts to show it. 🙂

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      January 18, 2011 at 11:16 am

      Yup! That’s exactly how I feel about it. I dislike products that break me out when I use them because it just doesn’t make sense to me. But sometimes if it heals quickly thereafter there might be a bit of truth to the statement then? 😉

      Reply
  7. Jess says

    January 18, 2011 at 9:27 am

    No I don’t believe it at all, just ridiculous. If with my previous skincare did not cause any breakout means my skin is doing well. and if with the new skincare my skin is having breakout .. something is wrong with the new skincare!

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      January 18, 2011 at 11:17 am

      Yeah unless its a small window of adjustment. And by small I mean max 2 days with no major breakouts!

      Reply
  8. Nikki says

    January 18, 2011 at 9:33 am

    PB, I don’t call it purging, i cal it ALLERGIC to the product PERIOD! 🙂

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      January 18, 2011 at 11:17 am

      teehee me too!

      Reply
  9. loveaholic says

    January 18, 2011 at 9:52 am

    After being fooled many times, I finally came to my own conclusion that the “purging period” is a load of crap. Proactiv broke me out. It was NOT a purging period. It gave me the worst cystic acne in my life. Next, Murad. It gave me Even more scars that’s been around for half a year now.
    I now think that if a product works for you, you’ll see results. If your skin starts to react to it, aka “purge”, stop using the product and if you can, return it. lol. every single sales associate is going to call it a purging process. don’t buy into that and save yourself

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      January 18, 2011 at 11:18 am

      I agree with Kahani below. Cystic acne is a clear sign its not a purge, but a problem with the skincare. Sorry to hear of your problems with the 2 major “acne busting” brands. I’ve never tried them myself.

      Reply
  10. electronicfly says

    January 18, 2011 at 10:13 am

    Pure BS!

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      January 18, 2011 at 11:18 am

      LOL! Got burned?

      Reply
  11. Hanny says

    January 18, 2011 at 10:15 am

    I don’t really believe in it, but there was once I used this skincare line that you can find in those little Malay stalls selling Indonesian and Arab beauty stuff?? It’s called Extraderm or something. One of the products in the “regimen” totally made me broke out (skin was also peeling) so much that I could not go to school, but after the purging, my skin was totally clear after having cystic acne for 2 years! ( I was in Standard 5 then).

    Ever since then, I followed up with Clinique and I have never changed my skincare brand… ^.^

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      January 18, 2011 at 11:20 am

      yeouch! That sounds like an awful awful experience! Skin peeling is definitely NOT just mere purging! Its a reaction and it sounds chemical. Chemical peels actually do that – peel off the top layer of skin, allowing new clear skin to grow in its place. And if a brand or product works, stick with it 🙂

      Reply
  12. Kahani says

    January 18, 2011 at 10:15 am

    If it’s cystic acne, it’s bullshit. BUT I will say that exfoliants can bring blockages to the surface. So white heads that pop and clear easily with no scarring I can believe is purging… but not deep-seated cystic acne.

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      January 18, 2011 at 11:21 am

      Hey you’re right. As you said, if it clears up quickly (and “purging” spots usually do) then it might make sense that its a mild reaction but if it is very bad or its cystic acne, into the bin it goes.

      Reply
  13. Pim says

    January 18, 2011 at 10:25 am

    There are 2 ingredients that I know will cause the “purge” which are BHA 2% (or higher) and acne treatments products like Ratin A or Differrin. These 2 will cause you to break out. The level of break out does differ. I have use all of them. I broke out only several pimples and that’s all. But some people does break out all over their faces. It took them about half a year to get it all cured. But I’m not sure if this is considered “skincare”. It’s more like a medicine?

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      January 18, 2011 at 11:22 am

      I used Retin A a long time ago and I actually found it drying on the skin but it did not cause purging. Also AHA or BHA tends to cause peeling and gave smoother skin, but did not cause breakouts for me. But as you said, if its just a few scattered pimples, its something we can handle provided they don’t keep recurring. But for me, if I break out all over I would be very wary of such a product.

      Reply
  14. Lisa says

    January 18, 2011 at 10:31 am

    Don’t believe it. I tried it once several years back, my skin from clear and good turns bad, flared up, cystic.
    Nothing to purge in the first place but with the use of the crappy product which claims to be organic and natural, it just made my skin unbalanced til no return. I had to see doctors and be on medication and treatments for so long. It sure was a depressing period for two years. But i am lucky that later on, i am able to come across good natural organic products that salvage in a gentle approach what the doctors couldn’t. Now, i’m just happy my skin is back to normal and better. All i want to say is take this theory of purging with a pinch of salt. And also to really be selective and careful in choosing ‘natural’ products.

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      January 18, 2011 at 11:24 am

      Thank you for the warning! You’re right. Just because a product says its organic or natural does not mean it will suit everyone because natural ingredients or even essential oils can be very strong. A lot of people don’t realize it though. They just think “natural” and “organic” means its wonderful for their skin.

      Reply
  15. AnT says

    January 18, 2011 at 11:06 am

    Bollocks for me too! 😀

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      January 18, 2011 at 11:25 am

      Succinct! 😉

      Reply
  16. jojoba (My Makeup Reviews) says

    January 18, 2011 at 11:07 am

    i have a strange experience with jojoba oil. it didn’t work for me when i first tried but it did after many years later. so i can’t say it’s a fib.

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      January 18, 2011 at 11:26 am

      Did you use it continuously despite it breaking you out when you first used it? I’ve found that some products that broke me out before now don’t. Maybe its just because I’m getting older and my skin more resilient 😛

      Reply
  17. Jessica says

    January 18, 2011 at 11:15 am

    I don’t buy it, though I’ve been told that so many times, especially when it comes to using herbal products. Sometimes Mom would make one of those ‘cleansing’ soups and I get pimples, she’d say ‘Ha, all the toxic is coming out’….you have no idea how many eye rolling stunt I’ve performed 😉

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      January 18, 2011 at 11:27 am

      haha! As I told Xin above, if its something I ingest I’m more likely to believe its “toxins” but of course it could just be too “heaty” 😛 But if its something topical, I don’t buy into that sort of theory.

      Reply
  18. Aina Alene says

    January 18, 2011 at 11:40 am

    i also believe it’s crap. because i have some skin products which make my skin beautiful (last time. now it’s still recovering) and it didnt need to go through purging to achieve that.

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      January 18, 2011 at 12:48 pm

      Did you go back to them? Those that worked for you I mean.

      Reply
  19. yuki says

    January 18, 2011 at 12:33 pm

    This happened to me 2 years ago. I think I’ve said it many times… hahaha… I used Skinfood’s Peach Sake Line and it gave me horrible breakouts… I didn’t believe at first as lots of ppl didn’t have prbs with it… SO ‘to the trash’ it goes… lol… Visited some professional ppl and they said that I might be allergic so something in it… Clinique SAs said that it could be due to inproper cleansing technique. errr… I didn’t use makeup back then and I’ve nvr had any breakouts before…

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      January 18, 2011 at 12:50 pm

      I haven’t tried that one but hey if it doesn’t work it doesn’t work. Been hearing so many people saying they can’t use hyaluronic acid which is surprising to me because my skin loves it. So really we’re all different and purging isn’t always the answer 🙂

      Reply
  20. Tine says

    January 18, 2011 at 1:13 pm

    It’s nothing more than a marketing gimmick, to try to sucker us into thinking that in order for something to work on our skin, it has to, er, not work first. Skin is purging? Purging what? Poo? 😛

    I’m with you, it’s bollocks 😛

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      January 19, 2011 at 9:12 am

      haha I like what you said “Purching what? Poo?” Exactly! Usually when I purge it means I ate something wrong 😛

      Reply
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