To eliminate the most common culprits, Weiser also suggests using clear, fragrance-free laundry products and “bland moisturizers like Vanicream, La Roche Posay Toleraine, or Lipikar.” These will help build your skin barrier back up, allowing you to heal more quickly.
Cortizone-10 Intensive-Healing Formula
La Roche-Posay Lipikar Daily Repair Moisturizing Lotion
5. Seborrheic Dermatitis
Symptoms
Not to be confused with the similarly named contact dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis shows up as redness that tends to concentrate around your nose and eyebrows. According to Zeichner, it’s thought to be similar to dandruff but affects your face instead of your scalp. “We all have yeast living harmoniously on our skin,” he says. “In areas of your face where you make more oil, yeast levels can rise, causing inflammation, redness, and scaling in some cases.”
Treatments
Treatment is interesting and will likely go against all your instincts, but it’s expert-approved. You need antifungals to lower yeast levels and subsequently reduce inflammation and redness. You will achieve this through something like Kamedis Dandruff Therapy Shampoo, which contains a combination of soothing botanicals and zinc pyrithione, which reduces yeast. “Even though it is called a shampoo, use it as a face wash,” says Zeichner. “Let it lather while you sing the alphabet to ensure enough contact time, then rinse off.”
Kamedis Anti-Dandruff Therapy Shampoo
6. Genetic Flushing
Symptoms
This is one kind of redness that I never have any trouble identifying—I just happen to call it Asian glow. “Genetic flushing due to alcohol consumption is a rarer condition where you lack the enzyme to properly break down alcohol, causing an alcohol byproduct to accumulate and cause flushing,” says Weiser. I guess the most obvious treatment option here would be to avoid alcohol entirely, but I can’t say I’ve really tried doing that.
Treatments
Engelman has an alternate suggestion: “Taking an antihistamine prior to consuming alcohol may help mitigate some of these flushing effects.” Speaking from personal experience, it doesn’t always work, but sometimes it helps. I’ve also had luck using a green primer for redness, which counteracts my “glow.”
7. Redness From Sun Exposure
Symptoms
Sometimes repeated cases of sunburn might cause you to think you’re experiencing a more persistent form of redness. “Use sunscreen,”" says Engelman—which you should be doing already anyway. She likes Cetaphil Redness Relieving Daily Facial Moisturizer with SPF 20 because it provides both UVA and UVB protection without irritating sensitive skin.
Treatments
If you skipped SPF application and find yourself with a sunburn, it’s a good time to incorporate soothing products into your routine—the Cetaphil Redness Relief line and Skinceuticals Phyto Corrective products are two derm-approved options.
SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel
Cetaphil Redness Relief Facial SPF 20
8. Acne-Related Redness
Symptoms
I could write an entire novel on treating acne, but the condensed version will have to suffice here. “Acne redness is concentrated by pustules or papules,” says Engelman. “A severe case would cause uneven texture, bumps, or skin thickening.”
Treatments
To quickly bring down breakout-caused inflammation, she recommends treating your pimples “when they are fresh.” And this is the one case where you’re allowed to pile on the ingredients you should avoid when dealing with the rest of this list. Salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and retinol are your friends here. For more severe cases, special types of lasers can be used in office.
There have also been more recent advancements in at-home LED treatments that target redness and inflammation as well as acne. Options include the much-hyped Dr. Dennis Gross mask I recently tried, which I can attest is a solid piece of beauty tech.
Kate Somerville EradiKate Salicylic Acid Acne Treatment
Dr. Dennis Gross DRX SpectraLite Faceware Pro
How to Prevent Skin Redness on Your Face
No matter the reason your face gets red, the key to preventing it comes down to identifying what triggers it. The one thing you can do across the board, though, is use extremely gentle products that soothe your skin and strengthen your skin barrier. Even if you’re acne prone, be sure to balance your actives with something calming.
All three derms agree that you don’t need to worry about any redness that goes away quickly. On the other hand, if it persists or suddenly worsens, that would be the time to make an appointment. So a surprise single zit? You’re well-equipped to handle it. Something that looks and feels more extreme? Give this list another read, then check in with a professional if needed.
Sarah Wu is a beauty writer in Berlin. Follow her at @say.wu.
