Does Acne Get Worse Before it Gets Better? An Explorative Piece

Does acne get worse before it gets better? This is a question that most acne sufferers struggle with, especially if they are experiencing their first-ever nasty breakout. While there are several myths and misconceptions that revolve around the road to recovery from a flare up, none of them elicit as much emotion as the belief that things have to get increasingly worse before a ray of hope emerges. But all nuances aside, does your skin get worse before it gets better? Does this mean that the treatment of acne is as multi-faceted and complicated as the hundreds of myths surrounding it would have us believe? Is skin purging good? Well, let's see.

Is Skin Purging Good?

For those who may not be familiar with complex terminologies surrounding skincare, the word 'purge' can sound quite scary and quite traumatizing. However, nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, the skin purging process is quite advantageous in the long run, especially if your skin has a tendency to keep breaking out. Having identified that, is skin purging a myth? Well, let's see.

First of all, skin purging simply refers to the common dermatological response or reaction that application of a new active ingredient usually elicits on a person a few days or weeks after starting to use it. Experts tend to think that the skin purging process essentially bears testimony to the increase in skin cell turnover that a prescription-strength ingredient (e.g retinol) often elicits. In short, that characteristics dryness, redness, swelling, increased breakouts and itchiness is simply a way for your skin to let you know that it has received instructions to hasten the rate at which it usually replaced old skin cells with newer fresh ones.

While all this can be terrifying and surprising to a new user, it can be comforting to know that it is entirely normal, expected and will usually resolve itself within a couple of days or weeks at most. And as you will see later on, it is more or less a very small price to pay for the future handsome dividends that a drawn-out purge pays. If anything, except, the purging is not that conspicuous when using well-formulated skin care products such as AENO Acne Natural Cream.

Is a Breakout After Facials Normal?

Experiencing a breakout after facials can be a very confusing thing to most skincare noobs. You see, the last thing anyone expects after spending a considerable amount of time and money treating themselves to a facial is a new crop of blemishes or pimples on what should otherwise be an alluring and glowing face. But is it normal to breakout after a facial?

Well, often at times, the mechanical and chemical extraction that your skin undergoes during a well-articulated facial can trigger a major post-procedure irritation. It is believed that the extractions stimulated by a facial can drive the skin to attempt to get rid of the collection of debris and toxins nestled below the surface. The result, as you would imagine, is the characteristic break out of pimples and whiteheads which sometimes can be red and inflamed. This, of course, is dependent on your skin type and the nature of breakouts that you're typically prone to.

Luckily, there are a few precautions that you can employ to minimize the severity or frequency of these post-facial breakouts.

• Avoid applying makeup right after a facial
• Go for home remedies when attempting the pacify the inflammation
• Prioritize high frequency machinery
• Use the appropriate chemical exfoliants
• Wear a protective layer of SPF post-treatment

What Does a Skin Purge after Chemical Peel Mean?

As horrifying and panic-inducing as it may seem, skin purging after chemical peel is typically normal. Here's the thing; chemical peels are often intended to get rid of the outermost layer of your skin in a bid to make scarring or blemishes less conspicuous. Sometimes, this controlled injury to your skin will reveal underlying pigmentation and activate bacteria that have not yet risen to the surface.

In other words, your skin purging after chemical peel is caused by the accelerated cell turnover that a chemical peel induces. And just like in facials, you can minimize the severity of the skin purge after chemical peel by keeping your skin sufficiently hydrated and wearing sunscreen wherever you go outdoors. What’s more, you can opt for a less intrusive alternative to standard chemical peels like AENO’s Perfect Skin Pills if you want clear skin without risking aggravating a current breakout.

Can Lotion Cause Acne?

Now that we are discussing skin purging in depth, one may wonder; can lotion cause acne? Well, it is important to bear in mind that the right lotion suited for your skin should not cause a breakout as long as it does not pack medical-grade skincare ingredients such as AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids), BHAs (Beta hydroxy acids), retinol and the likes. Most of the time, if a lotion is causing your skin to break out, then it means that your skin is allergic to one or more of the contents in its formulation and that you may want to desist using it immediately.

Can Moisturizer Cause Acne?

Most folks who are new to this segment of skincare often wonder; can moisturizer cause acne? Why do I have dry skin but moisturizer makes me break out?

The truth of the matter is that using the right kind of moisturizer should not cause your skin to break out. That aside, using excessive moisturizer (even one that is compatible with your skin) has been observed to trigger breakouts or pimples especially in people with extremely dry skin. In such cases, your skin absorbs just what it needs leaving the extra greasy layer sitting atop the epidermis which may attract bacteria and dirt. This collection could later go on to clog your pores hence causing acne.

Can Face Wash Cause Acne?

If you are new to using face washes in your daily cleansing regimen, it is quite possible that you could be having concerns such as; can face wash cause acne? Indeed, using the wrong face wash can cause your skin to breakout and flare up - the reasons behind this differ. Generally, however, if you start noticing a significant flare up after starting to use a new face wash, then it could be a sign that it's doing more harm than good to your face.

Does Salicylic Acid Make Acne Worse Before it Gets Better?

At this juncture, the question does salicylic acid make acne worse before it gets better, must be lingering at the back of your mind. Yes, salicylic acid can trigger skin purging which shouldn't come as a surprise considering that it is an AHA. In short, it has the ability to increase your skin cell turnover rate consequently encouraging all the debris, blemishes and other pore-clogging substances trapped underneath your skin's topmost layer to rise to the surface.

In Closing - How Long Does the Purge Last?

Now, onto the ultimate question that you have all been dying to get answers to; how long does the purge last? Generally speaking, many people will experience this brief period of unexplained breakouts for between 4 to 6 weeks after adopting a new skincare regimen. While all this is expected and fairly normal, you may want to check in with your dermatologist if the purging lasts longer than seven weeks. At this stage, it could be that you got the dosage or frequency wrong, something that may need adjusting in accordance to your individual skin type.