The Purging Process (and why it’s a good thing)

Have you ever been excited to try a new acne product (thinking that you may have finally found the answer to clear skin) only to start the regimen and break out more! Although frustrating and almost a step backwards in the fight for clear skin, what you are experiencing is “the purge”. This is a natural process that happens for as little as a day to as long as a few months when trying a new treatment. But in the advanced age of skin care and medication, why would an acne treatment make you break out, even for a relatively short amount of time? Can’t this process be stopped? And why is it happening in the first place?

Murad claims it’s due to trapped oils and impurities being released to the surface of the skin – like a detoxification process of acne causing culprits. Cosmetic Cop claims the skin’s environment is altered and can cause pimples to erupt. Beauty Brains discounts both theories and chalks it up to folliculitis, or a condition where your hair follicles are irritated, inflamed and look like acne.

I’ve personally always thought that the Murad theory was correct. Not being any sort of dermatologist, it’s hard to really understand the exact reason this process happens. But what I know firsthand is that it DOES happen. A lot of people go through this process, and no matter what is occurring, the skin usually clears up like it should after a short period of time.

I’ve tried a few acne products including Murad and Proactiv and have never experienced the purging process for more than a week. Some of my friends have experienced “the purge” for several months before seeing positive results. It is highly frustrating, embarrassing, and sometimes even painful. But if you are looking for instant gratification and a quick fix, acne will always be a problem for you. You need to stick with it. The acne treatment you are trying might not ultimately be the best one for you, but there is no true way of knowing unless you give it a legitimate shot. Give your treatment a try for at least one month before calling it quits.