Why Your Skin Is Red & How To Treat It At Home

Skin redness can be very unpleasant and sometimes even painful to deal with. Depending on the cause, it may even be difficult to treat. It’s important to make sure you’re using the right treatment for your specific case of skin redness, that way you can effectively treat the redness you’re experiencing on your skin.

There are many causes of skin redness, from minor reasons to more serious ones. It could be as simple as a sunburn, or something more serious like a medical condition or allergic reaction. In this article, we’ll dive into different causes of why your skin might be red and how to effectively treat the skin redness you may be experiencing.

Causes of Skin Redness

Rosacea

Rosacea is a skin condition characterized by flushing, redness, visible blood vessels, or acne-like breakouts, and usually effects mainly the face. Some people even develop thickened skin as a result of this condition.

With rosacea, the redness is long lasting, and can be worsened due to triggers like applying certain skin care products or even drinking red wine. Rosacea can be very unpleasant and result in frequent sunburns, acne-like breakouts, and a warm feeling on the face.

Rosacea can look like many other skin conditions such as acne, eczema, and even seborrheic dermatitis, so it’s often advised to see a board-certified dermatologist for diagnosis and treatment. However, if that’s not an option for you, there are at home remedies that can be used to treat rosacea, especially if you’re certain you are in fact dealing with this condition. We’ll discuss these treatments later!

Inflammatory Acne

Inflammatory acne is a skin condition causing red, swollen bumps that are sore. These pimples are commonly seen on the face, back, chest, and shoulders. They can be very painful and cause severe redness to the skin, causing discomfort.

Inflammatory acne contains pus, excess oil, and dead skin cells. This type of acne is formed when the hair follicle or pore gets clogged with either oil placed on the skin in products used, dead skin cells, or sebum, which is the natural oil your skin produces. These pimples are usually, painful, red on the outside, yellow or white in the center, and swollen.

Inflammatory acne is very common and can affect all ages and genders. Though this type of acne can be severe, it has many treatment options, thankfully, which we’ll dive into later.

Sunburn

Sunburns are not fun. They are classified as a type of skin burn resulting in excessive exposure to UV rays from the sun or tanning beds. They often occur within a few hours of being in the sun for too long, and can cause a hot or burning sensation that worsens when you touch it. Even clothing can make the skin burn or feel worse when you have a sunburn. It’s not pretty to say the least.

Unfortunately, excessive exposure to the sun over a prolonged period can expose you to wrinkles, skin cancer, and of course sunburns.

It’s important to use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 when going out in the sun to prevent damage to the skin.

Contact Dermatitis

Contact dermatitis is defined as a skin rash caused by skin contact with something you’re allergic to or something that’s irritating to your skin. The rash can itch and swell, and is ultimately very uncomfortable. It can form on any part of your skin, from your face to even your armpits.

Contact dermatitis can present itself as a skin rash that has pus, is red or purple, and is swollen. It can also appear as a skin rash that has a small cluster of pimples or blisters, is flaky, itchy, or it can cause a burning or stinging sensation. It’s important not to scratch the rash because it can cause a wound to form, making matters worse.

The good news is once you discover what caused the skin irritation, you’ll be able to easily prevent it from returning by avoiding those triggers in the future.

Ingredients That Help Treat Skin Redness Associated With Rosacea

There are two ingredients that come to mind when it comes to treating rosacea. Those ingredients are azelaic acid and sulfur.

Azelaic Acid

Azelaic acid can reduce redness and treat the acne-like pimples associated with rosacea. It helps by decreasing inflammation and also preventing bacteria growth on the skin. It’s an effective treatment for rosacea because it helps reduce redness caused by inflammation and also helps to brighten the skin as well.

Sulfur

Sulfur is an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agent and is known for its ability to treat rosacea. It also has gentle exfoliating properties which makes it great for removing dead skin cells from your inflamed and reddened skin.

It may be stinky (unfortunately), but it’s a powerhouse for treating rosacea naturally. You can usually find it in the form of soaps, cleansers, and creams. If you’re especially sensitive to smells, a soap or cleanser will probably be the better option, since it doesn’t stay on the skin long helping to minimize the smell of sulfur on your skin.

Products That Help Treat Skin Redness Caused By Rosacea

Products Containing Azelaic Acid

A product I highly recommend for rosacea is Paula’s Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster. It contains azelaic acid, licorice root, and salicylic acid to help treat, soothe, and reduce redness associated with rosacea. It’s perfect for helping soothe and calm redness and sensitivity on the skin thanks to the licorice root extract it contains.

Products Containing Sulfur

Another product that is highly effective is CutiCare MD 10% Sulfur Soap. It has 10 percent sulfur, which is the highest strength you can get. It also doesn’t contain any fragrance which is an added bonus, so it lessens the chances of causing irritation. Fragrance can often be an irritating ingredient in skin care products, especially for those with rosacea, so it’s best to stay away from it in as much as possible in your skin care products.

Ingredients That Treat Skin Redness Caused By Inflammatory Acne

Inflammatory acne may be painful but thankfully there are many treatment options for this form of acne that causes skin redness on the skin.

Benzoyl Peroxide

Benzoyl peroxide is the gold standard for treating all types of acne as it kills the acne-causing bacteria present on the skin. It helps unclog pores by allowing the pores to shed dead skin, and it stops bacteria from growing on your skin as well.

Benzoyl peroxide also comes in different forms. You can find it in leave on treatments, cleansers, and soaps in varying strengths depending on the product.

Salicylic Acid

Salicylic acid is another important ingredient when it comes to healing skin redness caused by inflammatory acne. As an exfoliant, salicylic acid is able to shed dead skin cells which helps to decrease inflammation and treat redness.

Salicylic acid can be used in a wash, toner/liquid, serum, or a lotion. All forms are effective for treating redness caused by inflammatory acne, but of course leave on products stay in contact with the skin for longer which can be more effective than a wash.

Products That Treat Skin Redness Caused By Inflammatory Acne

Products Containing Benzoyl Peroxide

One of the best benzoyl peroxide treatments I’ve tried to date is Paula’s Choice 5% Benzoyl Peroxide Treatment. It also comes in a lower 2.5% strength, which I recommend starting with if you’ve never used benzoyl peroxide before. Also, the lower strength is a good option if you have more mild acne or sensitive skin.

One benefit to Paula’s Choice Benzoyl Peroxide compared to other benzoyl peroxide formulations I’ve tried is it contains added soothing ingredients to help calm the redness on the skin. It contains bisabolol and allantoin which are both ingredients that help calm irritation and redness associated with inflammatory acne. Bisabolol is one of the active ingredients in chamomile so it’s clear why it has such calming properties! Both ingredients help reduce redness to reveal clearer and calmer skin.

Products Containing Salicylic Acid

When it comes to salicylic acid, there are many awesome products on the market today. However, Paula’s Choice CLEAR Regular Strength Anti-Redness Exfoliating Solution is a game changer. It not only has 2% salicylic acid to unclog pores and reduce inflammatory acne on the skin, but it also has hyaluronic acid and glycerin which both help draw moisture to the skin and help repair your skin barrier.

Like the benzoyl peroxide treatment from this line, the Paula’s Choice CLEAR Regular Strength Anti-Redness Exfoliating Solution also contains allantoin to help reduce redness. It has the ingredient, panthenol, to strengthen the skin’s barrier, improving your skin’s ability to hold moisture. Lastly, it contains licorice which helps to soothe irritated skin to reduce redness caused by acne.

Overall, Paula’s Choice has an awesome salicylic acid exfoliating treatment. I’d highly recommend it for treating redness and inflammatory acne due to all the beneficial ingredients it has in it.

Note: Paula’s Choice also has an extra strength version of the Anti-Redness Exfoliating Solution. The Extra Strength version contains green tea with 2% salicylic acid, but it does not contain the other ingredients I listed above. While both products benefit acne, the regular strength version would be better for treating skin redness due to the additional ingredients we talked about above that help to nourish and calm reddened skin.

Effective Ingredient To Naturally Treat Redness Caused By Sunburns

Aloe Vera Gel

Sunburns can be quite painful, but one of the most effective treatments for these types of burns is aloe vera gel. Aloe vera has anti-inflammatory properties which help soothe sunburns. It’s naturally moisturizing and helps retain moisture in sunburned skin.

Aloe vera helps to cool and soothe tender skin, and the cooling sensation helps to treat the warmth usually felt on the skin when experiencing a sunburn.

All in all, aloe vera is one of the best ingredients when it comes to treating sunburns and is a highly effective ingredient.

Products That Treat Skin Redness Caused By Sunburns

Lily of the Desert Aloe Vera Gel

When it comes to aloe vera, Lily of the Desert has one of the best aloe vera formulations I’ve ever tried. Their aloe vera gel has organic aloe vera leaf juice listed as the first ingredient which is huge! Believe it or not, many aloe vera gels on the market don’t even have aloe vera as the first ingredient, unfortunately. Water is actually the first ingredient in many aloe vera formulations on the market right now. Once an ingredient is first, you know that product has a large percentage of it, so Lily of the Desert is formulated with a high concentration of aloe vera, making it a good option for reddened skin.

It’s also free of dyes, fragrance, and alcohol, making it perfect for sensitive skin burned from the sun.

An ingredient that sets Lily of the Desert’s Aloe Vera Gel apart, is the addition of Aloesorb, which helps to naturally maximize aloe vera’s benefits. Aloesorb is produced by extracting high molecular weight polysaccharides that are naturally present in the aloe plant. These larger polysaccharides are responsible for delivering all of aloe’s health benefits to the skin.

Treating Skin Redness Caused By Contact Dermatitis

The main way to “treat” contact dermatitis is really to prevent it from happening in the first place. It’s important to figure out which irritant caused the contact dermatitis, which can sometimes be hard. A process of elimination may help you determine what caused the rash. Avoiding contact with the irritant can help prevent contact dermatitis from reappearing again in the future.

Avoid scratching your skin as that can further irritate your skin and worsen any redness. Also, be sure to clean your skin with a mild cleanser and lukewarm water to remove the irritant causing the dermatitis.

Ingredients to Help Treat Redness Caused By Contact Dermatitis

Petroleum Jelly, Hydrocortisone Cream, Calamine Lotion

Applying petroleum jelly to the area is helpful to soothe irritation and form a barrier on the skin to protect it from further irritation. It also helps to protect your skin from any substances it may come in contact with, helping the skin rash heal quicker.

In addition, applying anti-itch treatments like hydrocortisone cream or calamine lotion are helpful in treating any itching associated with the redness.

Please note, hydrocortisone cream should only be used temporarily. It’s not advised to use hydrocortisone for extended periods of time because it can cause skin thinning as well cause damage to the skin over time.

Best Products To Help Treat Skin Redness Caused By Contact Dermatitis

Cerave has a great formulation of 1% hydrocortisone cream. Their formulation includes beneficial ingredients including ceramides and hyaluronic acid to moisturize the skin and repair the skin barrier. This in turn helps reduces redness on the skin.

It also has oat kernel extract which naturally has calming and anti-inflammatory properties, helping to reduce skin inflammation and skin redness. Lastly, it has aloe vera which helps to soothe the irritation and redness from the contact dermatitis, helping it heal quicker.

Cerave’s hydrocortisone cream is truly one of the best on the market because it contains all of these added beneficial ingredients that will help to treat skin redness associated with contact dermatitis.

Final Words

We talked about the different causes of skin redness, and we also discussed different ingredients that can help treat these different skin conditions. Lastly, we talked about different products to help treat your skin redness depending on the cause.

I hope all of this information will help you understand your skin redness a bit better and what could be causing it.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read!