About a month ago, I started using the Murad Age Reform AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser. I had just stopped using the Glossier Milky Jelly cleanser and I realized I had a large sample of the Murad cleanser under my sink. About five days after I started using it, I had the worst skin I had ever had in my entire life.

There were these bright red pussy breakouts all across my right cheek. That is an area I frequently breakout in, but I had never seen it look so bad. Since I’ve had good experiences with Murad products in the past and they are a high quality brand, I was shocked that my skin looked this way.

I was going to stop using this cleanser immediately; I thought it was a bad match for my skin because it looked so terrible. Then, my sister asked me if I was purging which launched a lot of internet searching.

After doing my research, I learned that the Murad cleanser wasn’t making me breakout, it was making me purge. Within a week, my skin looked significantly better even though I was using the same exact product regimen. I took a picture on the worst day and one week later, my skin had no active breakouts and the scars were rapidly fading. 

Even though I did have the worst acne I’ve ever had using this product, I was thrilled that this happened to me because I was able to learn so much about skin and skin care through the process.

What is Purging?

Purging is when a product increases the cell turnover (the shedding of dead skin cells) on your skin. This can cause any clogged pores to be pushed to the surface resulting in acne. Purging is a sign that an exfoliating product or retinol is working really well.

 

Two Signs Your Skin is Purging:

-The breakouts occur where they normally do

Remember how I said that while I was using this cleanser, I was only breaking out on my right cheek? For the past year or so this has been the main location of my breakouts. Other than a couple small pimples around my eyebrows, this is where the purge occurred for me. The skin on the rest of my face was clear as day. 

*If you are breaking out in unusual places on your face, it’s probably a sign that a product isn’t a great fit for your skin

 

-The breakouts fade quickly

There was about a week between my skin flipping out and a face with fading scars. Pretty freaking wild, right? If you skin isn’t purging, a breakout will last approximately week. With purging skin, the lifespan of a single breakout is very short. When the first photo was taken, I had pussy active breakouts. A week later, when the second photo was taken, the scar tissue was already peeling off from the breakouts. 

 

Ingredients that Might Cause Skin to Purge:

-Exfoliating Acids (AHA/BHA)

AHA (alpha hydroxy acid) is an exfoliating acid which helps treat skin issues like hyperpigmentation and wrinkles. BHA (beta hydroxy acid) is another exfoliating acid which is used to treat issues like sun damage and acne. 

*The Murad Age Reform cleanser I was using had both AHAs and BHAs so had I been educated on these, I would’ve known to expect a purge!

 

-Retinol

Retinol is a Vitamin A derivative which can increase collagen product and the cell turnover rate. Retinols are used as an anti aging ingredient and can also help fight acne.

 

What To Do if Your Skin is Purging:

-Continue using the product that’s causing the purge

It might sound counterintuitive to continue using the product that is making you purge, but it is actually best to continue using the product. The main goal of using exfoliating acids or retinoids is to increase the cell turnover rate which will result in healthy, glowing skin. Unfortunately, you might have to go through a purge to get there.

 

*A purge should not last longer than a month. If you are still breaking out after a month, it’s another clue that the product doesn’t work for your skin.

 

-Use a gentle skincare routine while your skin is purging

While I was using this cleanser, I decided I probably shouldn’t exfoliate because the cleanser was acting as a daily exfoliant. There was no need to use a weekly exfoliant on top of this. 

Despite my knowledge that my skin was purging, I was still pretty panicked that my skin looked so angry. I couldn’t find any information about using clay masks during skin purging, but I did use the Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask during this time. Because I couldn’t find any information on this, I wouldn’t recommend it, but I don’t think it hurt.

While everyone should be using sunscreen everyday, using sunscreen is especially important if you’re purging. The sun cause cause pigmentation from breakouts to become darker. Using sunscreen while purging will help protect your skin from unwanted pigmentation and scarring.

 

How to avoid skin purging?

You might not be able to fully avoid a purge, but you could definitely decrease the magnitude of purging by easing onto a product. If you begin using a product with any of the ingredients listed above, you might want to start using it 1-2 times a week, work up to every other day, and then every day depending on the product.

I wish I would’ve been more educated on exfoliating acids before I started using the Murad cleanser because I would’ve eased onto the product if I knew I should be expecting a purge. Now, I know.

Conclusion:

So aside from the knowledge I’ve obtained about exfoliating acids and purging, I learned quite a bit about my skin in the process. I used the Murad cleanser for a little over 3 weeks. Even though my skin looked significantly better during the last few days I was using the cleanser, I don’t have much interest in purchasing a full size of this cleanser.

I tend to prefer gentle cleansers for my dry skin. As someone who wears eye makeup and contacts, I like to use a cleanser to gently remove excess makeup from my eye area without having to worry about irritating my eyes or the delicate eye skin. 

With a cleanser like the Murad Age Reform cleanser, it was definitely a lot for my skin to handle and I couldn’t use it around the eye area because it contained both a chemical exfoliant (AHA/BHA) and a physical exfoliant (small, grainy material to remove dead skin).

I’m really glad I tried the Murad cleanser because I learned that I need to be exfoliating way more than I was before! If I had been exfoliating enough, I wouldn’t have had so much gunk trapped under the skin that all came out during the purge. Now, I will be diligent about exfoliating 1-2 times a week instead of every 1-1 ½ weeks.

 

Did you know about purging? Has your skin ever gone through a purge?

 

Sources:

–The Secrets to Deciphering- and Stopping- Skin Purging

–AHA vs. BHA: What’s the Difference?

–What is Retinol? Everything You’ve Wanted to Know and More