If you suffer from redness, things like summer allergies, heat and sunburn can make it worse. Fight flare-ups by looking for products with ingredients that help cool and calm skin naturally.
Redness is inflammation that causes tiny blood vessels to expand and push up against the skin. If you don’t address it, in time these capillaries can remain dilated and become a long-term problem. Take steps early to calm angry skin: avoid irritants such as exposure to the sun, and use of harsh exfoliators, cleaners, toners or other cosmetics that contain ingredients such as alcohol, sulphates and parabens. These can be irritating and drying, especially for sensitive skin. Instead, look for products with ingredients that soothe, such as:
Rice water
This is common in Korean and other Asian skincare products, and contains vitamins, minerals and anti-inflammatory properties that can help calm skin.
Liquorice extract
It’s been used for years to soothe inflammation and treat the likes of rosacea, psoriasis, dermatitis and eczema.
Cucumber
The salad staple contains vitamin C and caffeic acid, ingredients commonly used to fight inflammation. It also has nutrients such as potassium and vitamin A, which can help ease sunburn, cool skin, and contract dilated capillaries, reducing redness and puffiness.
Oatmeal
This is another natural anti-inflammatory commonly used to help combat redness.
Aloe vera
It alleviates irritation, soothing and hydrating the skin with its polysaccharides, sterols and antioxidants.
Calendula
This is a natural antibacterial as well as anti-inflammatory, and has been found to calm burns much like aloe vera.
Squalane
If skin redness is linked to dryness, this ingredient can help by preventing moisture loss and boosting cell regeneration while soothing skin. Squalane is a hydrocarbon that occurs naturally in skin, and the commercial kind was originally derived from shark liver oil, but today comes mostly from olives, rice bran and wheat germ.
Niacinamide
This is a form of vitamin B3, and is used not only to calm redness, but to help with uneven skin tone, fine lines and enlarged pores.
Madecassoside
A component of Centella asiatica or ‘tiger grass’, a little plant found mainly in the east and Mexico, this is used for soothing acne inflammation and helping heal small wounds and burns.
If redness persists, see a dermatologist to get to the root of the problem and rule out any hidden causes.
To help disguise redness, look for a tinted moisturiser with a high SPF, and apply a green-tinted primer before putting on make-up. Apply make-up gently by patting, not rubbing, as friction can worsen the redness. And use a damp sponge, rather than a brush, as bristles may irritate sensitive skin.
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