Sometimes the heavily innervated and vascularized facial skin reddens – this is the body’s natural reaction to temperature changes, physical exertion or various emotions. Sometimes, however, instead of a slight blush, intense red patches appear on the face, or erythema, which occurs in people with vascular skin, or is a sign of disease. What is erythema on the face, what are its most common causes and how to get rid of it?
Facial erythema – what is it and where does it come from?
Erythema is an ailment that occurs most often in people with vascular or sensitive skin. Their skin is overly reactive, prone to irritation and reddens easily, and is accompanied by broken capillaries, making it easy for intense redness to appear. The erythema takes the form of red spots or blotches on the skin; they can come in different shapes and sizes, and appear mainly on the nose, cheeks, chin, neck and cleavage. In some people it takes a migratory form, moving between the face and neck, for example, but always the reddened area stands out strongly from healthy skin. Sometimes the skin affected by erythema can be dry, flaky, and the redness persists for a long time, which is most often a sign of disease.
Erythema – what are its causes?
Facial erythema can appear after physical exertion, under stress or embarrassment, by exposure to sunlight and high temperatures, by consuming alcohol, a hot drink or strongly spiced food, and in the course of infection, fever or inflammation. This is a result of local dilation of blood vessels, to which vascular and sensitive skin is particularly susceptible.
Erythema can also appear in people who have a genetic predisposition to it, as well as due to the use of cosmetics that irritate the skin. Cosmetic ingredients that can irritate the skin include alcohols, AHA acids, exfoliants or exfoliating particles (such as sugar grains).
Sometimes, however, it happens that erythema accompanies serious diseases and is one of their symptoms. These may include diseases such as:
- Acne rosacea
- Seborrheic dermatitis
- Atopic dermatitis
- Allergies
- Infectious erythema caused by parvovirus
- Autoimmune diseases, for example, lupus erythematosus
- Hypertension
- Endocrine disorders
Blushing on the face – how to get rid of it?
How to get rid of facial erythema effectively? As a first step, consider seeing a dermatologist or other doctor if you suspect that it may be a symptom of a disease. If facial erythema is associated with a serious medical condition, it is necessary to implement causal treatment.
In addition, skin prone to erythema requires proper care and protection:
- Above all, avoid hot baths, sudden temperature changes, being in the cold, spicy foods, alcohol or coffee.
- It is necessary to use high sunscreen daily, , to protect the skin from UV radiation.
- The skin should be cleansed with gentle products.
- Mechanical scrubs should be avoided, and enzyme scrubs should be used relatively rarely.
- In the care of vascular skin, it is important to properly moisturize the skin, strengthen the hydrolipid barrier and strengthen blood vessels. Especially valuable are active substances such as vitamins C, A, E and K, allantoin, bisabolol, lactobionic acid, horse chestnut extract, sweet almond oil, ceramides, panthenol.
There are also numerous treatments for erythema, available at dermatological, cosmetic and aesthetic medicine offices. These include laser therapy, cryotherapy, iontophoresis or facial blood vessel closure.