Our skin is the largest organ in the entire body. When it’s not given the proper care and attention it needs, it can lead to various skin issues. Sometimes, even after following a rigid skincare routine, you may still have to deal with a few problems. One of these problems includes red skin. While it’s normal to develop a little colour in the cheeks when you see that cute guy walking down the street, prolong redness in your face or any other part of the body, however, might actually be caused due to an underlying skin issue.
4 Common Causes Of Skin Redness
Skin redness is not always a cause for concern. For some people, it might disappear in a day or two. But if it takes longer to heal and causes a lot of discomfort, then it’s time to see a dermatologist. So, what causes skin redness, and how can you treat it at home? Keep on reading to find out more about this type of skin issue.
Contact Dermatitis
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If you woke up one day and noticed that you developed a red, itchy rash on your skin, chances are you have contact dermatitis. This skin issue is caused when your skin interacts with foreign substances which leads to an allergic reaction. These substances can be anything from bleach, laundry detergent, makeup, skincare products to even hair dyes and jewellery. Contact dermatitis is not contagious or harmful, but it does cause a lot of discomfort.
The best way to treat this is to first get rid of the allergens causing it. You can also use over-the-counter creams or even petroleum jelly to calm the inflamed skin and speed up the healing process.
Sensitive Skin
Those with sensitive skin are more prone to developing red skin. This change in colour is often accompanied by sensations of stinging, burning, or itching. When it comes to determining the exact cause of redness for this skin type, the options are endless — ingredients present in cosmetics products or even environmental factors such as sunlight, hot water and harsh winds, can all play a role in affecting the skin.
When it comes to dealing with sensitive skin, you need to be mindful of the ingredients used in your cosmetic products. Avoid products with harsh ingredients like fragrance, menthol, peppermint, camphor, sulphates, isopropyl alcohol, and AHAs. Makeup and skincare products that are enriched with all-natural ingredients tend to work well on this skin type. The good news is that with the rise of ‘clean beauty’, finding products catering to sensitive skin with no toxic chemicals has become a lot easier as compared to 10 years ago. To avoid skin redness, you can also limit your time in the sun and opt for lukewarm instead of hot showers.
Sunburn
If you’ve spent hours out in the sun and your skin feels tender, itchy, painful to touch or swollen and blistered, then you are probably dealing with the classic case of sunburn. Sunburns are caused when the sun’s harmful UV rays damage the skin tissue resulting in painful redness.
Treating sunburn is relatively easy. You can cool the overexposed area by either taking a cold shower or by placing a cold compress over it. When you are done, you can go ahead and apply aloe vera gel or calamine lotion to the damaged area. To avoid getting sunburn, never leave the house without wearing sunscreen and always opt for one with SPF 30 or more. Don’t solely depend on makeup and skincare products that contain SPF properties. While there’s no harm using them, they are not as powerful as a sunscreen when it comes to protecting your skin from the harmful UV rays.
Rosacea
If your red nose and cheeks resemble Father Christmas, a.k.a. Santa Claus, you might be suffering from a skin condition known as rosacea. This skin issue causes a red rash around the nose, cheeks, or chin. For some, the skin can also look swollen, have lots of visible blood vessels, and it’s more prone to breakouts. Genetics is one of the main reasons for this skin issue.
As of now, there is no known treatment for this type of skin issue. But since it is an inflammatory skin condition, you can avoid stressors like sun exposure, alcohol, spicy foods, toxic ingredients, etc. in hopes to reduce the redness. Those suffering from rosacea, UV rays are one of the biggest triggers of skin redness, so invest in a broad-spectrum mineral sunscreen to protect the skin from the sun.
Remember, the ideal rule of thumb when it comes to your skin is to always keep the doc looped in.
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