Some people just naturally have a reddish face. Of course, if you work in the open air, you may acquire a weathered, red, jolly-farmer face, especially if you are naturally fair-skinned. But a red face can mean that you have a skin disorder, and appropriate treatment should solve the problem. And, rarely, it can mean a more serious disorder such as ‘systemic lupus erythematosus’ that needs to be properly investigated and treated. So do not feel you are wasting your doctor's time by seeking help for a red face.
Questions to ask yourself
Is my face red all the time, or is the problem flushing/blushing? Have a look at the section on blushing and flushing.
Have I been taking steroids? Steroid tablets can cause a red face in some people. If you think this might be the cause in your case, discuss it with your doctor. Do not simply stop the steroids, because this could make you very ill. Strong steroid creams can also make the face red, and can encourage the formation of thread veins that make the skin look redder.
Am I sensitive to something? Think about whether you
have changed your cosmetics or perfume recently, or whether a chemical
in your workplace could be responsible. Or have you come into contact
with something some people are very sensitive to certain plants and
flowers. Nickel in spectacle frames can cause redness around the eyes
and ears.
Is it related to sunlight (photosensitivity), even
sunlight that is not very bright? Photosensitivity may be the cause if
most of your face is red, but the shaded areas under the nose and chin,
under a fringe of hair and behind the ears are all right, and the
redness stops sharply at your collar-line. This can be a difficult
problem for your doctor to sort out, because it is often an interaction
between a chemical and sunlight. The chemical might be a drug that you
are taking (amiodarone, thiazide diuretics, chlorpromazine, some
fluoroquinolone antibiotics and some tetracycline antibiotics
occasionally have this effect), or the chemical could be in a perfume or
a sunscreen.
Is the redness in a special shape? If the redness is
just across your cheeks and nose, in a shape like a butterfly, you need
to see your doctor. It could be a disorder called systemic lupus
erythematosus (SLE), in which your immune system is not behaving
properly.
As well as being red, is my skin scaly, itchy, sore or lumpy? Are there blackheads or pustules? Lots of skin disorders can cause reddening of the skin. You might have ordinary acne, rosacea, dermatitis (eczema) or psoriasis.
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