Blotchy red cheeks

Rosacea, Hives, Psoriasis, and More

Medically Reviewed by Debra Jaliman, MD on May 24, 2021

These red welts usually itch. They can be a sign of an allergic reaction, but stress or an illness can cause them, too. A hive will usually go away within a day, but a new one could pop up in its place. You may only get a few, or you could have a bunch that connect and spread across your body. If they get worse or don’t go away, see your doctor for treatment. If you have trouble breathing or swallowing, get medical help ASAP.

This prickly red rash, which may be bumpy and is usually itchy, happens in hot, humid weather. It tends to show up in places where your skin rubs together, like your armpits and groin. It’s common in babies but can also happen to adults who get sweaty and overheated. It usually goes away on its own in 3-4 days. If it doesn’t, or if it starts to swell or ooze, call your doctor.

This happens when your skin reacts to something it touches. Sometimes it’s an allergic reaction (such as to poison ivy), and sometimes it’s irritation (from perfumes in soap, for example). Contact dermatitis can be a rash, hives, dry skin, or blisters. Your skin can turn thick or flaky, and it may darken or crack. Sometimes it takes time to figure out what’s caused it. Work with a dermatologist, especially if it gets worse.

There are a few types of this disease, but the most common, plaque psoriasis, shows up as raised red patches with a scaly layer of dead skin cells on top. You’ll usually see it on your scalp, knees, elbows, and lower back, but the blotches can appear anywhere on the body. Most people first notice it between the ages of 15 and 35, but the disease can crop up at any time.

The condition causes patches of very dry, itchy skin. Over time, these areas can thicken and turn lighter or darker than the rest of your body. Most people who have eczema first get it before age 5, and about half will outgrow it by the time they're adults. But it’s not uncommon for adults to start having symptoms.

If you notice blotches or flushing across your cheeks, nose, chin, or forehead, you might have this skin condition. Sometimes, small pimple-like bumps form and blood vessels get more visible. Usually, it starts after age 30, then gets redder and more constant. Many things can trigger rosacea or make it worse, including drinking alcohol, eating spicy foods, stress, and menopause. There’s no cure, but treatments can control the symptoms.

This painful rash with blisters usually shows up as a single stripe on one side of the body. (You might have tingling or itching a few days before you see it.) It’s caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox -- the virus stays in your body and, even decades later, can flare up and cause shingles. It’s most common in people over 60. It should clear up in 2-4 weeks, but see your doctor to get medicine to prevent lasting nerve pain.

Also called broken capillaries, these are tiny blood vessels, located close to the surface of the skin, that get larger and more visible. The result is blotchiness and uneven skin tone on areas like the legs and face. Spider veins have many causes and are twice as common in women. They’re not harmful, but you can have them treated if you don’t like how they look.

These brown or gray-brown patches on the face come from sun exposure, hormone changes, or both. Melasma is much more common in women -- pregnancy or birth control pills are common triggers. The patches usually show up on the forehead, upper lip, cheeks, chin, and nose. They can fade on their own after pregnancy or once you stop taking the pill, but treatments can help, too. A broad-spectrum sunscreen and strict sun avoidance will keep them from getting darker.

With this condition, patches of your skin lose color and appear lighter. Sometimes it happens on only a few parts of the body, but vitiligo can cover large areas (even the hair, eyes, and inside of the mouth). It happens when the cells that give skin and hair their color, called melanocytes, die. Vitiligo affects men and women of all races. A few different treatments may restore your skin.

This fungal infection, which is especially common in tropical climates, makes white, pink, red, or brown spots form on the skin. They can show up anywhere on the body, and sometimes they’re dry, scaly, and itchy. Tinea versicolor is most common in teens and young adults with oily skin. A doctor can prescribe medicine, cleansers, or pills to treat it.

When you drink, especially if you have one too many, your face can flush and look blotchy. And if you have a hangover the next day, the dehydration will make any redness worse. If your skin gets very red when you imbibe, you may have alcohol flush syndrome, which is caused by an enzyme problem (it’s common in people of East Asian descent). Or you could have rosacea, and alcohol triggers your symptoms.

Whether it’s with a chemical peel or a scrub, exfoliation removes dead skin cells and leaves your skin looking brighter and refreshed. But doing it too often or too aggressively can make your face redder, make skin problems worse, and cause dark spots to show up. Ask a dermatologist about the best way to exfoliate your skin type.

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SOURCES:

National Psoriasis Foundation: “About Psoriasis. ”

American Academy of Dermatology: “Psoriasis,” “Atopic dermatitis,” “Hives,” “Contact dermatitis,” “Melasma,” “Vitiligo,” “Tinea versicolor,” “Evaluate before you exfoliate.”

American Academy of Family Physicians: “Heat Rash,” “Exercise-induced Urticaria.”

National Rosacea Society: “All About Rosacea,” “Factors That May Trigger Rosacea Flare-Ups,” “Tips for Controlling Alcohol Flare-Ups.”

CDC: “About Shingles (Herpes Zoster).”

American Osteopathic College of Dermatology: “Spider Veins.”

Stanford Health Care: “Telangiectasia.”

Alcohol Health & Research World: “Alcohol Hangover: Mechanisms and Mediators.”

International Rosacea Foundation: “Rosacea Symptoms.”

National Institutes of Health: “Alcohol Flush Signals Increased Cancer Risk among East Asians.”

Cleveland Clinic: “Flushing.”

Inflammation & Allergy - Drug Targets: “Brain-Skin Connection: Stress, Inflammation and Skin Aging.”

10 reasons your face is red

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do you have rosacea? Read the Face Bar blog

Contents

What is rosacea?
How to detect rosacea?
7 categorical "not" for rosacea
Components that skin with rosacea needs
Checklist for skin care with rosacea

Frequent redness on the face is a very common problem for girls of all ages. For some reason, she is not given as much attention as, for example, acne or wrinkles. But it is there and it cannot be ignored. A slight blush on the cheeks from frost or when playing sports indicates that the skin is healthy. But if redness haunts constantly - it is worth considering. What if you have rosacea?

What is rosacea?

Couperose in cosmetology is a skin disease in which blood microcirculation is disturbed due to the expansion and fragility of small capillaries. There are several reasons for this disease. The main ones are diseases of the vessels, the digestive system, hormonal disorders, diseases of the endocrine system, smoking, frequent alcohol consumption, temperature changes, constant consumption of spicy foods, and others.

Couperose most often appears on the nose, chin, forehead and cheeks. Girls with light thin skin are more susceptible to it.

How to detect rosacea?

Ask yourself just 5 questions:

Do you have bad habits?
Do you live in a cold and humid climate?
Do you often eat spicy foods?
Have you noticed redness in the forehead, nose, cheeks, chin, which appeared without a reason?
Do you sometimes feel itching or burning in these areas?

If you answered "yes" more than 3 times, then it's time for you to pay attention to the condition of your skin and learn how to properly care for it.

7 categorical “no” for rosacea

At the first signs of rosacea, it is necessary to exclude bad habits from your life that cause the development of the disease. Even seemingly harmless actions can exacerbate the problem.

No contrast washing or steaming! Always wash your face with warm or room temperature water only. Rubbing your face with ice cubes is also strictly prohibited.
Avoid temperature extremes. Watch the temperature of the skin, especially in the cold season, because the skin cools down outside, and when you enter the room, hot air jets from batteries and air conditioners blow over it. As a result - a large temperature difference and fragility of fragile vessels. Do not let your face freeze and be exposed to strong winds. It is also worth excluding a bath, a sauna and a long stay in the sun in the summer.
Never wash your face with ordinary soap. Liquid, childish, tar - any! Further in the article, you will learn what tools to use. After washing, do not leave the skin wet, but hurry to quickly blot the moisture with a clean cloth.
Do not use products with essential oils, mint, alcohol, cinnamon, menthol, cloves, honey, pepper.
Avoid harsh scrubs that irritate delicate skin. This also includes exfoliating silicone sponges for washing and brushes.
Do not do the usual cosmetic facial massage, which leads to blood flow and expansion of already weak vessels.
Don't forget to protect your skin from the sun: use products with SPF all year round. On cloudy days too.

Essential ingredients for couperose skin

Now you know how not to make couperose skin worse. And now let's figure out what your skin CAN and NEED.

Since rosacea is caused by the thinness and fragility of the vessels, it is necessary to work on strengthening them. Remember (or better, take screenshots and save) the best components of cosmetics to strengthen blood vessels.

Panthenol.

Betaine.

Vitamins K and C.

Allantoin.

Bisabolol.

Alpha Lipoic Acid.

Oils and extracts: Centella Asiatica, grape seed, green coffee, jojoba, avocado, immortelle, lavender, rose, cypress, sophora, hops, horse chestnut, carrot, arnica.

Checklist for skin care with rosacea

For proper face care, one cream and “wash” is not enough. To get the result, you need to follow a system of several steps.

1st step — make-up and SPF removal. This function is performed by oil-based products: hydrophilic oil, sherbet, cleansing cream or balm, milk. Apply a small amount of oil to dry skin and gently massage it for 1-2 minutes. Then wet your hands, massage your face again and rinse with plenty of warm water.

Step 2 Soft foam or gel cleanser. Squeeze out the right amount of the product, rub it in the palms and apply on the face. Wash off with warm water.

Step 3 is a hydrating toner to restore pH balance. After washing, lightly blot your face with a dry, clean cloth or towel. Apply the toner to your face with your hands or with a cotton pad, grabbing the area around the eyes. Wait a minute for the toner to be absorbed.

4 step - active serum. Take a small amount of serum and gently spread over the face, avoiding the area around the eyes. Let the compound soak in.

Step 5 — face cream. Take the right amount of cream and spread over the surface of the face.

Step 6 - sun protection (before going outside) in the form of a cream, spray, BB cream with SPF, essence or stick.

Exfoliate (peel) once a week after step #2. This is necessary to remove dead skin cells. Instead of a scrub, use soft rolls, peeling pads, products with acids or enzyme powders.

Apply facial masks twice a week. Fabric, hydrogel and alginate masks are perfect for you.

When choosing cosmetics, give preference to those products that contain components recommended for skin with rosacea. Below we have compiled for you the TOP 10 products that are perfect for you!

causes and how to get rid of them

If red spots appear on the face, first of all, you need to find out the cause. Maybe the second glass of wine is to blame? Or the cleanser you use every day? Here are 6 habits that prevent your skin from always being clear and even.

Natasha Bnatova

1. You are using the wrong facial cleanser

Aggressive cleansing weakens the protective lipid barrier. Soaps and harsh surfactants remove natural oils (sebum), ceramides (which help retain moisture) and beneficial fatty acids from the skin's surface. As a result, you get skin irritation.

How to choose a cleanser

For irritated skin, look for neutral pH products and moisturizing non-alkaline products.
Use wipes for gentle cleansing.

2. You scrub too often

Every day, about 50 million skin cells are exfoliated from the surface of our body in the most natural way. It doesn't take much effort to remove them from the face. Too intensive scrubbing injures the skin, can cause redness on the face and inflammation.

How to exfoliate your skin properly

If your face is covered in red spots, avoid scrubs with coarse abrasive particles - stones, seeds, nut shells, stay away from harsh products.
Instead, use more delicate products that contain sugar or polymer microbeads as exfoliants. And don't do it every day, a couple of times a week will be enough.

3. Your moisturizer contains fragrances

Yes, your favorite body lotion that smells like violets or tropical fruits can be harmful. Perfumed products in general often provoke skin irritation. Even worse, if you notice a nasty rash, it could be a sign of eczema. A strong argument to change the flavored lotion: pink spots with scales appear where it hits.

How to properly moisturize your skin

If red spots appear on your face after using perfumed cosmetics, purchase products without fragrances and dyes.
Apply moisturizer or lotion immediately after showering to lock in moisture.
If eczema or other allergic skin reaction is suspected, see a dermatologist.

4. You are not protecting your skin from the sun

0% of cases is precisely exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Including brown and red spots on the face and loose skin. The solution is as simple as two and two: always wear sunscreen!

How to Use Sunscreen Properly

"Sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher is a must-have all year round, as are sunglasses and a hat if you're outside on a hot, sunny day," says dermatologist Tamella Kassis , MD.
If you already have pigmented areas, you should minimize the use of electronic devices: light from a computer monitor or mobile phone screen can exacerbate the problem.
Whitening serums with antioxidants and retinol will help prevent the appearance of new dark spots and redness on the skin (it can only be applied at night). If that doesn't work, laser or chemical peels will clear your skin.

5. You are into fitness

And exercise increases body temperature. We urge you not to give up on sports. Exercise helps relieve stress and cheer up, but it also dilates blood vessels and can be a trigger for redness on the skin. During cardio training, the heart rate increases and body temperature rises, more blood flows to all vital organs, including the surface of the skin.

How to get rid of redness after exercise: after intensive training, do not go home immediately. Try to cool down. Put an ice cube in your mouth - temperature receptors are located there. Or place a cold soda can or a glass of water on the crook of your neck. You should always have a spray with thermal water in your sports bag, it will help to quickly cool the skin and get rid of redness on the face.