Free · answers stay in the browser
How long a retinoid purge can last
A purge is a temporary burst of small comedones in areas where you already clog, after you start a product that speeds cell turnover. It is not every new pimple, and it is not a rash.
Cosmetic retinoid purges, when they happen, usually settle within about six to eight weeks. Spots in new areas, itch, or swelling are reasons to stop and get advice.
- Cost
- Free
- Time
- A few questions
- Signup
- None
- Data
- Not stored
Still inside a typical window
Small comedones in your usual breakout areas can show up for about six to eight weeks after a retinoid. Keep the rest of the routine boring and wear sunscreen.
In the app
Want a record of purge window, not a one-off?
Purge window settles the question above. The app is where that decision can be checked against six skin scores over the following weeks.
- Six saved scores: hydration, texture, tone, acne, pores, and redness
- A morning and evening routine built from the scan
- The same face, week after week, so a change shows up as a trend
Scan with your phone. iPhone opens the App Store. Android opens Google Play.
The science
What the purge window calculator decides, and what it leaves alone
- 01
A structured question, not a photo score
A calculator fits when the answer depends on behavior, a label, or a number you already know. A camera cannot see how a product feels, what else is in the routine, or whether a breakout started after a new active.
- 02
How this page reaches a label
Work through the prompts in order. The result follows from the answers, in this browser, and the answers are not stored.
Tied answers stay tied. If two labels earn the same weight, both are shown, because forcing a single winner would invent confidence the answers did not have.
- 03
What the label means, and what the app records
Count from the week you started, not from the week you wish you had started.
The AISkincare app keeps a scan: hydration, texture, tone, acne, pores, and redness, then builds a morning and evening routine from those scores. This page answers once and does not store the photo.
Use the label to choose a next step, then check it against a scan if the question was about skin rather than about a product or a style.
- 04
Where this kind of check runs out
This planner is a cosmetic schedule, not a prescription. Stop an active that burns, swells, or keeps getting worse, and ask a clinician before you change a prescribed treatment.
If the honest answer to a prompt is 'it depends' or 'I am in pain,' stop and treat that as the result. The page cannot examine you.
How to use a purge window result
Count from the week you started, not from the week you wish you had started. Note whether new spots match your usual breakout map. The purge-or-breakout quiz asks the same question in words.
Take the actions on the result card as a short list, not as a diagnosis.
How to answer so the label is worth having
Answer for the last two weeks, not for your best week or for a photo you wish you had taken. If a prompt is about a product, use the ingredient list on the bottle you own, not a similar product from another brand.
One pass is enough. Changing answers until the label feels flattering wastes the check.
A label today, a score over the month
Purge window can be retaken when the routine changes. It will not show whether redness or texture actually moved. That comparison is a scan in the same light, saved in the app.
The QR code under the tool sends an iPhone to the App Store and an Android phone to Google Play.
What the purge window calculator cannot decide
This planner is a cosmetic schedule, not a prescription. Stop an active that burns, swells, or keeps getting worse, and ask a clinician before you change a prescribed treatment.
It cannot see beneath the skin, predict a reaction to an ingredient you have never used, or replace a clinician for a spreading rash, a changing mark, or painful acne.
How to use the result
- Count from the week you started, not from the week you wish you had started.
- Note whether new spots match your usual breakout map.
- The purge-or-breakout quiz asks the same question in words.
Where to go from here
If one part of the result stood out, open the tool that asks only that question. Each one states its limit in the same place, and each one links back to a guide when a longer explanation helps.
- Should you slug?Decide if a petrolatum layer overnight will help dryness or trap oil and clog pores. Slugging is a technique, not a requirement.
- Double cleanse quizSee whether an oil or balm first cleanse earns a place in your night routine, or whether one gentle cleanser is enough.
- AM / PM splitterSort vitamin C, retinoids, acids, and sunscreen into morning or night so you are not stacking the wrong actives before you leave the house.
- Travel routine cutterReduce your routine to the few products worth the space in a carry-on, based on trip length and how reactive your skin is.
This planner is a cosmetic schedule, not a prescription. Stop an active that burns, swells, or keeps getting worse, and ask a clinician before you change a prescribed treatment.