What causes red skin on your face?

Facial redness is a common concern among women – whether it’s in the form of a constant flush, blotchy skin or red spots on your face.
Reasons for facial redness can vary from reactions that appear instantly to conditions that develop over time – and are usually either a medical condition or the result of an irritant. If you’re experiencing a red rash that is persistent it may be an underlying skin condition, in which case you should pay a visit to your doctor or dermatologist to be diagnosed correctly.
We reveal five possible causes for the red skin on your face and how to treat them.
1) Rosacea
Symptoms: a constant red flush across your nose and cheeks, and small lumps similar to pimples
Rosacea is a chronic skin condition as a result of enlarged, overactive capillaries and the most common cause of facial redness. It results in an inflammation of the cheeks, forehead, nose and chin. The condition can worsen with stress, extreme weather conditions, physical activity and certain skin products, and those with fair skin are often more prone to it.Ӭ
To reduce redness: avoid highly-perfumed products, limit your alcohol intake, limit spicy foods and avoid hot baths and showers – which are all triggers of the condition. Applying cold packs can assist in reducing redness and swelling, and look for creams and gels containing antibiotics.
2) Allergies or contact dermatitis
Symptoms: a red, itchy, complexion Ӭ
Contact dermatitis is a skin condition caused by external substances touching the skin. The most common form is irritant contact dermatitis, an inflammation that appears as a result of regular exposure to skin irritants. Allergic contact dermatitis is a delayed type of induced sensitivity when your immune system has a reaction to an ingredient, and can take days to show up. The trigger could be anything from ingredients in chemical sunscreens, preservatives in cosmetics, hair dyes, and fragrances, to prolonged contact with your mobile phone (especially if it hasn’t been cleaned for a while). ”¨
To reduce redness: it’s important to discover the cause of a contact irritant and stop using the product. Try to determine what’s new or different in your skin care routine. A cold water compress can relieve burning or stinging. Topical steroids may be used to help reduce inflammation or itching in both cases.
3) Perioral dermatisis
Symptoms: a burning feeling around the mouth, a similar rash around the eyes, nose or forehead, small red, or pink lumpy spots similar to acne.Ӭ
A common skin issue among young women, perioral dermatitis is a rash that affects the skin around the mouth. Surrounding skin may appear pink and the skin surface can often become dry and flaky. Although the cause remains unknown, using a steroid cream on the face can trigger the condition.
To reduce redness: it is advised to discontinue use of all creams and ointments to the face, including cosmetics and topical steroids. Antibiotics may be advised by a doctor to help clear the rash.
4) Facial psoriasis
Symptoms: an itchy, scaly rash most commonly found on the upper lip, forehead, eyebrows and hairline. Persistent, thickened red and dry patches on the face.
Psoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory disease that can appear on any part of the body. Most people who suffer from facial psoriasis have the disease on other parts of the body. A doctor can examine the condition and at times a biopsy is done to confirm the diagnosis.
To reduce redness: facial psoriasis requires extra care as the skin is thinner and more sensitive than the rest of the body and is usually hard to treat. Mild cases respond well to moisturisers and ointments containing vitamin D. Medications can also be prescribed by your doctor.
5) Acne redness
Symptoms: redness and inflammation around pimples.
Acne redness is an inflammatory response, it occurs when sebum (an oily substance produced by glands in the skin) combines with dead skin cells and causes clogging of the pores. Acne redness starts with pimples, and popping them can irritate the surrounding area.
Reduce redness: over exfoliating and scrubbing is common among young women with acne who think it will help to erase the problem - however this can only worsen inflammation. Look for gentle cleansers and natural products to avoid further irritation and use a green-based concealer for a quick-fix cover up (this can also be used to cover redness from rosacea).
Do you suffer from facial redness? Do you know the cause of your red skin? What are your tips for reducing facial redness?
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81 Member Comments
When I have reacted to sheet masks I put a bucket load of aloe Vera gel on my face and it works
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Thank you for the information.
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My skin does not turn red easily. It happened very rarely when I reacted to certain products.
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Very informative article. I've sensitive skin & sometimes if I use the wrong product's my face flares up & at times I get itchy skin also but thankfully I use the right product's now but their is the case if that happens, Itchy skin their isn't much I can do about that. Thanks for sharing BH.
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My sensitive skin reacts to different ingredients in products so I tend to stick to what I know works without causing problems.
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Love articles like this....helps heaps!
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I am going to forward this to a friend
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I'm going through a phase of Perioral dermatisis and I literally don't want to go out of the house. Luckily, thanks to diet changes for a couple of days, it has started to reduce. I do have some around my mouth, but I am confident that it will go if I continue with the diet change.
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Thanks for the information, I have Rosacea on my checks.
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Great article :)
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interesting read, sometimes i go have redness on my face but i dont know what auses it :(
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I've always got a bit of a red flush going on on my cheeks.
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I dont suffer from red facial skin
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I sometimes get some redness on my face, don't know why. I can't pick any of the reasons above....I love using Avene products.
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Wow. I do a little actually, on the bottoms of my cheeks. I think it might be keratosis pilaris
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I have Rosacea and I will definitely take on board the ice pack tip!
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Avene have some great products for roseaca :):)
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Great info - thanks
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careful with the ingredients in your beauty products. even those products made for sensitive skin can harm
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I seem to have developed a sun sensitive widespread eczema the past few years, which begins the first day of spring, and passes off in summer when it's warm and rainy. As a homeopath I am slowly progressing.. I will not use steroids to supress it as I know the inflammation will just go straight back to my nose & lungs. Dont want to undo the good work of the past 18 years! Anyway, I recently bought a bottle of Panthenol, which is provitamin B5. Easy to find information on this in relation to inflammatory skin conditions.I add this to my big bottle of Kiehl's moisturiser. While it is not a cure, it goes a long way to softening and reducing inflammation. Cracks in the skin heal quickly. A Godsend. I bought the Panthenol from the Sydeny Essential Oil Company.
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I have suffered from Rosacea in the past. However I consulted with my skin specialist, and she gives me some amazing treatments and products to reduce the redness. I also do weekly facial massage with a little bit of olive oil to stimulate the muscles, vessels and pores in my skin. And Hydrate my skin as mine tends to be on the drier side. I also make sure I check the quality and ingredients of the products and makeup I put on my face…
Great topic xox
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Thank goodness I don't suffer these.
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thanks for this informative article
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