subject: What Causes Itchy Red Facial Patches [print this page] There are many causes of itchy red facial patches. Itching and redness are symptoms of underlying inflammation.
Inflammation is your bodys natural response to infection or injury. In some cases, the inflammatory response is over-reactive. That is the case in allergic reactions.
In the vast majority of cases, inflammation on the face is caused by some kind of irritant or irritation. For example, over-cleansing or excessive rubbing can cause irritation. Skin soaps are a common cause of dermatitis, which is inflammation of the skin.
The symptoms may be a reaction to an irritant in a skincare product, other than a cleanser. There are literally thousands of known skin irritants in cosmetics.
What follows is just a short list of them:
Sodium laurel sulfate
Parabens
Quaternium-15
Alcohol
Phenol
Tretinoin
Formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasers
Ethylene oxide
Alpha hydroxy acids
Beta hydroxy acids
Ascorbic acid
Salicylic acid
Benzoyl peroxide
Benzoyl peroxide is commonly used to dry up acne pimples. It also dries up the surrounding skin and will cause itchy red facial patches.
Excessive dryness can cause itching and redness. Low humidity, such as occurs during the winter when the air inside is warm, but outside is cold, can cause dry skin. When the skin is dry, it itches. Scratching causes the redness and tends to make the itching worse in the long run.
Allergies are another common cause of itching and redness. There are thousands of allergens in skincare products, too. According to the Mayo Clinic, there are over 8000 allergens in skincare products. The Clinic even created a system called CARD to help people identify them. This is a very short list of some common allergens:
Balsam of Peru
Orange oil (can also cause non-allergic irritation)
Fragrance ingredients
Artificial preservatives
DMDM-Hydantoin
Itchy red facial patches could be a symptom of an allergy not related to skincare products. For example, people may be allergic to weeds like poison ivy. But, exposure to weeds does not usually affect the face.
Fungal infections can cause itching and redness. They usually affect the feet and groin area, but can eventually spread to the face.
If the itching and redness is of long duration, the possible causes include:
Rosacea
Psoriasis
Eczema
Excessive heat or sunburn can cause itchy red facial patches. Although the redness is not usually patchy, patchiness could occur if sunscreens were applied unevenly or much of the face was in the shade.
Anxiety is another possible cause. Hives are a reaction that occurs in anxious individuals. Hives vary in appearance, but typically there are raised welts that itch continuously.
Certain illnesses and infections may be the cause. If fever is present, an illness like chicken pox could be the problem.
Those are the many causes of itchy red facial patches. Now that you have learned about them, you would probably like to learn about the solutions. That is the subject of my next article entitled How to Solve Itchy Red Facial Patches. Click link in author box below.
