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Everyone's at risk for skin cancer. These dermatologists' tips tell you how to protect your skin.

Find out what may be causing the itch and what can bring relief.

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Find out why dark spots appear and what can fade them.

If you have what feels like razor bumps or acne on the back of your neck or scalp, you may have acne keloidalis nuchae. Find out what can help.

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Use these professionally produced online infographics, posters, and videos to help others find and prevent skin cancer.

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Featured

You can search by location, condition, and procedure to find the dermatologist that’s right for you.

A dermatologist is a medical doctor who specializes in treating the skin, hair, and nails. Dermatologists care for people of all ages.

Is rosacea causing your red, irritated face?

Diseases & conditions

• Coronavirus Resource Center
• Acne
• Eczema
• Hair loss
• Psoriasis
• Rosacea
• Skin cancer
• A to Z diseases
• A to Z videos

• DIY acne treatment
• How dermatologists treat
• Skin care: Acne-prone skin
• Causes
• Is it really acne?

• Types & treatments
• Childhood eczema
• Adult eczema
• Insider secrets

• Types of hair loss
• Treatment for hair loss
• Causes of hair loss
• Hair care matters
• Insider secrets

• What is psoriasis
• Diagnosis & treatment
• Skin, hair & nail care
• Triggers
• Insider secrets

• What is rosacea
• Treatment
• Skin care & triggers
• Insider secrets

• Types and treatment
• Find skin cancer
• Prevent skin cancer
• Raise awareness
• Español

Featured

Natalie tried many acne products without success. Find out how a board-certified dermatologist helped Natalie see clear skin before her wedding.

JAK inhibitors are helping patients with alopecia areata, eczema/atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and vitiligo. Here’s what you need to know.

Everyday care

• Skin care basics
• Skin care secrets
• Injured skin
• Itchy skin
• Sun protection
• Hair & scalp care
• Nail care secrets

• Basic skin care
• Dry, oily skin
• Hair removal
• Tattoos and piercings

• Anti-aging skin care
• For your face
• For your skin routine
• Preventing skin problems

• Bites & stings
• Burns, cuts, & other wounds

• Itch relief
• Poison ivy, oak & sumac
• Rashes

• Shade, clothing, and sunscreen
• Sun damage and your skin
• Aprenda a proteger su piel del sol

• Your hair
• Your scalp

• Nail care basics
• Manicures & pedicures

Featured

Everyone's at risk for skin cancer. These dermatologists' tips tell you how to protect your skin.

Find out what may be causing the itch and what can bring relief.

Darker Skin Tones

• Skin care secrets
• Hair care
• Hair loss
• Diseases & Conditions

• Acne
• Dark spots
• Dry skin
• Light spots
• Razor bumps

• Caring for Black hair
• Scalp psoriasis
• Weaves & extensions

• Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia
• Frontal fibrosing alopecia
• Hairstyles that pull can cause hair loss

• Acanthosis nigricans
• Acne keloidalis nuchae
• Hidradenitis suppurativa
• Keloid scars
• Lupus and your skin
• Sarcoidosis and your skin
• Skin cancer
• Vitiligo
• More diseases & conditions

Featured

Find out why dark spots appear and what can fade them.

If you have what feels like razor bumps or acne on the back of your neck or scalp, you may have acne keloidalis nuchae. Find out what can help.

Cosmetic treatments

• Your safety
• Age spots & dark marks
• Cellulite & fat removal
• Hair removal
• Scars & stretch marks
• Wrinkles
• Younger-looking skin

Featured

You can expect permanent results in all but one area. Do you know which one?

If you want to diminish a noticeable scar, know these 10 things before having laser treatment.

It can smooth out deep wrinkles and lines, but the results aren’t permanent. Here’s how long botox tends to last.

Public health programs

• Skin cancer awareness
• Free skin cancer screenings
• Kids' camp
• Good Skin Knowledge
• Shade Structure grants
• Skin Cancer, Take a Hike!™
• Awareness campaigns
• Flyers & posters
• Get involved

• Lesson plans and activities
• Community grants

Featured

Use these professionally produced online infographics, posters, and videos to help others find and prevent skin cancer.

Free to everyone, these materials teach young people about common skin conditions, which can prevent misunderstanding and bullying.

Find a dermatologist

• Find a dermatologist
• What is a dermatologist?
• FAAD: What it means
• How to select a dermatologist
• Telemedicine appointments
• Prior authorization
• Dermatologists team up to improve patient care

Featured

You can search by location, condition, and procedure to find the dermatologist that’s right for you.

A dermatologist is a medical doctor who specializes in treating the skin, hair, and nails. Dermatologists care for people of all ages.

Skin irritation on the face: causes and treatments

Redness, peeling, itching and discomfort are all symptoms of irritated skin. These changes are caused by a violation of the protective layer caused by internal and external factors. Irritation on the face can be triggered by various factors. Such a dermis becomes vulnerable to damage and infections, foreign substances and toxins. Protective barriers weaken, inflammation appears. How to relieve facial skin irritation? Is it possible to prevent the appearance of these aesthetic imperfections? Read on for this and more.

A healthy barrier consists of dense scales that are glued together by lipids. This layer provides effective protection of the epidermis from toxins, damage and infections. Healthy skin is also not prone to moisture loss. It remains elastic and elastic longer, age-related changes do not appear on it.

Irritation of the skin on the face occurs due to damage to the protective barrier. The integrity of the lipid layer is broken. Because of this, bacteria and allergens penetrate the dermis. The skin becomes vulnerable to external irritants, quickly loses moisture. Her condition is rapidly deteriorating. To prevent these changes, it is necessary to choose a special care for irritated facial skin, aimed at restoring, protecting, nourishing and moisturizing.

The condition of the skin changes under the influence of various factors. Even a healthy dermis with constant negative influence can lose its qualities. It becomes more sensitive, dry, covered with red spots, can peel off, cause itching and discomfort. Skin irritations are the result of such factors:

• aggressive cleansing and improper care. Many cleansers cleanse the dermis not only from dust and decorative cosmetics. They also wash away the fats that form the protective barrier. With a systematic procedure, the cover is irritated. The dermis needs soft, delicate cleansing with quality products. For each type, appropriate cosmetics should be selected;
• stress, fatigue and lack of sleep. With an increased level of the hormone cortisol in the body, immunity decreases. It also contributes to the occurrence of diseases of the cardiovascular and digestive systems. Excess cortisol negatively affects the condition of the skin. It inhibits regeneration processes, disrupts the functions of the sebaceous glands;
• action of free radicals. Unstable molecules damage the cells of the dermis. Its ability to recover and renew itself is impaired, and protection against damage is impaired. The best neutralizers of the negative effects of free radicals are antioxidants;
• unfavorable ecological situation. Poor ecology makes the skin vulnerable to damage. On such a cover, redness and other aesthetic imperfections appear. Environmentally unfavorable environments also produce free radicals that cause premature aging;
• food. Products can cause hypersensitivity of the skin, cause irritation and atopic dermatitis. Even useful substances that are necessary for the full functioning of the body provoke aesthetic flaws in case of individual intolerance;
• hot water. A long shower or bath is relaxing and warming. But hot water works on the skin in the best way. It washes away not only dirt, but also a protective fatty layer. And washing products provoke dehydration, itching, peeling;
• medicines. Red, irritated facial skin can be caused by long-term medication. Many remedies provoke dryness, itching, peeling. After taking such products, a program that restores the microflora is necessary.

In case of high sensitivity of the skin, it is also recommended to limit the contact of the dermis with soap and household chemicals. Don't spend too much time in the sun or in the pool. The method of treatment is selected individually. First of all, it is necessary to eliminate the cause of irritation, then choose a comprehensive care that will restore the cover and protective functions of the lipid layer.

The basic rule is to avoid contact with irritants. Watch your diet: what foods cause the reaction, take warm or cool showers, eat a balanced diet of foods rich in antioxidants.

To relieve irritation, you need cosmetic products with soothing properties. Such products are created on the basis of mineral oils, contain vitamin A, aloe vera extract, and other natural extracts.

Take care of the delicate effect on the skin. Do not touch the inflamed area, especially with dirty hands. Skip harsh scrubs and peels. For washing, it is better to use soft gels, milk or foam. Choose problem products and sensitive skin, created on a natural basis.

Avoid hot baths and saunas. Wash your face with warm or cool water. Each cleansing is recommended to be “closed” with toning. Choose an alcohol-free toner for sensitive skin. For dry and irritated skin, chamomile decoction can be a salvation. Once every two weeks, do steam baths with the addition of essential oils.

gentle cleansing;

intensive nutrition and hydration;

restoration of the hydrolipidic protective layer;

vitamins and antioxidants - in diet and cosmetics;

soothing and anti-inflammatory agents.

If, after eliminating irritants and following all the rules, redness, itching, peeling and other cosmetic imperfections do not disappear, it is recommended to consult a doctor. The specialist will be able to choose a comprehensive effective treatment based on the cause, help with the choice of cosmetics and offer cosmetic programs aimed at restoring the skin.

3 tips and 4 products review

What you need to know about skin irritation

Unpleasant burning, itching, peeling, redness, dry crusts on the face - all these are signs of skin irritation, which causes a lot of discomfort. And to deal with the problem, it would be good to first understand its causes. According to experts, the main ones are:

1. 1

   violation of the barrier properties of the skin;

2. 2

   her tendency to allergic reactions.

However, skin reactivity can also be caused by other factors, such as:

• too aggressive care, for example, the use of products with a high content of acids or retinol;
• improper care: using cleansers with harsh surfactants or products that are not suitable for your skin type and condition;
• drug treatment;
• aesthetic procedures: peeling, cleaning, polishing.

Find out more about skin protection during allergy season here.

Violation of the barrier properties of the skin is a temporary condition, and to correct it, sometimes it is enough to change the care for a while, choosing more gentle products. Skin prone to allergic reactions will not help. She needs constant care designed for hypersensitive allergic skin. It is better if these are drugs of pharmaceutical brands, the action of which is aimed at:

• decrease in reactivity;
• redness removal;
• restoration of the barrier properties of the epidermis.

Allergic skin reacts sharply to many components that are normally tolerated by healthy skin, and especially to potential allergens: fragrances, dyes, preservatives.

Remedies should be habitual: trying a new cream during an aggravation usually does not end well. © iStock

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How to take care of irritated skin

For effective skin care for irritated skin, it is worth following certain rules.

1. 1

   For 2-3 months, gently cleanse the skin and apply a revitalizing care cream.

2. 2

   Use products containing lipid-restoring and healing components: panthenol, aloe extract, allantoin, bisabolol, squalane, phytosphingosine, oils.

1. 3

   Temporarily refrain from abrasive scrubs and highly acidic peels: anything that can cause irritation should be postponed until the skin returns to normal.

Remedies should be habitual: trying a new cream during an aggravation usually does not end well.

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How to relieve irritation

• If you know which product caused irritation, wash it off with plenty of water.
• Products with panthenol in the composition are well suited for the SOS effect.
• Use drugstore brands to soothe irritation.

When choosing cosmetics, give preference to lines for sensitive skin and pharmacy brands. © iStock

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Prevention

Remember that dehydrated skin with compromised barrier properties is vulnerable, regardless of skin type. If the skin reacts with a feeling of tightness after cleansing with water, there are discomfort, peeling, tingling, take action:

1. 1

   Avoid products containing acids, high concentrations of active ingredients;

2. 2

   for 1-2 months, use regenerating products to help restore the barrier properties of the skin;

3. 3

   then give preference to lines for sensitive skin, such as Cicaplast, Toleriane, Lipikar from La Roche-Posay.

Skin Barrier Repair Accelerator, Cicaplast Baume B5, La Roche-Posay

The balm contains panthenol and thermal water with soothing properties, as well as hyaluronic acid, which restores the hydrolipidic barrier. Suitable for skin irritated after aesthetic procedures - laser resurfacing and peeling.

Daily care for sensitive and allergy-prone skin Toleriane Ultra, La Roche-Posay

Almost immediately visibly soothes overly sensitive skin and gives it a feeling of comfort, eliminates discomfort, including itching. The cream achieves this effect thanks to the neurosensin, shea butter and squalane included in the composition.

Redness Neutralizer, SkinCeuticals

Tested on skin with rosacea. Cools, instantly soothes and provides comfort. Contains peptides, eperua crescent bark extract, bisabolol, squalane, shea butter, vitamin E. prone to allergies. Moisturizes very dry skin well. With constant use, the intervals between flashes of irritation caused by excessive dryness are visibly reduced.

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