How to Heal Red Skin

Hydrate your skin., Prevent redness with a sunscreen lotion., Apply moisturizer several times a day., Give the long, hot showers a rest., Bathe only with unscented, organic soaps., Avoid contact with chemicals., Use common sense., Use other gels and...

10 Steps 2 min read Medium

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Hydrate your skin.

    Redness from dry skin will significantly decrease if you keep your body hydrated.

    Drink at least 8, 8-oz. (0.23 l) glasses of water a day.
  2. Step 2: Prevent redness with a sunscreen lotion.

    Look for sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB rays.

    Apply sunscreen daily. , Apply when getting out of the shower and after washing hands.

    For people with severely dry skin, you may also have to apply moisturizer at select intervals.

    Look for the following ingredients when shopping for a good moisturizer:
    Ceramides.

    Assists in water retention and redness relief.

    Dimethicone and glycerin.

    These both draw water closer to the skin.

    Hyaluronic acid.

    Similar to ceramides, hyaluronic acid assists in water retention.

    Lanolin, mineral oil, and petroleum jelly (petrolatum).

    These ingredients help the skin retain moisture imparted during bathing. , Prolonged exposure to really warm water can sap your skin of essential oils and moisture, leaving you dry, scaly, and possibly red.

    Limit yourself to warm showers that last for no longer than 10 minutes.Take an oatmeal bath.

    Oatmeal helps calm irritated skin, and is a proven remedy for redness caused by such things as poison oak and chickenpox.Use edible oatmeal or store-bought oatmeal baths — whichever is more convenient. , Throw away all your perfumed and colored soaps that could be causing dryness and irritation.

    Instead, opt for superfatted soap whose main ingredients are shea and cocoa butter. , Exposure to chemicals such as bleach, hair coloring or other chemical solvents can create red skin on contact. , Ask yourself a couple of questions before you consult your doctor.

    An examination of your recent past should do the trick:
    Did you start using any new products lately? If beginning a course of acne treatments for example, especially retinoids, these could be contributing to your redness.

    Did you pick at or irritate the skin yourself? Did you over-exfoliate your skin? As a general rule, the less contact your skin gets with dirt, grime, and oil, the better. , There are a lot of creams and gels out there that purport to help with redness relief, but two stick as being time-honored and tested:
    Hydrocortisone cream.

    Usually applied one to four times a day, hydrocortisone is a proven remedy for dryness, itching, and redness of the skin.Aloe-vera gel.

    Aloe-vera gel is often used in topical form to help soothe redness by fighting inflammation.

    Aloe-vera soothes irritated skin as well.
  3. Step 3: Apply moisturizer several times a day.

  4. Step 4: Give the long

  5. Step 5: hot showers a rest.

  6. Step 6: Bathe only with unscented

  7. Step 7: organic soaps.

  8. Step 8: Avoid contact with chemicals.

  9. Step 9: Use common sense.

  10. Step 10: Use other gels and creams with healing properties.

Detailed Guide

Redness from dry skin will significantly decrease if you keep your body hydrated.

Drink at least 8, 8-oz. (0.23 l) glasses of water a day.

Look for sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB rays.

Apply sunscreen daily. , Apply when getting out of the shower and after washing hands.

For people with severely dry skin, you may also have to apply moisturizer at select intervals.

Look for the following ingredients when shopping for a good moisturizer:
Ceramides.

Assists in water retention and redness relief.

Dimethicone and glycerin.

These both draw water closer to the skin.

Hyaluronic acid.

Similar to ceramides, hyaluronic acid assists in water retention.

Lanolin, mineral oil, and petroleum jelly (petrolatum).

These ingredients help the skin retain moisture imparted during bathing. , Prolonged exposure to really warm water can sap your skin of essential oils and moisture, leaving you dry, scaly, and possibly red.

Limit yourself to warm showers that last for no longer than 10 minutes.Take an oatmeal bath.

Oatmeal helps calm irritated skin, and is a proven remedy for redness caused by such things as poison oak and chickenpox.Use edible oatmeal or store-bought oatmeal baths — whichever is more convenient. , Throw away all your perfumed and colored soaps that could be causing dryness and irritation.

Instead, opt for superfatted soap whose main ingredients are shea and cocoa butter. , Exposure to chemicals such as bleach, hair coloring or other chemical solvents can create red skin on contact. , Ask yourself a couple of questions before you consult your doctor.

An examination of your recent past should do the trick:
Did you start using any new products lately? If beginning a course of acne treatments for example, especially retinoids, these could be contributing to your redness.

Did you pick at or irritate the skin yourself? Did you over-exfoliate your skin? As a general rule, the less contact your skin gets with dirt, grime, and oil, the better. , There are a lot of creams and gels out there that purport to help with redness relief, but two stick as being time-honored and tested:
Hydrocortisone cream.

Usually applied one to four times a day, hydrocortisone is a proven remedy for dryness, itching, and redness of the skin.Aloe-vera gel.

Aloe-vera gel is often used in topical form to help soothe redness by fighting inflammation.

Aloe-vera soothes irritated skin as well.

About the Author

P

Patrick Peterson

Enthusiastic about teaching hobbies techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.

72 articles
View all articles

Rate This Guide

--
Loading...
5
0
4
0
3
0
2
0
1
0

How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: