Experiencing redness in the face is not an uncommon occurrence. Most of us have probably experienced facial redness at some point in our lives. From feeling shy and getting a flush to spending too much time under the sun and getting a sunburn. Often, these types of redness are only temporary and will eventually dissipate. A hot flush is usually caused by an intense blood rush and will slowly subside. Sunburns also slowly turn to brown if you are someone who tans well, or it might peel and flake off as dead skin if you are someone with low melanin levels and doesn’t tan well.
However, when facial redness does not subside, that is probably a cause for concern. There are many skin conditions, ailments, and disorders that can cause the face to turn red for a prolonged period of time. In this article, we will go through some common reasons why your face is red and how you can treat it.
Eczema is a chronic skin condition that is a result of a weak skin barrier. When the skin barrier is weak, it is unable to protect itself from irritants in the environment, causing itching, redness, and inflammation of the skin. One sign of eczema is crusting of the area that is irritated. There might be an irritant in your surrounding or an ingredient that is causing your eczema to flare up.
How to combat it: You can go to a doctor to get some medicine prescribed. Doctors often prescribe an antihistamine to combat eczema, but this differs from person to person. It is always better to get a diagnosis than trying to treat it yourself.
Rosacea is another skin condition that has unknown causes but it is basically a disease that affects that face causing extra sensitivity. The typical symptoms of rosacea are small, red bumps filled with pus that occur during flare-ups. Rosacea usually occurs on the nose, cheeks, and forehead areas. During a flare-up, the affected area will be very sensitive and one might even experience some kind of burning or stinging sensations.
How to combat it: You will want to get long-term prescription medication from your doctor to treat rosacea effectively. Since rosacea flares up every few months, it will require a long-term treatment rather than a one-off medication. If you are conscious of how the redness looks, you can try using green-tinted makeup primers to color-correct the areas with redness before applying makeup.
Sensitivity to the sun is also known as photosensitivity. It is an extreme sensitivity to UV rays present in the sun and light sources. People who have photosensitivity often have a greater chance of getting sunburnt from being under the sun for a long time. There are medical conditions like systemic lupus erythematosus that can be responsible for causing photosensitivity.
How to combat it: Staying out of the sun will be your best way of combating photosensitivity. Using an SPF with a factor of at least 40 and broad-spectrum every day will be absolutely crucial for protecting your skin against the sun. Double up the protection by wearing a hat when you are under the sun and sunglasses as well.
Allergic reactions can also cause inflammation. The immune system might detect something foreign and goes into overdrive, essentially producing an overreaction that results in an allergic reaction. Allergic reactions can occur from just about anything, from medicines to foods. There is also a condition called contact dermatitis which occurs when you come into contact with a substance that you are allergic to such as certain ingredients in products or toxic substances in plants like poison ivy. Bacteria, fungi, and viruses can also be a cause of allergic reactions.
How to combat it: Figure out what is the cause of the allergy. It could be something you ate or some pollutant that you came into contact with. The first thing to do is to remove the allergen from your lifestyle, so if it is an ingredient in a product stop using the product, and if it is some kind of food don’t eat it! You might also want to get prescribed some medicine from a doctor who can identify what will best target the allergies.
Contact dermatitis is a much more serious skin condition that you will definitely want to get medical help for. It is caused by direct contact with something in the surroundings that causes an allergic reaction in the form of inflammation. Many substances can cause contact dermatitis from makeup products to soaps, plants, and even jewelry. The rash will look very similar to any sort of allergic inflammation so it is hard to determine what caused it.
How to combat it: If you suspect you might have contact dermatitis, go see a dermatologist as the best way to treat it is with a prescription type topical steroid to bring down the swelling and heal the area.
Psoriasis is a skin disorder that likely results from a dysfunction in the immune system. There is no definite cause for it, but doctors suspect it is due to the immune system sending wrong signals. It causes the skin cells to reproduce up to ten times the normal speed, resulting in patches of bumpy red skin with a scaly look. These patches can be very itchy and painful for sufferers of psoriasis, and it tends to be genetic,
How to combat it: The best way to tackle psoriasis is to see a doctor. They can prescribe treatments such as steroid creams and moisturizers for less severe cases. More serious cases sometimes use light therapy in which a UV light is shone onto the afflicted parts to slow down the skin cell growth. Other types of treatment for psoriasis are biological treatments that block the immune system from activating cell-reproduction and enzyme inhibitors to block the enzymes involved in the process of cell growth.
There are many possible reasons for facial redness, with some being less severe like sunburn and allergies which can be treated, to more serious skin disorders and conditions. It is always important to get a doctor’s advice on your skin to check if it might be a more serious disorder.
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