Has this past summer in the sun made your face look more red than usual? You’re certainly not alone. In fact, how to reduce facial redness is actually one of the biggest questions we get at Dermelect. And believe me, I’ve been there. I have a pale complexion and after a little too much time in the sun or at the gym, I start to look like I’m half tomato, half woman. Not a good look!
One of the biggest issues our customers have is redness and an overall sensitive skin. Whether you have red cheeks, a red nose, or just all over red splotches, we have some skin saving suggestions for how to soothe your skin and reduce that redness!
What Causes Facial Redness?
For most women, facial redness is just from skin flushing, which is a natural reaction where blood rises to the surface of your skin. Flushing can be caused by sun exposure, hot temperatures, emotional triggers, alcohol, and exercise. The same mechanism that made you blush around your crush as a teenager can also make your face red as an adult. While flushed skin isn’t necessarily unhealthy, it can be very unsightly or embarrassing!
Another major cause of facial redness is sensitivity to skin care products. Even if you are using all natural products, this could still be the case. Many natural skin care products are formulated with essentials oils, whose strong fragrances can wreak havoc on sensitive skin.
Other reasons for facial redness can include adult acne, perioral dermatitis, and rosacea. Like skin flushing, rosacea can be made worse by the sun or, tragically, a glass of wine (or in my case, a jalapeño margarita!).
How to Reduce Redness On the Face
Luckily, there are a few easy ways to reverse facial redness and start soothing the skin:
- Avoid inflammatory foods and drinks
Sorry chili lovers, you’re not going to love this tip. One trick for reducing facial redness is to avoid inflammatory foods and drinks like coffee, alcohol, and (sigh) spicy foods. Instead, eat more fruits and vegetables and drink more water.
2. Make a DIY cucumber mask
Cucumber has long been known for its natural cooling properties that can soothe inflamed skin. In fact, botanist Nicholas Culpepper noted the benefits of cucumber for reducing facial redness way back in 1649!
Cucumbers are mostly water, which provides relief to inflamed skin. Plus, cucumbers are rich in vitamin C, which can reduce facial redness. Take advantage of a cucumber’s soothing properties by making a cucumber mask at home. It’s simple - just puree slices of refrigerated cucumber, then apply to skin and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes!
3. Sip on Cold Drinks
It sounds SO simple, but drinking cold drinks can really help to reduce facial redness in a pinch. Our temperature regulators for our face are located in our throat, so drinking an ice cold beverage or even eating a popsicle can help to soothe skin. Just make sure to avoid cold beverages with alcohol and caffeine, as these can make redness worse.
4. Protect & Soothe
One of our favorite Dermelect treatments that we’ve ever created is our Redness Rehab Rosacea Relief. It’s so good that our clients see such amazing results themselves that they in turn pass it on and are purchasing it as gifts for other women that are long suffering from the same issue. That’s a true testament- just read some of our testimonials which makes it all so rewarding.
The key to the formula is that we utilize natural extracts of calming wonders like green tea, aloe, and shea butter.
You see, other treatments use moisturizing oils in their formulas but those of you with sensitive skin be warned! Many times those oils will actually aggravate your situation more. You see, redness occurs when cells ‘rub up’ against each other at the surface layer of the skin. That results in friction, heat and redness. Currently there is no solution to this ‘rubbing’ but what this miracle worker does do is help create an anti-inflammatory buffer on the skin’s topical layer to help reduce the discomfort created by that ‘rub’!
5. Conceal & Treat
Hearing our client’s struggles with facial redness have further inspired us to create our Redness Rehab Conceal and Correct. This highly pigmented anti-aging cream is a universal shade that adapts to almost all skin types to successfully conceal while treating the issue. Formulated with peptides, colloidal oatmeal, and aloe, it conceals the redness and irritation while working on calming and soothing the skin. I love this multitasking product because it hides redness in the moment and also reduces it in the long term. Not to mention it’s fragrance, oil, and paraben free - WIN/WIN!
How do you deal with facial redness? Let us know in the comments!
