Hello, I am Woo-jin Jung, a dermatologist. Facial redness that turns red easily even with slight sensitivity is one of the symptoms many people worry about. It often worsens, especially as the weather starts to get chilly like now. Today, we will take some time to learn more about facial redness.
Where does facial redness mainly appear?
Facial redness can primarily appear on the face, neck, and even chest. It tends to occur concentrated on the face, where the skin is thin and many blood vessels are gathered.
Why does facial redness occur?
The causes of facial redness are very diverse. The main causes include the following:
- Influence of female hormones: This can particularly appear as menopausal symptoms.
- Concomitant skin diseases: It can occur along with other skin diseases such as acne, atopic dermatitis, and seborrheic dermatitis.
- Drug abuse: It can also occur when blood vessels dilate after long-term use of adrenocortical hormone preparations.
- Environmental factors: It is prone to occur with frequent exposure to strong ultraviolet rays or repeated exposure to environments with severe temperature changes.
- Poor lifestyle habits: It can also appear when the skin barrier is damaged by incorrect cleansing or the use of irritating cosmetics.
- Specific drugs and diseases: It is reported that it can also appear due to drugs that dilate blood vessels or hormone-related tumors.
What is the difference between temporary redness and chronic redness? (It can also be an early symptom of rosacea)
Facial redness refers to the skin quickly turning red in response to temperature or external stimuli, with the redness lasting for a long time. Temporary redness that appears when eating spicy food or suddenly moving from a cold to a warm environment is generally not a major problem.
However, if these redness symptoms persist for more than 3 months, it could be an early symptom of rosacea.
Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin disease where the skin becomes sensitive to external stimuli, and blood vessel dilation occurs in the central part of the face and surrounding areas, leading to persistent redness along with papules and pustules. It is accompanied by symptoms such as itching, stinging, or sensitive skin, and sometimes pustular papules or acne-like papules may appear. Rosacea is a disease that requires treatment, so if facial redness persists for a long time, we recommend consulting a specialist for treatment rather than neglecting it.
How is facial redness treated?
Since facial redness can appear simultaneously with other diseases, an accurate diagnosis must be prioritized. Representative treatment methods can be divided into medication and laser treatment.
Medication
Oral medications such as minocycline and doxycycline, which are tetracycline-based drugs, can help by alleviating inflammation and acting on blood vessels.
Topical medications include the ivermectin component antiparasitic drug, brand name 'Soolantra', the metronidazole component drug, brand name 'Rozex', and various drugs that reduce inflammation and constrict blood vessels. It has been reported that in some patients, topical medications can temporarily worsen due to irritation, so they must be used in consultation with a specialist.
Laser Treatment
Laser treatment is a method that directly acts on blood vessels to shrink, constrict, or destroy abnormal blood vessels. Various vascular lasers such as V-Beam Perfecta, IPL, Excel V, and Clarity fall into this category. The advantage of laser treatment is that it directly removes the cause, so continuous improvement can be expected without taking or applying medication.
How to manage facial redness yourself: Prevention methods
There are preventive measures that can be practiced in daily life to alleviate facial redness and prevent its worsening. It is important to avoid factors that cause blood vessel dilation.
- Avoid sudden temperature changes: Saunas and hot baths, where you soak in hot water for a long time, help relax muscles and relieve fatigue, but are not good for facial redness. It is also advisable to avoid environments where you work directly in hot temperatures.
- Refrain from irritating foods: It is best to avoid spicy or hot foods, and irritating caffeinated foods. The temperature of the food is particularly known to be important.
- No alcohol or smoking: Alcohol and tobacco can affect blood vessels, so it is best to refrain from them as much as possible.
- UV protection: Continuous exposure to strong ultraviolet rays can worsen facial redness, so it is best to avoid it. When going out, we recommend using physical sunscreens.
- Avoid abuse of steroid preparations: Most 'broad-spectrum skin disease treatments' on the market contain steroids. Abuse of such preparations should be avoided.