Persistent Redness of the Face (for Adults)
Issue:
After treating redness, scaling, and itching from dermatitis, eczema, or psoriasis, your face tends to have redness that persists or comes right back.
Dr. Harlan's Recommendations:
Dr. Harlan has found that with his patients, SmartLotion® often helps redness to resolve sooner rather than later. It is not officially cleared for treating redness by itself, and so it’s important to get your Dermatologist’s opinion and guidance. There are many causes for persistent redness by itself and your Dermatologist must sort and rule these out. Foremost among these is rosacea. Rosacea often needs regular use of an antibiotic strategy from your Dermatologist. SmartLotion® has an excellent success record and safety record for use in combination with prescribed antibiotic strategies.
Some adults have facial redness that’s related to contact allergies in shampoos, hair rinses, fragrances, and metal jewelry. It may be important for the allergist or dermatologist to patch test for these allergies. Methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone in hair products and cleansers and washes are common offenders. Click here for more information on methylchloroisothiazolinone allergies.
Some have a congenital form of flushing and red skin and need laser treatments for this. It’s important to get the opinion and supervision of your dermatologist.
Dr. Harlan doesn’t recommend that his patients over-treat their redness with SmartLotion® alone. He most often recommends that his patients follow the guidelines for moisturizing atopic dermatitis. Perfect Repair™ prebiotic complex moisturizer works well to prevent over drying. He typically recommends that his patients use SmartLotion® 2x per day for the first two weeks, then taper to 1x per day for two weeks, then taper again to only 3x per week after the 1st 4 weeks of use. He allows his patients to use SmartLotion® 1x per day as long as they need it for helping rosacea strategies, and when helping to prevent stinging that is sometimes caused by rosacea therapies. He also allows his patients to use SmartLotion® sporadically for a few days at a time, 2x per day as needed for flare-ups caused by irritation, and reactions to foods and medications.
