How To Reduce Visible Redness on Your Face
Do you get red spots or blotches from time to time? Or go beet-red for a reason you can’t seem to pinpoint (we’re not talking about blushing here)? There are a variety of reasons redness may plague your skin from time to time. There is hope, though! Our experts can help you discover the potential cause and learn how to help reduce the appearance of redness on your face so you can experience an even, glowing, skin tone more often.
Common Causes of Redness
First, let’s discuss some of the many reasons you may be experiencing redness. Redness, unfortunately, isn’t a symptom that points to one issue in particular. It can be caused by a myriad of things, and figuring out the source of the red is pretty important to handle correctly. These are the most common causes that may be at the root of your facial redness:
Breakouts
Blemishes are one of the most common causes of skin redness and one of the easiest to identify. These clogged pores can leave your skin sensitive and red in specific spots. If you have blemish-prone skin, addressing your breakouts will be the best way to help alleviate the appearance of redness.
Over Using Skin Care
A complex skin care routine isn’t right for everyone, especially those who are prone to irritation, and redness. The more products you use as a treatment, the more likely your skin will react negatively to something or the combination of ingredients. This goes for tools too. Certain cleansing tools and at-home devices can be quite harsh and too much to handle for sensitive skin.
Exfoliating, while important, is one of the most common practices people overdo it on that can lead to redness. When you exfoliate too often, and with strong ingredients, you can strip the skin’s protective barrier and leave it raw and irritated. All that to say, if your skincare routine is 11 steps and you’re experiencing redness, look there first and consider cutting back on certain products and putting away the tools. We’ve also written about the best skincare ingredients for irritated skin on our blog.
Allergies
Everyone’s skin reacts uniquely to the products they use, and a red reaction could signal an allergy to a certain topical ingredient such as fragrances or preservatives, or even to a certain food group. Allergies can be weeded out by removing skincare and beauty products and by visiting the dermatologist for a patch test.
The Environment
Environmental factors such as extreme temperatures, wind, and sun can all cause persistent redness too. While they may be the most difficult to avoid, environmental triggers can be the easiest to treat. For example, wearing sunscreen is an easy prevention tool to keep the sun’s rays from triggering your redness, not just sunburn.
How To Reduce the Appearance of Redness
When you’re dealing with redness, you’re probably most concerned with kicking it to the curb as soon as possible. While there are steps you can take to visibly reduce the appearance of redness and soothe your skin, it’s also important to address the root of the issue head-on so you can also reduce how often you experience redness. The more you fight the cause, the less you’ll need to actually fight the symptom.
Soothe the Skin
Regardless of what causes your redness, you can at least soothe it in similar ways. To do so, reach for sensitive skincare products that feature calming ingredients with soothing properties. Certain ingredients are heroes when it comes to calming the skin, which can lead to reducing redness. These include chamomile, aloe, cucumber, and beta-glucan, as well as antioxidant-rich fruit oils and prebiotics.
Start to incorporate these heroes into your routine with a skincare product you can reach for whenever unwanted redness arises. Our Evercalm™ Redness Relief Serum is formulated with Microalgae Extract, Sunflower Seed Oil, and Lingonberry Seed Oil to help reduce the appearance of redness and sensitivity.
To keep skin soothed regularly, use Evercalm™ Gentle Cleansing Gel as well, a gentle cleanser formulated with beta-glucan and prebiotics to reduce the appearance of any redness, irritation, and dry skin. Both of these products will help calm your red skin, and when you take the time to enjoy the routine, can put you at ease too.
Protect The Skin
No matter where you live, your facial skin encounters a lot on any given day. Environmental pollution in the air and sun exposure are just a few of the environmental triggers that can cause damage to the skin and open the door for redness to sneak in.
Protect your skin by applying Evercalm™ Global Protection Day Cream, which utilizes our Global Protection Complex, a synergistic blend of powerful antioxidant and free radical scavengers, together with soothing and nourishing seed oils to leave the skin hydrated, replenished, and better protected against moisture loss, environmental pollution, and external aggressors.
With environmental pollution protection checked off, your next move is to ensure sun protection. Apply a SPF for broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection. Not only will it protect your skin from the sun’s UV rays that can lead to redness, but it also features rice starch to soothe it too.
Limit Exposure to Irritating Ingredients
Unfortunately, not all skincare is formulated with ingredients that soothe and calm the skin. In fact, some ingredients will do the exact opposite to sensitive skin. If you’re experiencing redness and you are wondering how to soothe irritated skin, look at the labels for any of the following ingredients, which can be irritating for anyone, especially those with sensitive skin.
- Sulfates such as SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate), often found in cleansers
- Alcohol such as ethanol
- Chemical sunscreens
- Preservatives such as Bronopol, Diazolidinyl urea, and Imidazolidinyl urea
It’s also a good idea to limit your use of strong exfoliants, retinols, and blemish-prone products that contain high levels of salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide while you’re experiencing redness and until it clears up.
Build Up Your Skin Barrier
Strengthening your skin barrier is the best way to prevent the appearance of redness from occurring in the future. Think of it as your shield against the things that trigger your redness: bacteria that causes breakouts, ingredients that irritate, weather that wreaks havoc, and more. All of these external aggressors are kept from penetrating the layers of your skin and causing redness when your skin barrier is strong.
You can fortify your skin barrier by encouraging the bonds that make it strong and supplying it with ample hydration. This means using ingredients that are rich in fatty acids, the building blocks of your skin barrier. And our Evercalm™ Overnight Recovery Balm is chock full of them. It contains enzymatically activated oils of Olive, Almond, Borage, and Linseed that feed the skin with the nourishing fatty acids it needs. It’s also made with Jojoba and Sunflower Oil Complex to provide the intense moisture that will helps replenish the skin barrier. Apply it at night and wake up to nourished and hydrated skin.
Talk To A Dermatologist
If you think your redness is a result of a skin condition, allergy, or blemishes and you can’t seem to get a handle on it, it’s time to talk to a dermatologist. Your personal physician is the best suited to uncover the true cause of your redness with your skin history, regimen, and overall health in mind. They can prescribe necessary medication to treat skin conditions and perform patch tests to identify allergies. This is an important step in a holistic approach to treating your redness and managing it long term.
When you follow these steps to help reduce the appearance of redness, you’ll face brighter days with more even, less irritated skin.
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About the Author
Camille Poggi is a doctor in Pharmacy (PharmD.) and is passionate about skincare and how the skin works in general. She specializes in the cosmetic industry and worked for renowned companies in France like L’Oréal and Chanel before moving to London. After being a training manager for 4 years, Camille is at ease with explaining how products work in the skin and how to adapt her speech according to the audience.
She joined REN in January 2020 as International Training Manager and moved to the Research & Development team earlier this year to be the new Scientific Education Manager. A tailored-made role where she assesses and leads all technical communication and ensures scientific compliance is always met. She’s also involved in new product development from the earliest stages. Finding a way to create sustainable skincare products and making sure the message is properly delivered and understood is definitely a big challenge but also her favourite part working for REN.
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