How to Treat Severely Irritated Facial Skin

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22-10-2016, 05:40
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Severely irritated facial skin is certainly embarrassing and something you want to get under control quickly, but keep in mind that it can be a sign of something life threatening, particularly if its related to an allergic reaction or severe toxicity. Therefore, if you experience other serious symptoms such as difficulty breathing, extreme nausea or loss of consciousness, then heading to the emergency department of the nearest hospital is a smart decision. But if you are feeling fine otherwise, then there are a number of different approaches and remedies available that can effectively combat your severely irritated facial skin.

Determining What The Cause Is

  1. Make an appointment with your family doctor. There are many diseases or conditions that can manifest as a rash or irritation on your face, such as mild allergic reactions, autoimmune disorders (psoriasis), acne outbreaks, severe sunburn, eczema, rosacea, infections, vitamin deficiency or contact dermatitis. Your family doctor will be able to rule out anything serious, but remember they are not skin specialists, so you'll likely need to see a more specialized health professional to get the correct diagnosis.
    • Ask your doctor if skin irritation is a common side effect from taking any of your prescription medications.
    • Ask your doctor for a blood test to see if you're too low in vitamin B12 and other B vitamins. A lack of some B vitamins is linked to skin problems.
  2. Get a referral to a dermatologist. Dermatologists are skin specialists who can correctly diagnose skin problems and recommend a variety of treatments such as medicinal creams, acne medications, anti-inflammatories, micro-abrasion or laser therapy.
    • Your dermatologist will want to know if skin conditions are common among your family members because genetics play a role with many skin diseases, such as psoriasis.
    • Aside from sunburn, getting too much sun is a common trigger for many skin conditions, especially rosacea.
    • Estheticians, herbalists, nutritionists, naturopaths and chiropractors may also be good sources of information regarding skin conditions and natural treatments.
  3. Get a referral to an allergy specialist. A doctor who specializes in diagnosing allergies is called an allergist. Allergic reactions range from mild to life-threatening, but they typically manifest quickly -- within minutes to hours. If your facial irritation took many days or weeks to become severe, then it likely isn't an allergic reaction.
    • A severe rash on the face that develops quickly is likely hives, particularly if breathing problems, nasal congestion or swelling of the lips and tongue are also involved.
    • Common food triggers that trigger hives include nuts (peanuts) and shellfish (shrimp).

Dealing With Severe Sunburn

  1. Use sunscreen when outdoors. The sun can feel great and offer many health benefits, such as triggering the production of vitamin D, but too much of it at a time will burn your skin and dry it out, resulting in redness, blistering, inflammation, tightness and sensitivity. Protecting yourself with an SPF 15 or higher will help prevent sunburn.
    • Zinc oxide creams can be a little messy, but the stronger formulations (>25%) block essential all of the sun's rays.
    • Coconut oil has natural sun blocking properties.
  2. Wear a hat when in the sun. To save your face from the effects of sunburn, wear a wide-brimmed hat made of a light-colored, breathable material. Wearing large framed sunglasses may also help because they can cover a greater surface area of your face. Make sure they are 100% UV protective.
    • Seek shade under a tree, umbrella, etc., if you're outside during a period of high UV radiation.
  3. Apply a natural remedy to your sunburned face. There are a variety of natural products in gel, lotion or cream form that can sooth, moisturize and help heal a sunburned face, such as aloe vera gel, vitamin E oil, lavender oil, cucumber-based cream, or a cold compress made from chilled chamomile tea.
    • Make a facial mask from thick Greek yogurt -- it cools, moisturizes and alkalizes damaged skin.

Dealing With Hives

  1. Avoid known food triggers. If your dermatologist and allergist determine that your skin irritation is from a food allergy, then you'll likely have to avoid that type of food. Any food can trigger an allergic reaction, but the most common are nuts, eggs, wheat, shellfish and dairy products.
    • No need to eat poison ivy to get a reaction -- merely rubbing up against it and then touching your face is enough to cause moderate to severe irritation.
    • You may have to become more diligent at restaurants in terms of understanding their ingredients and methods of food preparation.
  2. Consider if you're been bitten by an insect. The bites and venom from various insects can cause a severe skin reaction, especially bees, wasps, spiders, scorpions, fire ants and mosquitoes. Also consider if your bed / pillow is infested with "bed bugs" or mites.
    • Lice can spread from the top of your head and cause irritation on your face.
  3. Use laundry detergent labeled “hypoallergenic”. Chemicals such as bleach and solvents can cause severe rashes also (typically called contact dermatitis). If your severe facial irritation developed overnight, then maybe your pillow is the culprit. Rewash your pillow, bedding and clothing with detergents that don't contain any known irritants.
    • Washing bedding and clothes in baking soda powder is a safe, inexpensive alternative and won't irritate your skin.
    • Irritating chemicals are also found in cosmetics (sodium lauryl sulfate and parabens, for examples), shampoos and hair dyes.
  4. Apply medicated creams to your face. If your rash is due to an allergic reaction, you could opt for over-the-counter hydrocortisone creams (they reduce inflammation and pain) or more natural ones that contain calamine, vitamin E and/or oatmeal (they relieve itching and irritation). Other ingredients that help to soothe rashes and dry skin include lactic acid, urea, hyaluronic acid, dimethicone, glycerin, lanolin, mineral oil and petrolatum.
    • One of the easiest, quickest and most economical ways to soothe a rash caused by hives, poison ivy or insect bites is to use a cold compress or wrap some ice in a towel.
    • Taking oral antihistamines will help reduce the inflammation and puffiness in your face if an allergic reaction is the culprit.

Dealing With Severe Acne

  1. Keep tabs on your hormones. Hormones play a role in the body's oil production and when too much is produced it clogs skin pores and increases the chance of an acne break-out. Consult you family doctor about checking your hormone levels.
    • Women who go on birth control pills often solve their acne problems.
    • In some cases severe acne can be caused or triggered by an allergic reaction to dairy products.
  2. Keep your skin clean. A good way to keep excess oil from clogging your pores is to wash it away. Washing also gets rid of dirt and bacteria, which can contribute to acne too. However, don't overdo it, because too much washing will trigger an over-production of oil to combat dry skin. As such, always use a moisturizer after cleaning and exfoliating your skin.
    • Creams and lotions containing benzoyl peroxide kill bacteria that cause acne.
  3. Try not to pick at your pimples. It may be very tempting to pick or squeeze your pimples in efforts to get rid of them quicker, but you're likely to make your face more inflamed, plus you risk permanently scarring your skin. Let you dermatologist or experienced esthetician deal with your pimples, as they are the experts.
  4. Consider a prescription medication. If you have chronic and stubborn acne, your dermatologist may offer you a prescription antibiotic lotion such as clindamycin or erythromycin (or maybe oral antibiotics). Tretinoin (Retin-D) is a medication that helps prevent skin pores from getting clogged, whereas isotretinoin reduces the amount of oil produced.
    • The best medical treatment for acne is often a combination of topical and oral medicines.
    • Always follow your doctor's directions when taking prescribed medications.
  5. Use a natural remedy on your acne. Numerous natural herbal remedies exist that can help to combat severe acne such as licorice root extract (anti-inflammatory), green tea (anti-inflammatory and astringent), lavender oil, chamomile, tea tree oil (antiseptic), camphor oil (antimicrobial and analgesic) or apple cider vinegar.
    • Make a honey and oat face mask. Honey is a good antiseptic, whereas oatmeal cleanses, moisturizes, soothes irritation and relieves itchiness.
    • Make a bentonite clay mask, which unclogs pores and relieves itchiness.

Tips

  • Jewelry (such as earrings or piercing studs that are close to on on the face) that contain nickel, aluminum, platinum or chromium can trigger allergic skin reactions.
  • Some skin rashes can be due to bacterial or fungal infections, so practicing better personal hygiene should prevent them.
  • In the morning, wash your face using clean cool water and mild soap then let it air dry. Follow this up with a lotion that contains both stearic acid and glyceryl stearate. Repeat this process three times a day.
  • Don't wash your skin with soap excessively as this can dry it out, causing redness and flakiness of the skin. Use mild soaps twice a day.
  • Stop using all products on your face, especially scrubs and those containing any kind of acid. Many skin conditions may be caused by being overly harsh with the skin, which is very delicate. Many people with rashes and chronic and cystic acne find that their skin clears up after washing once a day with only warm (not hot) water.
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