Red Face Causes

Face turning red is usually not an alarming situation and may not require an appointment with a dermatologist. What are the causes of red face? There are quite a few skin disorders that can cause sudden change in the appearance of facial skin. For instance, a skin rash or even anger can also turn the face red.

Causes

It is commonly observed that a person in a stressful situation often reacts with a red face. In other words, red face can be considered as the body's response to stress. Other causes of red face are given below:

Eczema
Eczema is a skin disorder that causes dry and red skin. It commonly affects the face and triggers a rash (formation of blisters) that makes the skin itchy. Eczema that causes excessive scratching, can occur due to exposure to allergens such as dust, mold or pet dander. Even use of inappropriate soaps and shampoos can cause eczema and trigger itchiness and dry skin patches on the face.

Sunburn
Over exposure to the sun can damage the skin tissues and the condition is referred to as sunburn. The damaged tissues causes extreme pain. When sunburn affects the face, it is typically marked by facial flushing (red skin). The intensity of redness may differ from person to person, but the changed color of the skin is distinctly visible.

Alcoholism
Alcohol abuse is one of the prominent factors that trigger facial redness. It is found that many alcohol addicts suffer from facial flushing (the skin turns red). Alcohol abuse causes the facial blood vessels to expand, thus increasing the circulation of blood in that area. This in turn manifests in the form of unusual redness on the face. Recent research claims that people becoming red after alcohol consumption have a higher chance of suffering from esophageal cancer.

Rosacea
Red facial skin is the most common symptom of rosacea. People affected with rosacea often show presence of red nose and cheeks and it is accompanied by formation of pimples. In this skin condition, the facial blood vessels do not function properly and can be clearly noticed on the face. In other words, rosacea causes damage to the facial blood vessels, which in turn increases the flow of blood in that region. This often appears as patches of redness on the facial skin. If left untreated, it can lead to inflammation of the skin and the eyes can also get affected. The incidence of rosacea is high in fair skinned people in the age group of 30 - 60 years.

Remedies

Treatment depends on the type of skin disorder the patient is suffering from. After diagnosing the skin disease, the doctor may recommend the following treatment options.

• Those suffering from rosacea are commonly treated with ointments and creams that contain antibiotics such as clindamycin and metronidazole. MetroCream and Cleocin are the popular skin care products used for the treatment of rosacea. Severe form of rosacea is usually treated with oral antibiotic pills such as erythromycin and minocycline. Herbs such as licorice and burdock root have proved to be extremely beneficial to reduce symptoms of rosacea.
• Although there are over the counter products to treat eczema, use of home remedies such as application of coconut oil or diluted olive oil can greatly reduce the redness caused by eczema. Use of aloe vera gel or lotion is another effective method to relieve the redness and itchiness of the skin. As aforementioned, heatstroke, stress and anger are the contributory factors that trigger redness on face. Red face causes can always be prevented by taking appropriate measures. For instance, applying a sunscreen lotion and wearing a hat, while traveling in the hot sun, can protect the skin from harmful UV rays, thereby keeping diseases such as sunburn and heatstroke at bay.