Q: Skin Purging vs Breakout, how to tell the difference?
A: Sometimes after introducing a new product on your skin, you may experience a skin breakout. But how to differentiate whether it is a plain breakout or just skin purging?
Here are a couple of things which can help you to spot the difference:
1. #Duration: The life cycle of the acne (that occurs during a purge) is faster than a regular breakout. It will heal much quicker than in a typical breakout. If your breakouts are lasting longer than 4-6 weeks, then it may signal the product is not working for you or actually making things worse.
2. #Location: Purges also tend to trigger breakouts in the spots you normally see acne symptoms, so if you have breakouts in new areas, it’s probably not purging.
3. #Active Ingredients: Take note of the active ingredients in the product. Skin purges typically result from chemicals that exfoliate your skin, like retinols, alpha and beta hydroxy acids, and acne-fighting ingredients like salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide. So, if your skin is breaking out after using something like a hydrating oil, sunscreen, or something that can clog pores, like a comedogenic makeup formula, you likely have a traditional breakout rather than a purge.
When it comes to treating your skin during a purge, the best thing that you can do is actually to wait it out 
Remember, purging is a good sign that your skincare is effective and doing the right thing. So be patient and within a month, you’ll start to be acne-free.
What if you did break out, and it’s not of the skin purging variety? Stop using the product immediately, and rely on very basic products for a few days.
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