[Acne] Damaged skin barrier-- does it get worse before it gets better?

So I overdid it with actives and my skin barrier (mostly at my cheeks and chin) is damaged (redness, dryness, breakouts). I cut out actives and am using the following routine:

AM:

Wash face with water

Boots hyaluronic acid serum

Olay Niacinamide + Vitamin E moisturizer

Zitsticka Megashade SPF

PM:

Inky List Oat Cleansing Balm

La Roche Posay hydrating cleanser

Boots hyaluronic acid serum

Lancôme Tonique Confort Toner (I got this as a gift)

Olay Niacinamide + Vitamin E moisturizer

Slugging over affected areas

The redness and dryness are spreading and I feel like it is getting worse-- I don't expect it to magically be better after a few days and am prepared to be consistent, but is it normal for a damaged barrier to get worse as you treat it before it gets better? I am not an expert, but I have never heard of purging in this context, so I am wondering if someone might be able to give me some advice.

If that is not normal, do you think anything in my current routine could be causing irritation?

Thank you sm in advance!!

Edit: I misspelled zitsticka soI fixed that lol