The reasons your skin is red

When it comes to a flushed complexion, there’s having a natural, rosy glow and then there’s the kind of rouge that looks like you’re embarrassed, overheated, and fresh from a 1,000 km run.
And if you tend to suffer from the latter quite a bit, you’re probably a little frustrated about it. Because let’s face it (no pun intended), not only does having a red face make it harder to nail the whole make-up thing, but people mention it all the time. Oh, and let’s not forget that sometimes it’s uncomfortable as hell.
The good news is that you’re not doomed to living with a permanently beet-red complexion and dealing with a thousand questions about why you’re blushing so much. You just need to know what could be causing your flare-ups, and you’re halfway there.
So here are five reasons your skin may be a lot redder than you’d like:
The food you eat

You may already know that spices and sauces like chili, white pepper, black pepper and paprika can make your face flush faster than you can swallow your food, but did you know that tomato, vinegar, spinach, peas, banana, chocolate, and even yoghurt can cause the kind of irritation that leads to redness? Eliminating these foods can help keep that redness at bay.
The alcohol you drink

Sad, but true. Alcohol, especially red wine, beer, bourbon, gin, vodka and champagne, is one of the major culprits when it comes to facial redness and rosacea flare-ups.
Your emotions

Stress and anxiety can play a big part in turning your complexion from creamy to crimson in no time at all, which is why it’s a good idea to try to keep your emotions in check. We know, we know, that’s easier said than done, but a few deep-breathing exercises should help.
The weather

The heat and humidity of summer don’t exactly put you on the fast-track to a glowy complexion, so be sure to limit your sun exposure, wear LOTS of sunscreen, and wear a hat that covers your face well.
Your skin’s sensitivity

As someone who suffers from redness and rosacea, you’re probably well aware that certain skin care and make-up products don’t sit so well on your skin. That could be because they include ingredients like alcohol, fragrances, witch hazel, eucalyptus or menthol.
Now that you know what might be causing those pesky flare-ups, we can talk about how to treat skin redness. The key is to use products that are free from the above triggers and instead contain natural, soothing ingredients that are kind to sensitive skin. The Jurlique Calendula Redness Rescue range – which is made up of the Soothing Moisturising Cream, Restorative Treatment Serum, and Calming Mist – contains Jurlique’s Comfort Complex, a combination of soothing and nourishing ingredients and extracts that comfort sensitive skin and work to reduce redness.
Handy hint: you can use all three goodies morning and night as part of your regular skin care regime, but the mist is a good one to carry around with you in the day for on-the-go comfort.
Do you suffer from skin redness or rosacea? What are the biggest things that cause flare-ups for you?
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104 Member Comments
I really think that a big thing with skin redness is the ingredient Linalool. When I went to a dermatologist to get tested for metal allergies, they administered a standard set of tests as well.
My Linalool swatch went mental. Which explained a lot of my problems with tonnes of products that I have had in the past. I had always chalked my skin issues down to standard skin sensitivity, but it turns out it is the Linalool. It is in everything, it is basically a fragrance additive. You name it: liquid foundations, hair conditioners, hair sprays etc.
As soon as I got rid of everything with linalool in it, I realised my skin was just fine! I have no problem using things like The Ordinary's Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution all the way up to their AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution!
If you find that when you apply a foundation that has a scent in it and your skin is getting irritated, red and itchy (especially the itchy bit!) have a look at the ingredients, chances are your skin disagrees with theis ubiquitous ingredient. I recommend DB liquid foundations, they are scent-free :)
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I'm definitely a spicy food, scalding showers and beer kinda girl but at least white wine is still ok!
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I have rosacea, and I think my redness is flared up by all of the above! Heat, stress, spicy foods and alcohol (which I avoid)... I need to take good care of my skin and my overall health.
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Hot shower is my kyptonite! I know it's damaging for the skin but it's so had especially in colder seasons.
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I think mine's just hereditary, both my parents and I have redness around our lower cheek and jaw
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I have asian flush and any alcohol makes me go red
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Embarrassment and heat are the two main causes of redness for me. I HATE IT!
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I eat healthy, no animal products at all....so had no redness in eons.....till recently! Bad skincare routine (i think i went overboard with acids and other 'actives' that have damaged my skin barrier....back to normal now, as I have stopped that nonsense)
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My face would only flare up or go red if I wasn't using the right beauty products, If I got a bit sun burnt yeah this could be the case too but as for the rest on here definitely no, I love my spicy/hot foods & this never happens when I eat it. It all comes down to me with Sensitive skin.
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I don't eat spicy food so that most likely is not my problem..... Stress? Hmm, maybe! Chocolate? Really? Perhaps a tiny bit! Sensitive skin??? definitely! Fantastic, informative article. Thank you BH
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I love hot spicy foods, which unfortunately makes me overheat and reddens my face.
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I'm really lucky that I do not suffer from redness at all. My face would be the last thing to go red. I feel for others whose face would go red after 2 sips of champagne, and then everyone asks "how much did u drink?"
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I have had this condition for as long as I can remember and it was getting worse and my doctor diagnosed me with Rosacea and sent me to a skin specialist who treated me with laser and the results were remarkable. I was constantly referred to as Rudolph and I now feel more confident because of the laser treatments.
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I have issues with redness! I get asked if I am sunburnt all the night!
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I constantly have redness on my cheeks and chin and it never seems to go away
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like to try the Jurlique Calendula Range
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I definitely suffer from redness, which probably just comes with having pale translucent skin! It's one of the main reasons I like full coverage foundation and concealer. Alcohol, heat, stress or embarrassment definitely makes mine flare up.
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i get red cheeks when i get hot.
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I blush really easily, but not to mention I go red when I'm really hot or have been drinking. Don't even get me started on sunburn - fair skin & sun = no no.
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I have enlarged/broken capillaries on my cheeks and near my nose. Have had them all my life but I think they are getting more worse with age. Many things can flare them up, hot showers, alcohol, spicy food, stress, hot weather. It looks OK when covered with foundation, but I am annoyed that the only reason I can't go out without foundation is the redness (my skin is otherwise Ok). So a couple of months ago I started a course of IPL targeted at capillaries. It is similar to the IPL you would have for hair removal, but a different wavelength. I get my whole face treated, which takes about 10 mins each treatment. I was told I'd need a course of 5-6 treatments as the reduction in capillaries is gradual. I've had 2 so far, about a month apart. I'm happy with the results so far, the capillaries are slightly reduced each time and my complexion looks more even. My skin is a bit red for a few hours after, but it can be covered by mineral foundation and I use a soothing gel. I also used skincare suitable for broken capillaries. Hope this is helpful to others.
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Oh dear, pretty much everything makes me red :/
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Ugh, I go red when I'm hot and/or sweaty, hot showers, hot baths, embarrassing moments, anger, flare ups with reactions, and don't even get me started on sunburns that is THE WORST. Fair skin is beautiful but's it upkeep!
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This is amazing and I'm going to give this a go. I go red whenever I'm drinking or hot. But it looks more like a rash and is super embrassing
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I do suffer from rosacea on my cheeks and skin dehydration all over my face so I use medik8 range and it has helped but the redness is still there. There's good days and bads days so I can't really control it fully. It could be the weather, heaters / air conditioning or what i was using on my face. Now i do look at what ingredients are in my products so im glade i am avoiding the right things that were mentioned.
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