Skin Purging and ways to make the process easier

When you introduce a new product into your routine or have a full routine overhaul, you may expect to see fast visible results. And you most definitely don't expect your skin to get worse!

We are faced daily with these wonder products that offer you fast unrealistic results, many highly filtered images, that give you these high expectations. We only have to open our social media and in seconds we are bombarded with flawless skin! 

When the reality is far from that perfect picture that is so often displayed. I’m here to bring you the facts on what skin purging is and ways in which we make this process a little easier.

What is skin purging?

Purging is a skin response that can naturally happen when introducing active ingredients to the skin. Skin purging is the removal of excess toxins and blockages that are stuck inside the surface of the skin. These lumps and bumps can often be felt under the skin and the increase in cellular renewal from products will bring all those blockages to the surface, this can be seen as breakouts on the surface of your skin. 

It's often at this point you give up on your new product and routine, when your skin consultant is screaming at you to keep going and push through!  

How long will it take?

The burning question that everyone wants to know is how long will this go on for!

Everyone's skin is so different and some may not even experience a purge. Some may just have a few extra spots, and some experience a real increase in breakouts. What I always say to my clients is there is only one way out, and if you have underlying congestion you can only eliminate it through the surface of the skin. 

Our bodies naturally exfoliate on a regular cycle of about 28 days, this varies on skin type, condition and age, so generally purging lasts around that time but some can experience it for a lot longer. The negatives are temporary and you will ultimately experience positive results, and it's  the same with your skin.

It's like when you have a diet of fast foods and you convert to a healthy lifestyle full of greens. To start with there are some negative effects like fatigue, headaches, more visits to the toilet! 

Tips to make the purging process a little easier

Don't introduce too many active ingredients at once, especially if your current routine is quite basic. For example if your routine is soap and water start with a cleanser & moisturiser. Then gradually introduce more products along the way. If your skin is not being cleansed sufficiently daily, then when you introduce a good quality cleansing routine, all that dirt and debris is going to rush to the surface. 

Don't just stop your products when you start to experience these breakouts, as you will pause the whole process, leaving those blockages underneath your skin for longer.

If you introduce more active targeted products to your skincare regime and you're struggling with the breakouts instead of completely stopping as that will only mean those breakouts are going to hang around a lot longer. Instead just reduce the usage down, and then build it up again gradually.

Do not pick, or touch your skin, if you do those breakouts will be hanging around on the surface of your skin for a lot longer. When you pick you are disturbing that natural healing process and you end up back at square one, plus most likely with a whole bunch of new spots around the one you picked. It's like ripping off a scab!

Make that process more comfortable by keeping super hydrated!

Our skin functions at its prime when it's hydrated, similar to our bodies. 

Skin needs a lot of water, like our bodies. Drinking water is so important, allowing our bodies to function at its best. Water reaches the skin last, that's why topical & supplemented hydration is crucial. This will help promote that cell turn over, allowing our skin to heal faster. When our skins are dehydrated they get lazy, like we do when we aren't drinking enough water!

Our bodies are amazing, they are self healing. We just sometimes need a little help so we can speed that process up. 

I really hope this has given you more of an understanding of what can happen when you introduce new products to your skin. 

It's a natural process, it won't last forever, and on the other side is your healthiest skin!