Your skin feels bumpy and rough? You experience redness and irritation on your face and don’t know what to do with it?
To find out the best remedies for irritated skin, we have to know what causes it in the first place:
1. Hormonal fluctuations
2. Underlying health condition
3. Skincare products overuse
4. Environmental triggers
Hormones
Hormonal changes affect a lot of bodily functions, and of course, they affect the skin. Our skin is the largest organ in the body, which protects us from the outside world. Any disturbance in the body inhibits the inflammatory response of our skin.
The main hormones that affect our skin are thyroid hormones, cortisol, estrogen, and progesterone.
During menopause, a lot of women experience dry and itchy skin. That happens due to the low level of estrogen. Estrogen is responsible for the production of sebum that keeps your skin moisturized. Progesterone levels also fall, which causes skin sagging, thinning, and wrinkling.
Underlying health conditions.
Many underlying health conditions can cause your skin to be thin, dry, and irritated. Among those are diabetes, lupus, autoimmune disorders, HIV, psoriasis, etc. I strongly recommend working with your health care provider to find out the best way to soothe and improve skin irritation.
Hormonal changes and underlying health issues can significantly toll the way your skin looks and feels. However, very often, skin gets dry and irritated due to the skincare products overuse.
You might be using your skincare products incorrectly!!!
There are so many great skincare lines on the market that promise to make your face young and glowing. Active ingredients in the products are preached to postpone aging and moisturize your skin on the cellular level.
It is very easy to get confused and overwhelmed with how to use all those products, which order, and what time of the day. Indeed, many girls and guys out there use a ton of products hoping to get the best results FAST…
Little do we think that we can cause more harm than good.
WHY?
Because every process in our bodies has its mechanism that requires downtime.
Let me release the list of absolutely amazing ingredients to use on the skin which can hurt if used wrong:
1. Retinol
2. AHA ( alpha-hydroxy acids like Lactic acid, malic, citrus, glycolic, etc.)
3. BHA (beta-hydroxy acid like Salicylic acid)
4. Benzyl Peroxide
5. Scrubs with rough particles in it
6. Face brushes
I am sure you are familiar with this list of tools and ingredients. Let me explain to you in detail why overuse or the wrong application can irritate your skin!
Our skin cells have a cell turnover rate. It means that the skin sheds dead skin cells through a process called desquamation. On average, every 28 - 40 days, new skin cells are born in the deepest level of our skin - stratum germinativum. New skin cells continue to arrive at the skin's surface, pushing older cells off from beneath. Those old skin cells become dry and flaky and ready to shed. When we exfoliate our skin, we help clean the dead skin cells from our skin’s outermost layer, revealing new, fresh, and glowing skin.
As we age, the process of new skin cell formation slows down. Those who suffer from acne don’t experience sufficient cell desquamation as well. The reason is that acne-prone skin produces more dead cells than usual, which don’t shed properly.
Using active ingredients or tools on your skin speeds up skin’s cell turnover, exfoliates the outermost skin layer, and stimulates new cells’ production. The goal here is to achieve younger, fresher, tighter skin.
What exactly causes a problem here?
Exfoliation overuse.
After you use an exfoliant, whether it is a chemical exfoliant like AHA or BHA or a physical exfoliant like a scrub, you should give your skin some rest.
When you remove the dead layer of cells from the outermost layer of the skin, you reveal fresh, new skin.
The problem arises when people perform exfoliation every other day or even every day. It means that it doesn’t have time to collect the new layer of dead cells and heal from the previous round of exfoliation for the skin. Very frequent exfoliation causes scratches and burns on the skin.
The high concentration of active ingredients.
If you use a very high concentration of an active ingredient and your skin is not ready for it, it irritates. The most common mistake that people make when they start using Retinol or AHA creams or serums is that they start too fast.
Too much Retinol will produce too much of the cell division, the skin can start to peel, as the lipids and bonds that hold them together haven’t formed yet.
The key here is to introduce active ingredients into your skin gradually. Start with lower concentration 2-3 times a week and build it up.
Keep in mind that Both Retinol and AHA ingredients make your skin sensitive to the sun. Wearing SPF 50 daily, regardless it is summer or winter outside, is a must.
Too many active ingredients all at once.
You use many active ingredients: Retinol, AHA, benzoyl peroxide at the same time. These ingredients are powerful. They speed up the skin’s cells turn over rate, decrease oil production, and shouldn’t be applied simultaneously.
The exception is products that contain multiple active ingredients in it. They were specifically formulated and balanced not to cause skin irritation.
Environmental triggers that make your skin dry, itchy, and irritated.
If you live in a dry climate, it is crucial to take good care of your skin. From the proper skin cleansing to the treatment products for your skin, you can read in detail in the other blog “how to take care of your skin if you live in a dry climate.”
Season change can also affect your skin. Remember that it is essential to change your skincare routine according to the season you live in. The best way to stay on top of that and keep your skin healthy all year round is to have routine consultations with a licensed esthetician.
Examine your work environment. If you spend all day working at the desk, you probably should make sure that there is enough humidity in your office. Investing in a good space humidifier could be a great idea to prevent your skin from being dehydrated, irritated, and flaky.
In case you work outside, make sure you protect your skin with an SPF50 all year round.
What to do to calm red, irritated skin?
1. First and foremost, understand what could cause your skin irritation.
2. Consult with your primary health care provider to eliminate the underlying health conditions.
3. Be aware of the environment you live in. keep in mind that you can not use the same skincare products all year round. It is essential to tweak your skincare regimen according to the season and weather conditions.
4. Protect your skin with sunblock, SPF 50 all year round.
5. Don’t over-exfoliate your skin. Remember that your skin needs time to regenerate and heal. Using too many products at the same time will not speed up the desired results, rather hurt the protective barrier of your skin.
6. Read your skincare product’s ingredients list. Ensure you do not mix products with different active ingredients unless a licensed esthetician advised or the product was already formulated and balanced with multiple active ingredients in it.
After you have determined the cause of the skin damage make sure you:
* Eliminate skincare products with active ingredients until redness and irritation subside.
* Use calming and soothing serums and creams to let your skin heal. The best calming ingredients are aloe-vera, arnica, hyaluronic acid, chamomile, CoQ10 (coenzyme Q 10).
The best calming and soothing serum that genuinely feeds your skin a ton of nutrients and speeds up healing is Q flavonoid from Rejuvi.
Nearly everyone can use this product on their skin. You need a tiny amount and make sure you spread it very well all over your face. I also recommend performing a light massage while applying the product to your face.
Another great soothing product is the Skin healing gel from Rejuvi. It contains 98% aloe-vera and chamomile extract which repair, soothe, and calm damaged skin.