Our body can communicate with us in many different ways. In an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, a young girl was admitted to the hospital with a traumatic brain injury.  She was unable to communicate in the traditional sense but while she was in an MRI machine doctors created a system for her to communicate. When she thought about music, the sides of her brain lit up, and when she thought about her bedroom the back of her brain lit up.  They would ask her yes or no questions, if her answer was no then she was told to think about her bedroom if the answer was yes she was told to think about music.  She was able to communicate with the function of her brain even though she could not speak or move. 

The largest organ of our body does not have the ability to voice its concerns to us in the traditional sense either.  Instead, our skin may develop pimples, a rash, or general irritation. Our skin is communicating with us through these presentations.  Often, skincare clients see breakouts and irritation as a sign that their skincare routine is lacking or they are doing something wrong.  This is not always the case! It is important to learn the difference between our skin purging or a reaction because this will help determine the appropriate next steps.  Remember, the largest organ of our body communicates with us through these presentations so let’s take a quick lesson to learn the language of our skin. 

For the purpose of simplicity, we can think about purging as generally good whereas a reaction as generally bad. 

What is purging?

Purging is the process of your skin releasing toxins internally. This presents as deep congestion in the skin coming to the surface in the form of whiteheads or blackheads and eventually healing. Our skin is saying, “Yes, this is good, keep going!”  Purging only happens when you are using products that encourage skin cells to shed through peeling, increased cell turnover, or exfoliation.  These products interact directly with your skin’s natural moisture barrier. 

Examples of these powerhouse products with active ingredients used to initiate purging: 

• AHAs such as glycolic acid, lactic acid, and chemical peels
• BHAs such as salicylic acid
• Retinoids such as differin, retinol, tretinoin, or adapalene
• Benzoyl peroxide

 Blemishes often begin forming 6-8 weeks deep in the skin before they appear on the skin surface.  When applying products with the active ingredients mentioned above, we speed up cell turnover and the life cycle of a blemish.  This means the blemish will appear on the surface of the skin quicker and heal faster.

How long does purging last?

Purging lasts about 4-8 weeks.  When skin is purging you can add hydrating and calming products to your routine. Combining hydrating products with powerhouse products will lessen the appearance of purging. 

Ok, We have learned purging is our skin releasing toxins. Think about it like this, the holidays come around, we eat cookies, cakes, all of the heavy and wonderful filling foods cooked with butter and sugar. YUM! January is here before we know it and those jeans may be a little tighter. We start seeing ads for gym memberships, juice detoxes, every gimmicky self-care product on the market.  We could have overindulged in the last few months and now decide to take action to detox our bodies.  This is also a form of purging.  Out with the unhealthy habits and in with new and healthier habits.  Needless to say, it's beneficial to our health to purge toxins from our skin and unhealthy habits from our lives. 

What is a reaction? 

Reactions generally appear as overall inflammation, rather than blemishes and will typically occur in areas that you normally don't break out in. A reaction can present itself on the skin as contact dermatitis, an allergic reaction, or increased inflammation. You may notice increased dryness, itchiness, and irritable or red skin resembling a rash. Our skin is standoffish and protective when it reacts to a new product or environment.  It’s trying to communicate “I don’t like this, stop it!”.  Keep calming, hydrating, and healing products on hand to help treat irritated skin during a reaction, and always speak to your professional skincare person for advice in treating. 

How to treat skin irritation or reaction: 

1) STOP the product

2) Start with an extremely gentle gel or creamy cleanser that your skin has used in the past without reaction

3) Add at least 2 layers of hydration that your skin is familiar with such as a gel or water-based moisturizer, hydrating toner, or hydrating serum with anti-inflammatory properties

4) End with an occlusive barrier, this is a heavier ingredient that will seal moisture into the skin and prevent water from evaporating on the surface of the skin.  A thick moisturizer or balm can be considered occlusive but generally, this will be a product that includes waxes, oils, petrolatum, lanolin, and or mineral oil that create a layer on your skin.

Once your skin has been treated with calming anti-inflammatories it will thank you! You’ll know to avoid that product in the future at home and in-office treatments. In holiday terms, a reaction may be on everyone's face when your Aunt walks in with her “Famous Jell-O Mold” and everyone instantly rolls their eyes and says “Ugh”! We all have those family favorite Aunt’s and their famous recipes!!

Now we understand the difference between when our body is purging vs having a reaction. Remember, this is our body's form of communication, so pay attention.  Always assess your skin, listen to your body and consult a professional skincare provider if you need help determining the next steps!