Lab Muffin Beauty Science

The science of beauty, skincare, makeup and nails

  • Home
  • Science
  • Browse
    • Archives
    • Reviews by Brand
    • Random Post
  • About
    • About Michelle
    • Site Policies
    • Follow
  • Shop
    • Shop
    • Skincare eBook
  • FREE Exfoliation Guide!

Video: Is My Skin Purging or Breaking Out?

May 16, 2017 By Michelle 11 Comments

Affiliate Disclosure: I receive a small commission for purchases made via affiliate links.

Video: Is My Skin Purging or Breaking Out?

Here’s my second video. It’s based on my Purging vs Breakouts post, which I got a lot of questions on – I’m hoping that this video makes things a bit clearer if you’re trying to work out if you’re purging or breaking out from a new product! In it I cover:

  • the science behind purging and breakouts
  • tips on working out if you’re purging or breaking out
  • some ways of making the purging process less severe

(Yes, right after I edited this photo and realised how bad my eye wrinkles were, I started using anti-aging peptides and sunscreen around my eyes religiously.)

Here’s a handy, Pinterest-friendly summary of the key points for differentiating between purging and regular breakouts. These rules aren’t hard and fast, and the lists of product types are really not exhaustive at all. There’s a fair bit of guesswork required to figure out what’s going on too. But hopefully it helps!

Video: Is My Skin Purging or Breaking Out?

Again, if you have suggestions for future videos or any other suggestions in general, I’d love to know! And if you’ve subscribed already and given me feedback on my last video, thank you so much – I really appreciate it, and I read every single suggestion. You can probably see how I’ve implemented some improvements already, like cleaning up the captions and getting a little closer to the camera.

I’m getting a little more used to recording and editing videos, and I’ve just acquired some new video editing software that will work a bit better than the one I’m using now, so the next episode should be higher quality… in theory. I’m hoping the camera will be a bit less shaky when I pan and stuff! We’ll see…

I think I’ve decided on what to cover in my next video, and it’s going to be a bit ranty. I’m pretty excited about it!


Related Posts

  • Busting Retinoid Skincare Myths (with Video)
  • How to Reapply Sunscreen Over Makeup (with video)
  • How to Choose UV Protective Clothing
  • Microcurrent Devices: Science and Foreo Bear Review

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Reddit
  • Google
  • More
  • Tumblr

Filed Under: Science, Tutorial, Video Tagged With: acne, biology, science, skincare, tutorial, video

« How Does Botox Work?
Pixi Beauty Mist review: Glow, Hydrating Milky, Vitamin Wakeup, Makeup Fixing »

Comments

  1. LindaLibraLoca says

    May 17, 2017 at 7:06 am

    I don´t think your wrinkles are that bad. I have been lucky so far never really to experience purging, but I try to introduce new products slowly, maybe that has helped.
    LindaLibraLoca recently posted…How to manage Blog, Kids and a full time job – my first ever Q + AMy Profile

    Reply
  2. Erin says

    May 17, 2017 at 8:22 am

    I think this is the hardest thing for me. I always debate whether to just STOP STOP STOP when my I break out but then another part wonders if it is purge. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your thoughts, I experienced my first real purge from prescriptions and it made a light bulb go on. Now I can tell the difference. I do wish I found your blog before my “the water hurts my face” acids experience.

    Thanks for all you do for the beauty world. Your blog is my holy grail!

    Reply
    • Michelle says

      May 19, 2017 at 1:36 am

      Thank you so much! ^_^

      Reply
  3. Jelena says

    May 17, 2017 at 11:18 pm

    Any recs for eye-area-friendly sunscreen? Sometimes I feel like my regular sunscreen and makeup migrate during the day and it can be really irritating. On the other hand, I switched to wearing prescription glasses instead of contacts two years ago or so, and while I know that the glasses have some UV protection, I’m not sure how good it is. Also, even though the frame is quite large, some rays (hopefully not all) can get around them.

    Reply
    • Michelle says

      May 19, 2017 at 1:36 am

      I’m having some issues with this too! The worst offender for eye irritating seems to be avobenzone so I’d avoid that!

      Reply
  4. Shruti says

    June 5, 2017 at 10:02 am

    Which anti-aging peptide do you use? I am 29 and have found deeper fine lines around my eyes, and retinol is not cutting i t.

    Reply
  5. Shira says

    November 22, 2017 at 6:06 pm

    Thanks-Great video! first time I’ve learned about these differences (and was really helpful especially that english isn’t my language and it all made sense)…

    I’m about to start a new skincare routine with products I’ve ordered.
    it’ll be a simple routine but I’m kind of new to the skincare world and don’t want to try everything at once because I wouldn’t know to divide the effectiveness or harming of each product.
    how do you think I should start? with which product and how long do I need to wait before introducing a new product?

    (I’m getting an AHA, 2 types of face oils, a serum, a cleanser, a moisturiser
    and an eye-cream).

    would love to know your opinion about the correct order and the gaps of time between products…
    Thank you very very much!

    Reply
  6. Elizabeth says

    February 2, 2018 at 2:55 am

    THANK YOU FOR THIS OH MY GOSH. I’ve literally been sitting in my bathroom, trying a new product and thinking “Is this working? Or am I just reacting badly?” This post was a literal godsend. I love how easily you lay things out, and now I know the science behind what’s happening in my skin. You ROCK!

    Reply
    • Michelle says

      February 11, 2018 at 12:19 pm

      Yay I’m so glad this was helpful!

      Reply
  7. NOVAYA says

    August 26, 2018 at 2:41 am

    Okay so that thing on my face is purging because I just started a new exfoliant with aha & bha toner. Suddenly i had these pimples on my old spot i used to get those pimple before. NOW I KNOW THAT THING IS PURGING. I can sleep now. THANK YOU SO MUCH for sharing this because I absolutely had no idea what’s wrong with these pimples on my face (like, i just started a new skincare routine that includes aha & bha ingredients so this video explains a LOT)

    THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

    Reply
  8. Chie says

    October 31, 2018 at 5:56 am

    Thank you for this post and helping people to not constantly “abuse” their poor skin due to lack of knowledge and understanding.

    Recently, I started to use BHA, Niacinamid and Glycolic Acid and faced purging, too. Like other people I expected progress on my unclean skin but was puzzled instead and blamed the products for breaking me out. Didn’t know something like that even existed before coming to this site.

    The general lack of knowledge of basic skin science can also be seen in negative reviews on popular products when users reported breakouts, in the way how they interpreted that.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Michelle Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter RSS YouTube

Michelle
Hi! I'm Michelle, chemistry PhD and science educator, and I'm here to help you figure out which beauty products are worth buying, and which ones aren't using science!

New Posts Straight to Your Inbox!

https://labmuffin.com/signup-confirmation/

skincare guide skincare guide

Popular Posts

  • My Current Evening Skincare Routine
  • Purging vs Breakouts: When to Ditch Your Skincare
  • How Does Olaplex Hair Treatment Work?
  • Don't Use Lemon Juice on Your Skin
  • Easy (5 Minute) DIY Vitamin C Serum Recipe
  • My Routine for Starting on Tretinoin (Retin-A) Cream

Copyright © 2021 Lab Muffin
 · Foodie Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · Privacy Policy · WordPress · Log in

All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the author, except for brief quotations when accompanied by a citation and link.

Get Lab Muffin updates (comes with a FREE Essential Guide to Exfoliation!)
Your information will be stored to send you emails. For more information see Privacy Policy.