Some people tint their cheeks or pile on the blush to get that flushed look. Many others, however, struggle with persistently red skin. Chronic facial redness⏤a common disorder often caused by sensitive skin conditions or rosacea⏤is not only uncomfortable and frustrating but can also be emotionally devastating.
Although a challenging skin disorder that can’t be cured, knowing what factors trigger facial redness can help you keep the condition under control. With some lifestyle changes and the right anti-redness skincare solutions, you can reduce skin discoloration and achieve a clearer complexion.
Learn some of the common rosacea and redness triggers, real-life impacts of having facial redness, and solutions for how to soothe red skin.
Causes of Redness-Prone Skin
Redness-prone skin is a dermal concern caused by an increased intolerance to environmental factors or topical products. When exposed to internal or external stressors that are well tolerated by normal skin, redness-prone skin not only produces facial discoloration but can also induce burning, stinging, and textural irregularities on the face.
Many conditions can make skin less tolerant and more sensitive. Some of the most common factors that cause hypersensitive, redness-prone skin include:
Rosacea
When discussing anti-redness skincare solutions, treatments for rosacea are often the first thought that comes to mind. Rosacea is a common inflammatory disease that makes skin extremely sensitive and overly reactive to environmental triggers.
Common rosacea triggers include stress, sunlight, and chemicals in personal care products. Triggers cause rosacea to flare up, producing symptoms that range from mild blushing to severe facial redness with painful pustules. Rosacea-induced redness can fade after months ⏤ or never go away.
Barrier Defects
The skin’s barrier forms a protective shield over the body, locking moisture in and keeping environmental stressors out. When the skin’s barrier is compromised, external irritants easily penetrate the skin, triggering inflammation and redness. By making your skin more vulnerable, barrier damage produces hypersensitive, redness-prone skin.
Although the skin’s barrier can weaken with age, harsh skincare products are the primary cause of impaired barrier integrity. Anti-redness skincare products that restore barrier function can reduce dermal sensitivity and give you a clearer complexion. If you want to know how to soothe red skin, look for solutions that repair the skin’s barrier.
Hyper-Responsive Nerves
Some people have a highly responsive nervous system, which makes their skin naturally more sensitive. Hyper-responsive nerve fibers in the skin increase dermal sensitivity and make it react stronger to environmental stressors. Common triggers of rosacea flare-ups also make people with generally sensitive skin develop facial redness and dermal irritation.
General sensitive skin is easily provoked by many internal and external factors, resulting in constant facial redness. Along with avoiding triggers, medical-grade anti-redness skincare products can help calm your complexion. Whether caused by inflammatory disease, barrier damage, or general sensitivity, relieving facial redness is crucial for a happier life.
The Impact of Facial Redness on Quality of Life
People instinctively form judgments of others based on their facial appearance. As the ultimate indicator of health and attractiveness, skin appearance plays an important role in how you’re perceived by society. In a study published by the Perception journal, people with an uneven skin tone were perceived as less attractive, healthy, competent, mature, and trustworthy.
Anti-redness skincare will not only improve your physical appearance but can also help you live a more successful life. According to a National Rosacea Society (NRS) survey, facial redness can impede professional success. Up to 39% of rosacea patients reported being passed up for a job offer, and 41% believed they were denied a promotion because of the way they looked.
Redness-prone skin is a distressing condition. Combined with public discrimination, visible skin conditions can devastate your mental health. More than 90% of people with facial redness have low self-esteem, 54% suffer from anxiety, and 43% struggle with depression. Below, we’ll discuss how to soothe red skin and offer the best anti-redness skincare solutions to improve your quality of life.
How to Relieve Facial Redness
As we discussed above, many conditions can cause redness-prone skin. Visiting a dermatologist is crucial to identify the cause of your facial redness and obtain the right treatment plan. Along with prescription treatments, avoiding common rosacea triggers and adopting a consistent anti-redness skincare routine can help you alleviate skin discoloration.
Follow the skincare tips below to reduce redness and obtain a more even complexion:
Apply Non-Irritating Ingredients
Redness is an inflammatory response that results from increased blood flow to an irritated or injured site. Soothing, non-irritating ingredients reduce the risk of causing an inflammatory response, resulting in decreased facial redness.
While many skincare ingredients claim to be soothing, Senté was the first company to develop and patent a modified form of heparan sulfate. Naturally occurring, heparan sulfate is a crucial molecule that orchestrates the skin’s immune response to inflammation. The role of heparan sulfate in the inflammatory response has been extensively researched and is cited in many scientific publications. Senté products formulated with our proprietary Heparan Sulfate Analog (HSA) are clinically proven to reduce the appearance of redness and help limit immune response to inflammation. In a clinical trial including over 30 subjects with sensitive skin, 70% of individuals showed an improvement in facial redness in just 4 weeks. HSA offers a novel option for boosting the skin's immune response to inflammation stressors and promoting skin repair from within.
A study published by the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology also revealed that topical application of HSA improved skin discoloration in the periorbital area in as early as 2 weeks with continued improvement up to week 12.
Repair the Skin Barrier
Do you want to know how to soothe red skin? Look for anti-redness skincare products that contain HSA, a patented molecule exclusive to our products, and green tea extract.
HSA and green tea extract skincare products like Senté Dermal Repair Cream help improve skin barrier function and make it more resistant to environmental stressors. Clinical research has shown that Senté products formulated with HSA can help restore a compromised skin barrier within 8 weeks.
Avoid Triggers
Redness-prone skin is hypersensitive and easily irritated by many environmental factors. Although using anti-redness skincare products is crucial to calm skin irritation, avoiding common rosacea triggers is necessary to prevent flare-ups in the first place. Some common factors that can trigger facial redness include:
- Sunlight
- Stress
- Spicy foods
- Alcohol
- Exercise
- Extreme temperatures
- Chemicals in skincare products
Although some environmental triggers are beyond your control, making some simple lifestyle changes can help you reduce facial redness. Using clean, hypoallergenic skincare products, wearing mineral sunscreen, and adopting a daily de-stress routine are not only effective solutions for how to soothe red skin but can also improve your overall well-being.
Relieve Facial Redness with Senté
Facial redness is more than a cosmetic inconvenience. Redness-prone skin can deteriorate your quality of life. Relieving facial redness will improve your physical appearance and mental health, thus increasing your attractiveness and confidence to help you accomplish anything in life. Shop Senté medical-grade anti-redness skincare products to boost your complexion and happiness.