Why is My Face Red?

There are several reasons as to why your face is red, lets cover them:

Rosacea

1) Post inflammation from a facial treatment you have had
2) Rosacea
3) Sunburn
4) Birthmark/Port Wine Stain
5) Overuse of inappropriate skin care
6) Internal Medical Reasons

Lets look at these in some more depth:

1) Post Inflammation from a Facial Treatment

So you have had a facial and now 1-2 days later your skin is red.
Why is my skin so red? you may ask ....
Your face may be red in places or all over. If it was a facial and you were not warned of these side effects, you may of had a reaction to the products the aesthetician used, or the incorrect products for your skin type were used on your skin. If you have not used the range before, maybe it was your first time to the clinic, then perhaps you need to advise the aesthetician next time you go so she/he can use a different range or a more sensitive line within that range. No need to stress about this, this usually only lasts for a few days at most. Don't put hot water or do scrubs for these few days and hydrate to the max and it will calm down quickly.
On  the other hand, you may of had a peel or microdermabrasion or a medical treatment where some pink/flushing would be expected and hopefully was mentioned to you at the time of treatment so you were aware of what to expect post treatment. If you weren't, call your aesthetician and she/he would best advise you, what to put on your skin to calm it down. Either way, expect on a few days max of pink/redness before your skin settles.

2) Rosacea

Rosacea is a skin condition that unfortunately to date there is no exact cure for which is not what rosacea sufferers want to hear. I have many clients in my clinic and throughout Australia who I maintain regular contact with as I put them on a Rosacea routine. There is debate out at what the cause is .....so to remains no cure. BUT we can manage rosacea and by managing it we can make life as positive as possible, with hope for rosacea sufferers. Some clients will get faster results than others, it all depends on the internal aspect of the client as well. Internal health is key to treating rosacea as well as external treatment. What we see on the outside is a window, a glimpse, as to what is happening on the inside. We do know that there is a level of increased inflammation in the skin with Rosacea sufferers so we need to reduce this inflammation both internally and externally, whilst we also strengthen and rebuild the dermis of the skin to support the vascular and capillary network. So what do I cover with my clients on treating Rosacea?

• sun exposure - this will further dilate capillaries and decrease the integrity of the capillary walls,

  

  Osmosis Rosacea/Sensitive Starter Kit

  weakening them further
• internal health - prescription and non prescription medication
• skin care - the need for an antioxidant serum to reduce inflammation, very low dose of vitamin A (NOT retin -A), preferably retinaldehyde. Gentle and VERY effective. 
• external factors - hot showers, spicy foods, alcohol, exercising environments - bikram yoga etc
• laser/IPL therapies to lessen the visible appearance of  the condition
• dermal therapies - eg Osmosis Infusion - to strengthen, rebuild, reduce inflammation 
• alternate medicines - naturopaths, acupuncture
• lifestyle - sleep, food, stress levels etc. 

My recommendation for starting on a program is the Osmosis Rosacea/Sensitive Kit
Along with StemFactor Serum and Catalyst Plus Serum

3) Sunburn

In Australia, this is especially prevalent. The sun is so vicious here as our ozone layer is pretty much non existent. My best advise for post sunburn is to get your self a tub of aloe vera gel and smear it over and over the sunburn, cooling and healing the skin with each application. Prevention is always better than cure ... slip, slop, slap and you will be safe from the rays. If your skin peels, do not expose that fresh beautiful skin to the sun as you can cause some long term pigmentation issues which is best prevented.

4) Birthmark/Port Wine Stain

A Vascular network of capillaries that can be treated with medical grade laser technology. How deep the vascular lesion goes will depend on how many sessions will be required and the degree of permanency.  I would see a Doctor who had experience and knowledge on treating birthmarks/port wine stains so you require fewest amount of sessions possible, saving you time and $$ in the end.

5) Overuse of inappropriate Skin Care

It is a minefield out there in the beauty world. How do you know what skin care products are best suited for your skin? There are marketing campaigns going on out there bigger than Ben Hur that claim to hold the elixir of youth. Companies claiming they have found the ingredient that will "close" your pores etc etc etc We have all heard it and all it does is add to the confusion of the beauty world as marketers weave their web of enticement to use their products. So, what is the answer? What do you do when you are confronted with such a selection of products? How do you know you are not going to react?

I strongly advise that you see an Aesthetician to find out what skin type and skin condition you currently have. Even if you only go once, it is well worth it. How would you know what to buy otherwise? Do you play it safe and buy the sensitive range, or do you go for the oily skin care line when actually you are dehydrated or sensitive. Your Aesthetician will tell you:
1) Your Skin Type: This is something that will not change regularly. What ever skin type you have, you must realise that more likely then not, over the years, your skin will continue to become drier. The older we get the less oil we produce. So if you were oily in your teens and you are now 30, good chance is that you have considerably less oil than before. BUT you may still have the appearance (larger pores, thickened epidermis etc) of a skin that USED to be an oily skin. You do not treat your skin as oily, as it is not. Probably combination. There are other ways that you can treat the open pores and skin texture through treatments that will refine your skin.
2) Your Skin Condition: this changes all the time dependant on: weather, lifestyle, sleep, stress, food, medicatation etc. For eg your skin condition may be dehydrated - we can correct that. Or you may be essential fatty acid deficient presenting Milia - the little white dots that lay under the skins surface.
Time and time again, new clients come to me where they are using what they think is best for their skin when in actual fact it is the cause of them having a negative skin condition.

So if you want to make the decision yourself on what range you use (as aestheticians will promote what they sell), then book in for a consult, so at least you can get educated on what suits your skin best. Otherwise, take the advise completely of your trained professional and go with what they recommend. It takes the guesswork out of it and lets you get on with more important things in your life.

6) Internal Medical Reasons:

Osmosis Skin Nutrition Blend

If you are taking medication, there is a good chance that there will be some sort of flow on effect to your skin. I recommend at the very least an antioxidant serum like Replenish to provide a surge of antioxidants to your skin to fight the increase of free radicals in the skin. Free radicals are like rouge cells that have been for some reason impaired. They are not healthy cells and they like to latch onto healthy cells to get what they are missing, but in turn, they take positive components of the healthy cells. This is what Anti-Oxidants are for, they prevent our skin and body from oxidising! Then you can introduce something like the Skin Nutrition Blend from Osmosis to further penetrate and activate these antioxidants. You will mix this powder with your Replenish and apply to the skin daily.
That is the basic routine that you would do, to further enhance that, individual cases would need to be known and assessed to provide the best results. So I recommend finding an Aesthetician who is well educated to help you build a great skin care routine.

Any questions: email me at sarah@skinmatrix.co.au

As always..... Happy Skin Days,
Sarah Wilkinson
www.skinmatrix.com.au