What is purging, and will I experience it after using my prescription treatment?

When you start a new skin prescription treatment, it’s common to experience purging — in other words, a breakout or worsening of existing acne. This can be concerning if you’ve never experienced it before, as it seems that your skin is getting worse instead of better. 

However, it’s all part of the process and is nothing to worry about. Think of it as a spring clean for your skin — the active ingredients in your prescription treatment are just speeding up the process of unblocking your pores and increasing skin cell turnover. 

It may take around six weeks for your skin to clear up again. In the meantime, we recommend continuing with your nightly prescription treatment and using a gentle cleanser and moisturiser to keep your skin calm. You may be tempted to throw more skincare into the mix, such as exfoliants or face masks, but we wouldn’t recommend this as it may do more harm than good. 

If the purging hasn’t eased after six weeks or your skin feels particularly aggravated, please get in touch with our Dermatology Team at hello@andbegin.com and they will be happy to advise you.