Can Salicylic Acid Cause Acne?

Salicylic acid is one ingredient that may cause a temporary bout of acne. Known as "skin purging," worsening acne is a short-term reaction to ingredients that speed up cell turnover. 

Salicylic acid helps your body quickly get rid of dead skin cells. As a result, those dead skin cells, dirt, and oils appear on the surface of your skin, which clogs your pores and causes acne. 

How do you know if your recent acne breakout results from skin purging? Read on to learn about the ingredients that cause a temporary onslaught of acne.

What Is Skin Purging?

Skin purging occurs when certain ingredients accelerate your body's natural process of getting rid of dead skin cells.

"Acne starts out as what we call microcomedones, which are under the surface of the skin and not visible," Arielle Nagler, MD, an assistant professor of dermatology at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, told Health. "Some treatment products increase the turnover of the skin and help to reveal these microcomedones earlier, or in an accelerated way."

Some common causes of skin purging include retinoids and salicylic acid. Products with those ingredients help speed up cell turnover. Often, quick cell turnover brings hidden dead skin cells, dirt, and oils to the surface of your skin. That buildup is what clogs your pores and causes acne.

Eventually, your skin adapts to those ingredients. Acne clears up, finally allowing you to reap the benefits of that new product.

Is It OK To Use Salicylic Acid Every Day?

You can use salicylic acid daily or a few days per week. 

One of the most likely culprits of skin purging is salicylic acid, available in creams, gels, lotions, pads, and more. Salicylic acid helps clear acne by reducing swelling and unclogging the buildup of your pores.

You may need to apply a low dose of salicylic a few times a week if your skin purges at the start of treatment. You can slowly build up to using the product daily as your skin adjusts to the salicylic acid. Consult a dermatologist about how to use salicylic acid best to treat your skin.

How Long Does It Last?

Skin purging typically may last several weeks. It can take four to eight weeks to notice fewer breakouts and as long as 16 weeks for your acne to clear after starting a new product with glycolic, lactic, or salicylic acid or a retinoid.

Generally, experts advise using new products for at least four weeks. You may not notice any improvements until four to six weeks after starting a new treatment. In contrast, it may be time to drop the product from your daily regimen if your acne does not improve after that time.

Skin Purging vs. Breakouts

Not every crop of new pimples is the result of skin purging. "Non-comedogenic" products, or ones that do not clog pores, may reduce your risk of a breakout. In contrast, products containing shea butter, silicones, and oil-based products may clog pores.

"If you're using something [with those ingredients], then you could be breaking out from the product itself," Debra Jaliman, MD, an assistant professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told Health. "If you try a new product and you start to break out, it depends on the ingredients as to whether you should stop [using] it."

There are a few differences between pimples caused by skin purging and breakouts. For example, skin purging causes acne that disappears quickly and does not leave a scar. Breakouts may cause pimples that slowly shrink away and often leave marks.

Signs that your skin is sensitive to the product's formula include:

• Itching
• Redness
• Swelling

You may want to stop using it sooner rather than later if your new product does not contain ingredients that cause skin purging.

"If it isn't something that's formulated to help skin turn over and you're breaking out more, you should stop," said Dr. Nagler.

Risk Factors

Aside from the ingredients list on your new product, other habits may cause pimples unrelated to skin purging.

Factors that increase the risk of breakouts include:

• Falling asleep at night before taking off your makeup
• Harshly scrubbing your skin
• Popping your pimples
• Sharing makeup products and tools with other people
• Trying too many acne treatments within weeks of each other
• Using a towel to wipe away your sweat while exercising
• Washing your face more than two times per day

Preventing Another Purge

You may not be able to avoid a skin purge altogether. Still, you can help your skin adapt to a new product by slowly introducing it to your daily regimen.

For example, you may only use a low dose of a topical retinoid every three days for the first few weeks. Then, you can slowly build up until you apply the cream to your face nightly. Once your skin adapts to the retinoid, you may even opt for a more potent dose than your current one.

Gradually adding the product to your skincare routine helps minimize acne breakouts and other side effects, like dryness and redness.

A Quick Review

Some acne treatments may cause an invasion of unwanted red pustules. Although that sounds counterintuitive, it's completely normal. After a month or two of slowly introducing a new product to your skincare routine, you'll finally notice smooth, blemish-free skin.

Of note: Be wary of the ingredients in a new product. You may want to sacrifice that new cleanser or serum if it's not non-comedogenic, or includes ingredients that clog pores.