Uncontrollable flushing, permanent redness, and ruddy cheeks. Dealing with skin redness can be super stressful and knock your skin confidence. We look at what causes red face and how to treat it.

1. Redness from Rosacea

Why is my face always red? The answer may be rosacea.

Rosacea is a skin condition characterised by red, ruddy skin, and flushing. Symptoms usually begin with episodes of the skin flushing red and can increase to:

• Permanent redness
• Bumps
• Sensitised skin - burning / stinging sensations
• Capillaries skin becoming visible
• Thickening skin

Symptoms can range from mild to severe but left untreated, rosacea can have long-reaching skin health implications.

What causes/triggers rosacea?

The skin redness, bumps and flushing associated with rosacea can be triggered by any number of factors. Usually, things that raise your body temperature including:

• Alcohol
• Spicy foods
• Hot, humid weather
• Hot showers
• Sun exposure
• Stress
• Exercise

Dehydration and the wrong skincare products can also lead to frustrating flare ups. Skin with rosacea can be highly sensitive to chemicals, fragrance, and other factors so choosing the right skincare is paramount.

Skincare and lifestyle tips for managing rosacea

How to get rid of red skin caused by rosacea? Unfortunately, there’s no cure for rosacea but you can learn how to reduce skin redness with the right lifestyle choice and skin care.

Avoid or reduce alcohol and spicy foods in your diet.

Keep hydration levels up - with water / fluids and skin care.

Wear sunscreen daily.

Use products with gentle formulations.

Avoid drying ingredients in skincare products; like alcohol and fragrances.

Be gentle when touching your skin.

Cleanse with lukewarm or cool water.

Avoid hot, steamy showers.

Choose skincare products with anti-inflammatory and hydration promoting ingredients; more on those below!

Paying attention to what specifically triggers rosacea for you will help you make the right lifestyle adjustments.

Rosacea-friendly skincare ingredients

Look for ingredients that reduce inflammation, promote skin hydration, and strengthen the skin barrier.

Hyaluronic acid: Ultra hydrating

Niacinamide (Vitamin B3): Barrier strengthening

Aloe vera: Soothing and calming

Tasmannia lanceolata extract: Powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.

Vitamin C: Potent antioxidant for skin healing

Treating Rosacea:

Anti-redness Minty Green Smoothie is an at-home topical treatment for Rosacea using natural & vegan ingredients.

With an energising wild mint aroma, this serum cools and heals damaged, red skin with potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and hydrating properties.

Quick absorbing and water based, the Minty Green Smoothie targets inflammation with Tasmannia lanceolata extract, a powerful antioxidant. It also speeds up healing with arnica, a powerful anti-inflammatory.

Glycosaminoglycans (GAG’s) support collagen and elastin while niacinamide (B3) strengthens the moisture barrier. Infused with aloe vera’s calming, soothing properties. 

2. Redness from Sensitive Skin and Irritation

Skin sensitivity and redness usually go hand in hand.

Sensitive skin has a weakened barrier making it very susceptible to bacteria, allergens, and other irritants that can cause visible red skin. An impaired skin barrier also won’t cope well with certain ingredients in skincare products and easily becomes red and reactive.

The key to managing sensitive skin? Using gentle products

As a general rule, avoid any of the chemical ingredients known to excessively dry the skin and cause irritation. Some of the main culprits include: sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) and synthetic fragrances.

Many essential oils will also set off sensitive skin so it’s best to opt for fragrance free products.

Sensitive skin types need to be mindful of over exfoliation too. Going overboard with exfoliants will damage an already fragile skin barrier even more with microtears and stripping away natural oils it needs to stay healthy.

Tips for managing sensitive skin

Choose fragrance -free products. Not only in skincare but fabric detergents too.

Opt for gentle exfoliating ingredients - avoid scrubs with large particles that can cause microtears in the skin. Of the alpha hydroxy acids, lactic acid is the gentlest on skin.

Be gentle when cleansing the skin / touching your face.

Choose skincare designed to strengthen the skin barrier and reduce irritation.

Always wear sunscreen.

We recommend: Probiotic Skin Mylck

Inflamed, damaged and ultra sensitive skin meets the calming, restorative powers of probiotics in a gentle, lightweight moisturising lotion. The beneficial bacteria in the esmi Probiotic Lysates have been researched and found to help heal and support skin’s natural defences.

This Lysate helps to create an ideal environment for your skin to thrive when compromised by outside elements and bad-bacteria.

3. Allergic Reactions 

Allergies to ingredients and products will show up quickly in your skin in the form of redness, irritation, tingling, or stinging.

If you’re experiencing any of those signs, stop using a product immediately.

We recommend always doing a patch test on a small area of your neck before applying a new product to your face. Give the patch test 24 hours to see if you experience an adverse reaction.

If redness, irritation, and swelling is excessive, please get in touch with your healthcare professional immediately.

4. Natural Flushing

Deep red flushing can often be a sign of rosacea but in other cases, some people are simply genetically predisposed to flushing. Especially, as research tells us, after drinking alcohol.

If turning red after a glass of wine is something that sounds familiar, this may be the reason for your flushed face.

The most obvious approach to managing this kind of flushing is to cut down or avoid drinking alcohol.

You can also add a green-based concealer or primer to your makeup stash. They neutralise the colour red making them an ideal choice for skin prone to flushing and redness. 

5. Sun Damage

Spending too long in the sun without protection not only leaves immediate signs of sunburn it causes long term redness too. Sun damage stretches the small blood vessels, giving your skin a blotchy, red appearance.

Broad-spectrum protection. Every. Single. Day.

It’s the golden rule of healthy skincare - wear sunscreen all year round, no matter the season or weather. Not only will this minimise the chance of redness it will save your skin from ageing prematurely, hyperpigmentation, dullness, and dehydration.

Choose broad-spectrum sunscreen to protect you from both UVA and UVB rays.

UVB causes damage to the surface of the skin (the visible red burn) while UVA penetrates into the deeper layers of skin. They’re responsible for destroying collagen that causes wrinkles, fine lines, and sagging skin.

We recommend: Skin Shield Natural Sunscreen SPF 30

Comfortable, non-greasy SPF coverage for all skin types, especially sensitive skin. Skin Shield Natural Face Sunscreen is easy-to-apply and formulated with additional anti-ageing benefits of carrot root oil, hyaluronic acid, and green tea for hydrated, smoother skin. 

What to apply to sunburned skin to soothe and promote healing

Accidentally spent a little too much time in the sun? Try these redness-reducing tips to take the sting out of sunburn.

Apply light moisturiser with aloe vera, chamomile or other calming ingredients.

Take a cool shower.

Drink plenty of water.

Use aloe vera gel.

Wet a facecloth and put it in the freezer for a few hours then apply to skin.

Keep skincare minimal. The less you put on your burnt skin the better and definitely don't exfoliate!

If you’ve got questions about dealing with redness, whatever the cause, our skin experts are here to help. Book your free consultation with an esmi Skin Consultant for further guidance on how best to treat redness.