Skin Inflammation

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 Can I use salicylic acid first and then vitamin C? It’s easy to create a skincare routine, but knowing how to use it is another thing entirely. In most cases, if you’re not getting the desired skin results, it could be due to the layering of conflicting ingredients. So, is it possible that salicylic acid and vitamin C are such ingredients? Or are these active ingredients the duo that’s been missing from your skincare routine? If you want answers, stick around because today we are going to explain the benefits of salicylic acid and vitamin C and how they can be used in your daily life. What are the benefits of salicylic acid for skin? Salicylic acid is one of the most commonly used beta hydroxy acids and is favored by many people with oily, acne-prone skin. This acid is derived from willow bark, and unlike its water-soluble relatives (called alpha-hydroxy acids), salicylic acid is oil-soluble, which means it can penetrate deeper into the lower layers of the skin. Once it reaches the lower layers, it can help unclog pores of excess sebum, dirt, bacteria, debris, and impurities. This results in clearer skin tones and greater definition. Not only does salicylic acid benefit the underlying layers, but the outer surface of the skin benefits as well. When applied to the skin, salicylic acid removes the buildup of dead skin cells. This is accomplished by breaking the bonds that hold dead cells to the surface. Over time, this can cause the complexion to look dull and prone to acne, blackheads, and other blemishes. If you’d like to learn more about salicylic acid and how it can improve your skin, check out this dedicated blog post from a beauty insider. What are the benefits of vitamin C for skin? Vitamin C is considered one of the most powerful antioxidants, which means it is very effective at fighting free radicals and preventing them from causing further skin damage. Examples of free radicals include pollution, central heating, UV rays and harsh climate. They attack proteins, fats and cell membranes as soon as they come into contact with the skin, causing signs of premature aging such as fine lines and wrinkles as well as hyperpigmentation, flaky patches of skin and loss of elasticity. Many people usually prefer to use vitamin C in their morning routine as this ingredient gives the complexion a radiant glow. You’ll also find that vitamin C can target areas of hyperpigmentation, plumping the skin and reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The thing about vitamin C is that there are a lot of outdated studies going back to the 1950s that describe vitamin C as an unstable skin component. Thanks to improvements in modern technology, this is no longer the case as all products now contain a stable form of vitamin C. Visit The Beauty Insider to learn more about vitamin C. So please check out our blog post. Can I use salicylic acid first and then vitamin C? Yes, you absolutely can. In fact, it’s thought that using salicylic acid before using vitamin C ensures it penetrates faster and works faster. This is an efficient way to utilize two power sources, and the reason has to do with pH. For example, the skin’s natural pH is about 4.7, making it slightly acidic. Salicylic acid and vitamin C are also both acidic, and you’ll find that vitamin C is absorbed quickly into the skin. Therefore, using salicylic acid beforehand can increase the acidity of the skin and allow vitamin C to penetrate into the skin faster. While this is considered an effective way to combine two powerful ingredients, you need to be aware of your skin type and how it reacts to certain active ingredients. Even people with perfect, normal skin can experience skin sensitivity and irritation. Therefore, always consult a doctor or dermatologist before using any new products on your skin. It’s also important to follow skin application rules. In this case, you need to use the product correctly to ensure you get the best results for your skin. If you’re not sure what I mean, the basic rule for skin is to start with the thinnest consistency and work your way up to the thickest consistency. This prevents a barrier from forming on the surface, preventing other active ingredients from penetrating the skin. Can I use salicylic acid at night and vitamin C in the morning? Yes, absolutely, this is considered the most effective way to get returns without any adverse side effects. This is because there is enough time between applications to ensure that the skin’s pH levels return to balance. You’ll also find that Vitamin C is rich in antioxidants and is perfect for use in the morning to ensure your skin is protected and looking its healthiest. Due to the small size of salicylic acid molecules, it is an acid that is able to reach the deepest parts of the skin. While this is effective at keeping skin clear, it also increases the risk of irritation and photosensitivity. Therefore, many people prefer to use powerful BHAs in their evening routine without exposure to UV rays, pollution, or harsh weather. Warning: If you avoid using sunscreen every day, none of these ingredients will do what your skin needs. The combination of chemical peels and powerful ingredients increases the risk of further damage to the skin’s surface. Use SPF 50 every day to keep your skin protected and your lipid barrier healthy, even on cloudy days, keeping your skin in top condition.

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