Facial erythema, or facial redness, refers to red or purplish spots typically found on certain areas of the face (cheeks, forehead, around the nose). Individuals with fair skin are often prone to redness. While it may not necessarily be painful, erythema can be accompanied by swelling, itching, a sensation of heat, or small lesions. Discover the main causes associated with the onset of redness.
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Facial Redness: What could be the causes?
Summary
- Acne
- The consumption of alcoholic beverages
- Certain skin diseases such as rosacea and eczema
- Contact Dermatitis
- Extended exposure to the sun
Published September 19, 2022,
updated on February 21, 2024,
by
Maylis, Chemical Engineer
—
6 min read
Acne.
Acne typically appears on oily skin. It results from the blockage of pores due to an excessive secretion of sebum by the sebaceous glands and the colonization of certain pathogenic bacteria. An outbreak can give the skin a red appearance, due to the inflammatory nature of acne.
Furthermore, acne and blemishes can lead to post-inflammatory erythema (PIE). These are persistent flat pinkish-red spots. When the skin undergoes a bacterial infection, the blood circulation in the blemish area increases. Thus, these marks are caused by the dilation of blood capillaries. These red marks are more visible on fair skin.
Unlike acne scars, these marks are temporary and usually disappear spontaneously without leaving scars after several months (between 3 to 24 months). Sometimes, it takes several years. However, the speed of their disappearance depends on your relationship with the sun, which can prolong the healing time, but also on the difference in skin tone between the color of the skin and the shade of the spot.
The consumption of alcoholic beverages.
Excessive alcohol consumption hasinflammatory effectson the skin and the body in general, both in the short and long term. It is a powerfulvasodilator : its ingestion is accompanied by a rapid dilation of peripheral vessels. This results in redness appearing on the face, but also in other parts of the body such as the neck or hands. Moreover, being very high in sugars and calories, excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages increases thelevel of glucose in the bloodstream, limiting cellular regeneration. This phenomenon manifests as visible marks on the face (prominent and swollen dark circles, gray complexion, redness...).
Certain skin diseases such as rosacea and eczema.
Rosacea is a chronic skin condition of the face characterized by a significant influx of blood, when the blood capillaries that irrigate the skin excessively dilate at the level of the dermis. These redness are generally observed on hypersensitive skin, due to an altered skin barrier and hyper-reactivity of sensory fibers, whereas they would not necessarily have manifested on normal skin. The redness can appear on localized areas and mainly affect the central part of the face (cheeks, nose, forehead, and chin), or spread over the entire face in the most extreme cases. Depending on the skin's condition, they can be temporary and subside within a few minutes, or persist for hours, days, or even weeks. Even though they are more commonly observed in people with fair skin, all skin types can be affected. Today, the physiological causes remain poorly identified. However, several factors can aggravate it, such as a disruption of the immune system or a skin reaction following sun exposure.
Note: TheRosacea predominantly affects women. This skin condition often begins around the age of 30 and is characterized by widespread redness.
Theeczema is also known asatopic dermatitis. It is a skin rash that can appear suddenly and makes the skin extremely dry, itchy, and scaly. It usually appears on the feet and hands, but it is known to also affect the facial skin.
Contact Dermatitis.
We also refer to it ascontact eczema. These lesions are triggered by skin contact with an allergen: it is an acquired inflammatory skin disease acquired. Thus, unlike atopic eczema (or atopic dermatitis), contact eczema is not due to an atopic predisposition favoring allergy.
Contact eczema is an allergic reaction that occurs even in theabsence of a genetic atopic predisposition that promotes allergy (unlike atopic dermatitis). After contact with the allergen in question, several symptoms may appear: red patches, swelling, small bumps, fluid-filled blisters, skin thickening, and flaking.
Several factors can be the cause of such reactions:costume jewelry, clothing, topical medications, perfumes, chemicals, cosmetics, hair products...
Extended exposure to the sun.
Also known as solar erythema, a sunburn refers to a first-degree burn of the skin by the UVB rays of the sun. This phenomenon usually occurs after prolonged exposure without sun protection. However, some people with sensitive and/or light skin, therefore low in melanin, can experience a sunburn after just a few minutes of exposure. Sunburns are characterized by redness, sometimes sharp pain, and itching. In the most severe cases, blisters can even appear.
When exposed, to protect the skin, melanocytes produce melanin (the pigment responsible for the brown color) which migrates to the surface of the epidermis and colors it: this is tanning. If the exposure is too long and/or the UVB rays too intense, tanning gives way to a sunburn.According to a study published about a decade ago, the biological process that occurs during the onset of a sunburn is of an inflammatory type. The sun's UVB rays damage microRNAs which, once released into the extracellular environment, stimulate pro-inflammatory cytokines. A chain reaction then triggers a sunburn on the skin surface.
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