The Skincare Purge: Why Your Skin Gets Worse Before It Gets Better

Skin purging happens when active ingredients speed up cell turnover, pushing oil, dirt, and bacteria trapped beneath the skin to the surface. It looks like acne, but it’s actually a sign your products are working.

While typical acne is caused by impurities like dirt, sweat, and pollution getting trapped in your skin and clogging pores, purging is actually the opposite, as it is pushing these impurities out. 

While purging isn’t the case with everyone, for the select few, it can get worse before it gets better. However, this is typically happening for people that struggle with breakouts to begin with, and if that’s the case, getting through this purging phase will help push everything up and out, eliminating that problem in the future.

Once your skin has rid itself of this buildup, consistency with cleansing, exfoliation, and actives leads to a lifetime of clearer skin.

Purging isn’t your products failing, it’s proof they’re reshaping how your skin functions.

An active skincare routine that includes retinoids, for example, are celebrated for their ability to stimulate collagen, improve pigmentation, and keep pores clear by accelerating skin turnover. This natural exfoliation process reveals healthy new cells, while at the same time, expediting the removal of what causes breakouts.

In the early phase, impurities are also brought to the surface in the form of blemishes. These are breakouts that would have made their way to the top eventually, but this sped up the process.

The good news is, since the whole process is accelerated, these breakouts appear, and clear faster than typical ones, thanks to the quickened skin cycles.

When this process finishes, skin functions more smoothly and looks more radiant, setting it up for long-term clarity and balance.

Don’t quit your skincare routine at the first sign of distress. Stay consistent, use gentle supportive products, and avoid harsh exfoliation. Consistency is critical. 

Stopping at this point in the process is only going to cause delays in your progress. 

While purging can occur with Trifecta due to the advanced active ingredients, most experience a shorter than usual transition phase because each step is supporting your skin during this adjustment period.

Here are how the three steps of the Trifecta can help your skin during acclimation:

• Rinse Daily Cleanser deep cleans pores to prevent any new buildup, without stripping your skin of its natural oils. Soothing, hydrating ingredients calm sensitivity and irritation, reducing inflammation from breakouts.
  
• Quench Vitamin C Serum defends against environmental stress which can cause damage to skin and enlarge pores. If mild breakouts do occur, Vitamin C works against post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, helping to prevent lingering dark spots.
  
• Illuminate Anti-Aging Cream delivers retinol in a gradual way encouraging steady renewal without overwhelming your complexion. By supporting this process in a controlled, balanced way, you move through the purging into lasting results, from smoother texture, to stronger, more resilient skin.

A skin cycle takes about 28 days, so many see improvement within a month, but typically it takes about 2 full cycles, or about 6-8 weeks, to get through a full purge period. 

During this time, your skin is not only clearing impurities but also producing more collagen, restoring hydration, and brightening and rebalancing skin tone. After about 3 months, you will finally start to see the beauty of healthy, clear, balanced skin tone. 

This is why we celebrate the 90-day milestone at KaramMD, because not only does your skin really look healthier by this point, but what has happened below the surface is equally as impacted. 

Real transformation takes time, and the rewards are both visible and long-lasting.

While it may be tempting to stop using your routine, or overcompensate with other products, this could make things worse.

Harsh chemicals, abrasive exfoliants, or heavy products can block or clog pores, and lead to inflammation, disrupting your purging process. 

If you do want to add anything to your routine, it is important to make sure you are using a non-chemical, non-abrasive, non-comedogenic options:

• Polish Enzymatic Exfoliator can be ideal when starting a new routine because it uses dual-action natural exfoliation to help your skin shed those dry, dull, rough top layers, allowing your cleanser and actives to penetrate deeper and get the job done more efficiently. Polish also contains Azelaic acid which has properties that help manage breakouts and keep the skin clear. But take it slow in the beginning and only exfoliate once a week to avoid irritation. 
• Enrich Breathable Barrier Balm soothes, hydrates, and protects your skin without clogging pores. It provides a lightweight, breathable layer that allows for detoxification of the skin, meaning your skin can still continue to purge. This barrier also prevents any other type of environmental pollution, dirt, and debris from getting into your skin, making it especially helpful for keeping skin clean, clear, and protected during this transition phase.

Since this is bringing up dirts and oils that were already trapped in your skin, these breakouts tend to happen in places where you regularly see them. If you are breaking out in clusters or places that don’t seem normal, it could be an allergic reaction or irritation.

Purging pimples, while still frustrating, also tend to not last as long. Where a normal pimple has to slowly rise to the surface, and may take up to 10 days to subside, these are on the fast track.

With that, it is important to leave them alone to not delay the healing process, or leave behind dark spots or scars.

Purging is temporary. Clearer, healthier, more resilient skin comes when you stick it out and allow the process to do its work.

Just like starting a workout program, the early stages can feel uncomfortable, maybe things aren’t progressing as quickly as you wish they would, and sometimes you may even question, do I really want to do this, or should I just quit?

But if you are committed, with enough persistence and unwavering consistency, all of a sudden you start to see the returns. You're stronger, healthier, and more confident, which in turn is motivating to keep going.

Your skin is no different.

Once the purge is over, your skin not only looks clearer—it functions better, with improved renewal, resilience, and balance.