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The surprising culprit:\u00a0dehydrated and overworked skin. See, when you start using a new active skin care product, whether that means a chemical exfoliant or a retinol, your skin may begin to dry out for the first few weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Naturally, dry skin craves moisture. If you don\u2019t replenish it with a topical hydrator, then your skin can produce excess sebum to fill the gap.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sebum is the sticky oil that clogs pores, which is most often what those tiny bumps represent. They may not turn into full-fledged inflamed pimples, but they do add texture to the skin and can be difficult to treat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What\u2019s more, adding new products like retinol to the mix on a daily basis can cause inflammation in the skin, due to a damaged skin barrier. The hard part about treating these tiny bumps is that your skin may feel<\/em> like it needs exfoliation, but it actually just needs a metaphorical glass of water.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cCertain products to calm the skin and decrease inflammation can help maintain a healthy skin barrier during the purging period,\u201d board-certified dermatologist Gabriella Vasile, DO, FAAD, previously told mbg about this type of skin texture.\u00a0<\/p>\n This logic applies to any time your skin is overworked, especially if you just started using a new active ingredient. So rather than throwing more exfoliants at it, look for hydrating serums and moisturizers with the following ingredients:\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n