Getting A Closer Look To The Causes Of Redness On The Face

My friend, Sharon, was saying that she usually has some redness due to facial flushing. She went to see her dermatologist up north in Michigan, and she said that it was not Rosacea, as she thought that she had. She wanted to talk and have a closer look at the causes of redness on the face.

On one side, she was happy, but on the other hand, she was concerned. She’s late young thirties, and wondering if she’s feeling the first signs of menopause, as hormonal fluctuations…

The truth is that there’s no specific age for feeling the first signs of menopause, but, we all know that for some people it might happen at the beginning of the forties.

But let’s not go crazy, let’s have a closer look at another cause of redness on the face.

On the other hand, we have pure irritation that causes Redness On The Face

That could be many things, sometimes one specific cause, other times, many at the same time.

Bar soap, fragrance, detergent, fabric softener, there are so many things.

The good news is that there are some home-treatment, that dermatologists may recommend. One of them is applying zinc-based sunscreen.

The good ones have zinc-oxide that goes on thin and not sticky. It really helps to calm the skin and lessen the redness of the skin.

There are some other specific redness reliever lotions, containing licorice derivatives, that are good options.

Having a closer look for causes of redness on the face, let’s begin looking at the ingredients list we saw here before.

Stress Could Be Leading The Redness On The Face

If Stress is haunting you lately, more than usual, maybe, this is the cause. Seborrheic dermatitis is one of the first responses to stress.

It causes red, dry, scaly patches on the skin – often hair-bearing areas, like eyebrows and hairline, as well as along sides of the nose and in the creases that run from the nose to the corners of the mouth (nasolabial folds).

Seborrheic dermatitis, responds very well to topical hydro-cortisone. 1% hydrocortisone cream base twice a day for a week (first week) then after that once a day – at bedtime for another week. May be enough to alleviate the symptoms.

If nothing happens, we strongly encourage you to see your dermatologist.

Allergic Reaction Is Another Factor For Redness On The Face

As we saw here in previous posts, we checked some of the allergic reactions that could happen due to jewelry, haircare, fragrance, and other skincare products.

Let’s have a look into some of them

• Nickel – About 10% of the population is allergic to nickel. A lot of women know that they get rashes when they wear nongold jewelry, but don’t realize that even 14-karat gold can leach out to nickel. Check other metals here…

A company called Allerderm Laboratories offers a kit test including nickel… check here. It’s basically following instructions, moisten a cotton-tipp with a solution and boom… you can be assured if it is an allergic reaction to nickel.

In the meantime, avoid any other metals, until complete assurance.

• Fragrance – Most of us assume that a fragrance must be artificial to cause irritation and redness. But even botanicals can be problematic for people who are allergic to them. In other words, any product for people who are allergic to them.

In other words, any product with a strong scent, natural or artificial, could cause a skin reaction. What to do in this case

Eliminating the potential offender from the skincare routine and apply 1% hydrocortisone cream to the affected area until the redness goes away.

• Shampoo and conditioners – Many shampoos and conditioners, among other haircare products contain common skin irritants. If you have changed recently, check the ingredients list for lanolin, sodium lauryl sulfate and shea butter.

These are all the most common ingredients that irritate the skin, not to mention the breakout part, which is a reality as well.

• Skincare products – If noticed redness skin came from a recent change of any new product or new ingredient on the skincare routine, it’s time for a closer look.

It’s not from recent years that Retinol can leave skin red and flaky. Surprisingly in more recent years, retinol is easily seeing in many products, including sunscreen!

Glycolic Acid could be another reason for redness, especially in the beginning.

Once isolated the cause and products bothering the skin, just hold the usage for full three days and nights. If the redness disappears, you made it!

Many times my friends come and ask if they should give up from the products. And my answer is… not necessarily, especially if you like them and happy with the results.

The main thing is the frequency. Use them less or to a weaker formula.

Medications and herbal/nutritional supplements – Sometimes a new medicine or supplement can trigger a skin reaction. For example, the herb St. John’s wort can make you more sensitive to the sun while niacin can give you a sudden flush.

Read the labels on any herbal or nutritional supplements that you may be taking to see if there are possible skin-related side effects.

Likewise, antibiotics and diuretics (water pills) can increase sun sensitivity, as can hydroquinone and the prescription version of retinol.

Every once in a while, we get in a conversation that oral contraceptives are causing redness and flushing.

Some women even break out in acne from it, while others do.

Since this sort of reaction tends to be hereditary, we should track with parents, any signs of issues.

If still no one to blame for the irritating skin, you might want to talk with the dermatologist about a patch test for skin allergies. The analysis includes the 24 substances that most commonly trigger allergic reactions. But each of these 24 things ties to about ten other things.

So basically, your doctor is testing about 200 possible allergens to determine which might be adversely affecting you.