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4 articles
New active making you break out? It might be purging — or it might be a reaction. The difference matters, because one means the product is working and the other means it needs to go.
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Alpha-hydroxy acids get sold as one category, but glycolic, lactic and mandelic acid behave differently enough that picking the wrong one is a common reason an acid "doesn't work" — or works too well, too fast, in the wrong direction.
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Every acne product with salicylic acid uses the same tagline about unclogging pores. That's true, but it undersells an ingredient that's also anti-inflammatory, mildly antibacterial, and one of the few actives that can actually get inside a pore rather than just working the surface.
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Over-exfoliation causes the same symptoms it's supposed to fix — oiliness, texture, breakouts — which pushes people to exfoliate harder. Here's how the feedback trap works and what appropriate exfoliation actually looks like.
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