Effective Skin Care Strategies for Managing Skin Inflammation and Redness

Skin Inflammation

Inflammation of the skin is called many names such as sensitive skin, dermatitis, rash, inflamed skin ,mottled skin, blotchy skin and skin allergy. All of these have one main thing in common: erythema (pink or red skin).

Inflammation is the cause of red skin, but what is inflammation?

Skin inflammation can be caused by these diagnoses: rosacea, acne, photosensitivity, seborrheic dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, acne, and contact or irritant dermatitis.

Inflammation should be treated as soon as possible with skin care products containing soothing anti-inflammatory ingredients like Argan Oil because inflammation has a domino effect causing more inflammation. Inflammation is harmful to your overall health leading to systemic problems like diabetes and heart disease. In the skin, inflammation causes damage to skin cells, hyperpigmentation, and skin aging. Inflammation is such an important cause of skin aging that the term “inflammaging” is often used to describe the process and anti-inflammatory ingredients are also considered antiaging ingredients.

This blog will explain what causes inflammation of the skin and how to prevent and treat it using a soothing skincare routine.

Why is my Face so Red?

If your face is red, this means your superficial capillaries ( blood vessels) have dilated which brings more red oxygenated blood to the surface which gives skin the erythema or pink- red blotchy color associated with sensitive skin and inflammatory skin conditions. There are many things cell signals that cause inflammation such as histamine that are discussed in this blog on the science of inflammation.

Eight of the 16 Baumann Skin Types are susceptible to skin inflammation. If you are reading this article, you are likely one of these 8 Sensitive Baumann Skin Types.

Take the Quiz

Causes of Skin Inflammation

Inflammation is a vascular and cellular reflexive response of the living tissue to injury. The inflammation response is a series of cascades turned on by of infection, chemical damage (e.g., toxins, irritants), physical damage (e.g., heat, cold, radiation, mechanical trauma), or activation of the immune system (such as antibody recognition of antigens).

Inflammation is a protective mechanism intended to remove injurious stimuli as well as to initiate the healing process of the damaged tissue. However, once inflammation gets turned on- it causes a domino effect that can be hard to stop. This is why once you can an inflammatory reaction, such as a rash, all of the sudden you start having allergies, itching and problem sin other unrelated areas of the body.

How To Cure Skin Inflammation

Many different pathways are involved in cell inflammation. The only way to calm skin and reduce inflammation is to:

Remove the cause of inflammation

Turn off the pathways in the body that are making the skin inflamed

Anti-inflammatory skincare ingredients target get inflammation.

You can learn more of the in-depth science of skin inflammation and which pathways need to be turned off here. For the best in-depth scientific descriptions of skin inflammation see Ch. 38 in Baumann’s Cosmetic Dermatology (McGraw Hill 2022).

Skin Inflammation Symptoms

4 Signs of Inflammation

The 4 signs of skin inflammation are: calor (heat), dolor (pain), rubor (redness), and tumor (swelling).

These signs of skin inflammation are caused by:

dilation of blood vessels that leads to warmth and redness

increased permeability of blood vessels that leads to swelling and hives

extravasation of plasma proteins causes an exudate that increases inflammation

migration of immune cells into the affected tissue

Symptoms

The symptoms of inflammation depend upon the cause but may include:

Blisters

Blotchy skin

Bumpy skin

Burning sensation

Dryness

Flaking or scaling

Increased fine lines and wrinkles

Itching

Mottled skin

Pain

Pink or red skin

Sensation of heat

Swelling

How to Reduce Skin Inflammation and Redness?

As a dermatologist, every day I prescribe skin inflammation medicine. Topical corticosteroids are the most commonly used prescription medications to treat inflamed skin. However, with long term use these steroids can thin the skin and cause immunosuppression. For this reason, dermatologists often use anti-inflammatory creams for skin with natural anti-inflammatory ingredients.

There are many kinds of anti-inflammatory ingredients, and many of them are derived from natural sources like fruits or vegetables.

When looking for products to treat inflammation, fruits and vegetables loaded with soothing unsaturated fatty acids like linoleic acid are perfect.

The most popular linoleic acid rich oils on the market today include Argan oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, borage seed oil, jojoba oil, shea butter, sesame oil, olive oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil, almond oil, evening primrose oil, and rosehip oil.

Soothing and Calming Products for Inflamed Skin

Once you take our skin type quiz and determine which Baumann Skin Type you are, your Baumann Skin Type octagon will appear next to the soothing skincare products that are right for you. It makes it so much easier to shop for skin care when you know your skin type! Here are some antiiredness products. If you do not see an octagon next to the products it means:

1. you have not taken the skin type quiz

2. You are not logged in.

VIDEO COMING SOON

Anti-redness Treatments

Soothing products like Skinceuticals Redness Neutralizer and others in this collection of products with anti-inflammatory ingredients were designed to soothe and calm skin and reduce the appearance of redness.

Replenix Caffeine Fortified Calming Serum

$99.00

Add to Cart

Replenix Redness Reducing Triple AOX Cream

$101.00

Add to Cart

Replenix Redness Reducing Triple AOX Serum

$101.00

Add to Cart

Revision Skincare Vitamin K Serum

$69.00

Add to Cart

EltaMD AM Restore Moisturizer

$47.00

Add to Cart

PCA Skin Anti-Redness Serum

$70.00

Add to Cart

PCA Skin Vitamin B3 Brightening Serum

$128.00

Out of Stock

PCA Skin Dual Action Redness Relief

$128.00

Out of Stock

PCA Skin ExLinea Peptide Smoothing Serum

$123.00

Add to Cart

Plated SkinScience INTENSE Serum

$244.00

Add to Cart

Replenix Caffeine Fortified Calming Serum

$99.00

Add to Cart

Replenix Redness Reducing Triple AOX Cream

$101.00

Add to Cart

Replenix Redness Reducing Triple AOX Serum

$101.00

Add to Cart

Revision Skincare Vitamin K Serum

$69.00

Add to Cart

EltaMD AM Restore Moisturizer

$47.00

Add to Cart

PCA Skin Anti-Redness Serum

$70.00

Add to Cart

PCA Skin Vitamin B3 Brightening Serum

$128.00

Out of Stock

PCA Skin Dual Action Redness Relief

$128.00

Out of Stock

PCA Skin ExLinea Peptide Smoothing Serum

$123.00

Add to Cart

Plated SkinScience INTENSE Serum

$244.00

Add to Cart

Replenix Caffeine Fortified Calming Serum

$99.00

Add to Cart

Replenix Redness Reducing Triple AOX Cream

$101.00

Add to Cart

Replenix Redness Reducing Triple AOX Serum

$101.00

Add to Cart

Revision Skincare Vitamin K Serum

$69.00

Add to Cart

EltaMD AM Restore Moisturizer

$47.00

Add to Cart

PCA Skin Anti-Redness Serum

$70.00

Add to Cart

PCA Skin Vitamin B3 Brightening Serum

$128.00

Out of Stock

PCA Skin Dual Action Redness Relief

$128.00

Out of Stock

PCA Skin ExLinea Peptide Smoothing Serum

$123.00

Add to Cart

Plated SkinScience INTENSE Serum

$244.00

Add to Cart

Soothing Moisturizers

Which moisturizer to use to soothe skin inflammation depends upon the underlying cause of the inflammation. It is always best to take the skin type quiz to identify any skin conditions contributing to your irritated skin. If you have dry skin, sensitive skin, we will most likely recommend a barrier repair moisturizer with soothing anti-inflammatory ingredients. Here are some of our favorites:

Zerafite Soothing and Calming Moisturizer

$9.99

Add to Cart

Derma Made Ceramide Barrier Cream

$35.00

Add to Cart

Medature Barrier balancing Gel Moisturizer

$48.00

Add to Cart

Vichy Pureté Thermale Toner

$18.00

Out of Stock

Biopelle Tensage Soothing Cream Moisturizer

$77.56

Add to Cart

EltaMD Barrier Renewal Complex

$62.00

Add to Cart

PCA Skin ReBalance

$61.00

Add to Cart

VMV HYPOALLERGENICS Red Better Daily Calming Moisturizer

$44.00

Add to Cart

Alastin Ultra Nourishing Moisturizer

$78.00

Add to Cart

Zerafite Barrier Repair Moisturizer

$50.00

Add to Cart

Zerafite Soothing and Calming Moisturizer

$9.99

Add to Cart

Derma Made Ceramide Barrier Cream

$35.00

Add to Cart

Medature Barrier balancing Gel Moisturizer

$48.00

Add to Cart

Vichy Pureté Thermale Toner

$18.00

Out of Stock

Biopelle Tensage Soothing Cream Moisturizer

$77.56

Add to Cart

EltaMD Barrier Renewal Complex

$62.00

Add to Cart

PCA Skin ReBalance

$61.00

Add to Cart

VMV HYPOALLERGENICS Red Better Daily Calming Moisturizer

$44.00

Add to Cart

Alastin Ultra Nourishing Moisturizer

$78.00

Add to Cart

Zerafite Barrier Repair Moisturizer

$50.00

Add to Cart

Zerafite Soothing and Calming Moisturizer

$9.99

Add to Cart

Derma Made Ceramide Barrier Cream

$35.00

Add to Cart

Medature Barrier balancing Gel Moisturizer

$48.00

Add to Cart

Vichy Pureté Thermale Toner

$18.00

Out of Stock

Biopelle Tensage Soothing Cream Moisturizer

$77.56

Add to Cart

EltaMD Barrier Renewal Complex

$62.00

Add to Cart

PCA Skin ReBalance

$61.00

Add to Cart

VMV HYPOALLERGENICS Red Better Daily Calming Moisturizer

$44.00

Add to Cart

Alastin Ultra Nourishing Moisturizer

$78.00

Add to Cart

Zerafite Barrier Repair Moisturizer

$50.00

Add to Cart

If you already have an anti-inflammatory moisturizer, but don’t feel that offers enough protection from inflammation, you can also find a number of great cleansers, eye creams, and even products like sunscreens that are rich in soothing anti-inflammatory ingredients.

Moisturizers are great for adjusting the absorption rate of different ingredients, meaning sometimes they are able to help prevent inflammation in the first place. For example, some ingredients like retinoids can cause irritation and redness when absorbed too quickly into the skin. By applying an occlusive moisturizer before your retinoid, you can slow the absorption of the retinoid. This gives your skin a better chance of absorbing it without getting inflammed.

Natural Anti-inflammatory for Skin

Foods such as salmon and flax seed oil have soothing properties. Limiting sugar in your diet is also a good idea.

Oils are a good natural anti-inflammatory for the skin. Look for oils with fatty acids like linoleic acid which specifically target the pathways that cause inflammation. Argan Oil is one of our favorite soothing oils to treat inflamed skin. It has linoleic acid and other soothing and antioxidant components and is noncomedogenic.

Here are some of the best Soothing Oils to calm skin inflammation:

ClarityRx Glimmer of Hope Shimmering Facial Oil

$58.00

Add to Cart

Murad Multi-Vitamin Infusion Oil

$79.00

Out of Stock

Shea Terra MD 100% Pure Moroccan Argan Oil

$24.00

Out of Stock

PAORR By Zerafite Organic Moroccan Argan Oil

$32.50

Add to Cart

ClarityRx Glimmer of Hope Shimmering Facial Oil

$58.00

Add to Cart

Murad Multi-Vitamin Infusion Oil

$79.00

Out of Stock

Shea Terra MD 100% Pure Moroccan Argan Oil

$24.00

Out of Stock

PAORR By Zerafite Organic Moroccan Argan Oil

$32.50

Add to Cart

ClarityRx Glimmer of Hope Shimmering Facial Oil

$58.00

Add to Cart

Murad Multi-Vitamin Infusion Oil

$79.00

Out of Stock

Shea Terra MD 100% Pure Moroccan Argan Oil

$24.00

Out of Stock

PAORR By Zerafite Organic Moroccan Argan Oil

$32.50

Add to Cart

Soothing Skincare Routine

If you have inflamed skin, make sure your skin care regimen is right for your Baumann Skin Type and use it consistently as directed for the best results. Using the best skin care products for YOUR skin type is the only way to prevent and treat skin inflammation.

Once you know your Baumann Skin Type, you will be able to shop for skincare using your skin type octagon.

DQH Knowledge drop: In your 20s, your skin cell turnover decreases. (Cell turnover is a key component in keeping your skin youthful.) You know what else slows down? Your collagen production. Starting in your 20s, collagen decreases by about 1 percent per year. Should you want to prevent fine lines and wrinkles, start by eliminating behaviors that contribute to premature aging. “If it’s bad for you, it’s bad for your skin,” says dermatologist Michel Somenek. “Cigarette smoking reduces blood flow to the skin and causes premature wrinkling and a dull skin texture. Making the repeated pursed motion to inhale can also cause smoker’s lines. Alcohol and recreational drugs are toxins for the skin that damage its cellular structure and DNA,” Somenek tells us. “The faster you eliminate vices while you are young, the better chance your skin and body have to recuperate.” Also, adopting an anti-aging routine in your 20s is key. After all, the best offense is a good defense. We spoke to Somenek and experts Joshua Ross and Audrey Kunin to find out more. Keep reading for the best anti-aging products for your 20s, according to skincare professionals. Sunscreen “We all know that the sun is the number one cause of skin aging and starting the prevention in your 20s is very important,” Ross says. “The majority of your sun damage won’t start to appear until you’re in your 30s, so don’t wait until you see it surface or you’ll be behind the curve. Stay ahead of it with a good-quality zinc-based sunscreen worn daily.” Farmacy Green Defense Daily Mineral Sunscreen An invisible sunscreen with SPF 30, plus botanical extracts meant to protect skin with tons of antioxidants. Bonus: It’s clean and fine to use under makeup. Bareminerals Complexion Rescue™ Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Although we recommend you use your SPF and moisturizer separately, we also understand moments when you don’t have time or energy for that extra step. For those times, this bareMinerals moisturizer is a great thing to have on hand. Vitamin C Serum “A great introduction to anti-aging is to start with a vitamin C serum in your morning skincare routine,” Ross says. “It’s a powerful antioxidant that will neutralize free radicals and brighten the skin.” He adds that it’s a great way to counteract the effects of the sun’s harmful rays, which, as previously mentioned, are among the biggest causes of premature aging. Drunk Elephant C-Firma™ Vitamin C Day Serum The Drunk Elephant C-Firma is a lightweight serum that promises to give skin a glow by combining the brightening powers of vitamin C with ferulic acid, l-ascorbic acid, and vitamin E. The included sodium hyaluronate is meant to replace hydration loss, so you shouldn’t have to deal with any irritation. Sunday Riley C.E.O. Rapid Flash Brightening Serum This potent serum is jam-packed with vitamin C (15 percent, to be exact), which means it’s a potential superstar at both brightening skin and dousing it in antioxidants. Peptides Using peptides on your skin has many benefits, says Somenek. “The skin barrier is what defends the body against pollution, UV rays, bacteria, and toxins. It can be damaged by several everyday factors. Using topical peptides aids in building a stronger barrier,” he says. “Peptides comprise elastic fibers, which are a type of protein. These fibers help to make skin appear taut and firm. Peptides can also help repair damaged skin, relieve inflammation, and even out skin tone. Some peptides can kill acne-causing bacteria that is common in 20-somethings.” Kunin agrees, saying, “Peptides are an excellent entry point for supporting collagen.” She recommends looking for face and eye treatments that contain these collagen-boosting powerhouses. Charlotte Tilbury Magic Eye Rescue Cream This Charlotte Tilbury super-emollient eye cream has a base of coconut oil and shea butter (read: it’s incredibly hydrating). Botanicals plus peptides are meant to help reduce dark circles and boost collagen, respectively. This creamy moisturizer serves up potent collagen-boosting peptides and pycnogenol, and antioxidant-rich vitamin C. “Instead of sitting on top of the skin, peptides penetrate the outer layer so they go deep. The ‘signals’ they send tell the cells to produce elastin and collagen, which are needed for youthful-looking skin,” explains Somenek. At-Home Peel Pads Remember that skin cell turnover fiasco we talked about earlier? One way to help support it is by exfoliating. “Exfoliation is important to help keep skin fresh and luminous,” Kunin says. She recommends using at-home peel pads as an easy and effective way to exfoliate. “The goal in your 20s is to fight the slowing pace of cell turnover. It is wise to use products that gently exfoliate, yet still remove oil and other impurities. Products that have Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA) or Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHA) are a good choice.” According to Somenek, you should only exfoliate two to three times a week. “People of all ages are guilty of over-exfoliating and that can be too much of a good thing,” he says. Dermadoctor Kakadu C Intensive Vitamin C Peel Pad A few swipes of this Derma Doctor powerful peel pad promise to leave your skin glowing and smooth, thanks to the seven (yes, seven) types of chemical exfoliants, including AHA and BHA. It also contains vitamin C via Kakadu plum extract for added brightening and antioxidant protection. KEY INGREDIENTS Kakadu plum extract is sourced from the Kakadu plum, a fruit grown in northern Australia. It contains vitamin C, which restores the skin’s natural barrier, increases collagen production, and soothes irritation. Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta® Universal Daily Peel Pads These are the gold standard of peel pads, with a cult following and over 900 five-star reviews on Sephora. They’re easy to use and contain a blend of anti-aging exfoliating acids. Emollient Night Cream “In your 20s, you need to start upping the hydration in your skincare routine. You may have been cautious of over-moisturizing because of acne in your teens, but as you enter your 20s, your skin transitions and becomes drier,” Ross says. “I recommend an emollient night cream added into your evening skincare regimen.” “Twenty-somethings need to make sure that they are not using creams that will clog their pores and cause excess oil production,” says Somenek. Opt for non-comedogenic products. Cerave Skin Renewing Night Cream One great choice is the CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream, which is a non-comedogenic night cream that leaves skin soft and glowy. It combines the moisturizing powers of ceramides and hyaluronic acid. RoC Retinol Correxion Max Hydration Creme “The best night cream ingredients contain retinol, benzoyl peroxide, and/or salicylic acid or hyaluronic acid. The goal is to moisturize, yet remove excess oil,” says Somenek. This Roc Retinol Correxion cream fits the bill as it contains both hyaluronic acid and retinol so it promises to moisturize while also being non-comedogenic.

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