Itching or a red rash on the face is a common symptom that every person experience, usually on a frequent basis. Many at times it is a mild in that is quickly relieved with rubbing or scratching. The face is the most exposed part of the body. It is constantly bombarded by the environment through dust, dirt, microbes, wind, heat, cold and other irritants. Sometimes the skin is very sensitive and even something that may not irritate can cause a rash on face. If you develop an itchy face that becomes persistent and is associated with a skin rash or other symptoms, that indicates a problem.
Why do I have a Red Rash on Face?
The common symptoms of heat rash on the face include a fine, bumpy, itchy rash, skin burning, and a “prickly” feeling. The most common body parts affected are areas that are exposed to the sun such as the hands, face, neck, and elbow folds. Red rash may also affect areas covered by tight clothing such as the abdominal wall, groin, thigh creases, buttocks, and the area under the breasts.
Heat Rash Types
There are four types of heat rash (miliaria) which are named by the way they look on the skin and they include as follows:
- Clear (miliaria crystallina),
- Red (miliaria rubra),
- White/Yellow (miliaria pustulosa),
- Deep (miliaria profunda).
Clear Heat Rash (Miliaria Crystallina)
This kind of heat rash looks like small, clear beads of sweat on the top layer of skin. It is usually very mild and doesn’t produce many uncomfortable symptoms.
Red Heat Rash (Miliaria Rubra)
It is the most common form of heat rash. This type is also called prickly heat due to its intense itching and burning symptoms. The sweat glands are blocked and the inflammation causes a red color to the rash known as “rubra” hence the name miliaria rubra.
White/Yellow Heat Rash (Miliaria Pustulosa)
When pustules form on a case of red rash on face or any other place, it is called white/yellow heat rash. These pustules may be the first signs of a skin infection and should be checked by your doctor as soon as possible.
Deep Heat Rash (Miliaria Profunda)
With repeated episodes of red rash, sweat glands in larger areas of the skin may be chronically inflamed and these cause damage to deeper layers of the skin. When this happens, large, firm bumps may appear especially after an exercise or exposure to heat. This is known as deep heat rash (miliaria profunda)
Red Rash on Face
Your skin is your first line of defense from outside. It protects the body from external infections, chemical exposures, and harmful ultraviolet light. It also helps regulate the temperature inside your body by releasing sweat. Sweat on your skin comes from sweat glands located all over your body. Apart from all these, you skin can develop a rash due to stress that may arise from all these.
Causes of red rash on Face
There are numerous conditions that may lead to your face developing a rash. Some of them may be a mild and others can be very serious to force to find help from our medical provider. Let us look at some of the causes bellow. The appearance of the facial rash and its symptoms depend on its cause. Below is a list of the most probable causes of face rashes.
Psoriasis
This condition affects more than 46% of the world population. The most common symptoms of psoriasis are itchy rashes, silvery scales and sometimes, open lesions. Psoriasis of the face affects areas such as, the skin above the upper lip, areas around the forehead and eyebrows and near the hairline.
Dry Skin
Dry skin causes the facial skin to appear dry and itch. Untreated dry skin can lead to psoriasis. Lack of oils and extreme fat intake in the diet is a common cause of dry skin on the face. It can also occur due to inferior facial products and the application of hard and harsh soaps. Dry skin on the face can also occur due to more serious conditions, such as, diabetes and hypothyroidism.
Dry skin is a very common cause of an itchy red rash on face, second only to poor hygiene. It can occur at any time in the year but is more common in winter. Seasonal dryness and itching is therefore often referred to as the winter itch. However, the constant exposure to air conditioned environments particularly in settings like the workplace can dry out the skin. Facial itching due to climatic conditions is also more likely to occur in windy environments.
Heat Rash
Overexposure to heat and sunlight may result in a heat rash. Red clusters of pimples on the face and neck are common symptoms of a heat rash. This is the body’s way of warning the person that he/she is exposed to excessive heat or sunlight and may suffer from a heat stroke or exhaustion.
Allergy
Itchiness and redness of the face is often a cause of an allergic reaction to either foods or a facial product. An allergic reaction to strawberries or shellfish, for example, may result in a rash on face. It can also occur due to the use of expired facial products. A product you have used previously without any problem can cause an allergic reaction when being used another time.
Unwashed Face
Dirt, dust and microbes are constantly making contact with the face. These contaminants if not removed can irritate the skin causing red rash on face. An unwashed face tends to be itchy. It men this may sometimes be associated with facial hair which tends to trap and hold contaminants.
Allergies
An allergy or hypersensitivity may be a result of allergic skin diseases or red rash on face in a person who otherwise does not have these conditions. Allergic skin diseases that are more likely to present with itching includes atopic dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis or urticaria (hives). Pollen, pet hair, molds and dust may trigger the allergic reaction.
Infections
The skin and hair follicles may become infected by a number of different microbes causing a red rash to develop on your face. Itchiness is a common symptom in some of these conditions. The infectious causes of an itchy skin may include Childhood viral infections often present with skin rashes that may cause itching in many cases. In chickenpox (Varicella zoster), measles (Rubella virus), German measles (Rubella virus), or fifth disease (Parvovirus B19), itchy papules or vesicles appear on the face and trunk.
This red rash on face may crust over and disappear or peel off after about a week. These infections will resolve on its own with no specific treatment being necessary.
Skin Diseases
A number of skin diseases may present with a red rash on the face. These skin diseases that present with a skin rash in most cases may involve other symptoms that allow it to be differentiated from less obvious causes. Excessive scratching in these cases often leads to permanent discoloration of the skin.
- Acne vulgaris is the common type of acne seen more often in teens. It is associated with excessive oil production, blockage of the pores with blackheads and whiteheads and bacterial infections of the skin. Pimples, or zits, may be painful and the skin may be painful even without pimples in the area. Acne does not always cause skin itching.
- Acne rosacea, just referred to as rosacea these days, is a skin condition marked with severe redness due to widespread inflammation. These areas of redness may appear as patches or slight raised lesions. It is often worsened with sunlight exposure.
- Ingrown hair or razor bumps is an inflammation of the hair follicle after shaving, and not an infection. It mostly occurs in men with curly hair. Prevention is by avoiding shaving hair close to the skin.
Other Causes
- Insect bites can occur on any site on the body and the face is more commonly attacked by mosquitoes and other airborne insets causing a red rash on face. There may be an allergic reaction, infection or localized skin irritation following a bite. Severe allergic reactions like anaphylaxis need to be treated with adrenaline. A combination of antihistamines with antiseptic, urea and calamine lotions may be sufficient for treatment.
- Systemic lupus erythematosus. A red skin patch in the form of a “butterfly rash” extends over the nose and cheeks. The joints and vessels are often affected.
- Dermatomyositis is a rare inflammatory muscle disease with skin rash. Violaceus rash and swelling around the eyes, on the back of the fingers and elbows or knees is characteristic.
- Melanoma is highly malignant, fast growing, dark pigmented (brown, black or bluish) tumor, from few millimeters to few centimeters in size. It usually grows in the level of the skin, or appears as a raised tumor.
Heat Rash on Face
Heat rash is a mild inflammation of clogged sweat ducts on face. When the sweat ducts are blocked the sweat cannot come to the skin surface to evaporate and becomes trapped under the skin causing red rash on face. The rash is characterized by small, raised bumps spread evenly across small patches of skin.
However, that is not the only cause and this condition differs with the underlying causes as you may see in our pictures. We have provided you with photos that will help you get a clear scene of a rash on face.
Tiny Red Spots on Skin Face
The sudden appearance of tiny red spots on skin can be shocking. It is never easy when you cannot explain a particular symptom like this where by; for example, you may ask yourself if it’s an allergic reaction, or if it’s skin cancer. These dots on your facial skin are as a result of internal bleeding, or leaked capillaries.
The bleeding causes red, purple, or brown spots to appear, sometimes in clusters, and it often look like a rash. Usually, these tiny red spots on the skin are not itchy and flat, and they don’t lose color when touched. In medical jargon, these spots are called petechiae, and they are less than three millimeters in diameter. You may find the tiny red spots on the arms, legs, chest, face, or other areas of the body.
Red Spots on Skin not Itchy
The rash on your face may manifest, accompanied with itching, blistering, bleeding, redness, scaling, swelling, and dry skin. The appearance of the facial rash may vary in appearance, location and severity according to its underlying cause. For instance, it can be red, white, purple or silver in color at some times with no itchiness.
The texture of the rash too can vary as being bumpy, scaly, smooth or raised. You have to also know whether the rash affect a small area in the face or spread across a large area.
Our skin is prone to rashes, blemishes and bumps of all kinds. Most of the non- itchy red rash on face may not be a cause for concern and these outbreaks are harmless and will clear up on their own, but it’s always good to understand the common causes of our symptoms so that we can better treat and manage them when they arise.
However, be warned also as a non-itchy spot may go against what we think of as a “normal” rash or outbreak but there are a wide range of common causes for these spots. And, in many cases, a non-itchy red spot can be caused by the same thing as an itchy one. Get acquainted with the potential triggers below, and schedule an appointment with your doctor if you come across anything suspicious.
Red Rash on Face Treatment
The treatment of facial itchy red rash is largely dependent on the underlying cause and individual treatments will go hand in hand with the origin of the condition. General measures for treating an itch include:
- Use of antihistamines (or oral medication)
- Use of Corticosteroids (topical medication)
However, the underlying cause for those red dots on your face needs to be treated or the itching will persist indefinitely. Sometimes simple measures are sufficient if there is no clearly identifying cause of facial red rash. This may include:
- Washing the face regularly with gentle soaps like baby soaps and non-scented soaps.
- Drying the face thoroughly after bathing
- Using a moisturizer or emollient for dry skin.
- Avoiding skin creams and cosmetics on oily skin
- Protecting the skin with suitable sunscreens.
How to treat red rash on Face
Facial rashes can be annoying primarily because it can affect the facial appearance. The treatment to be useful on your condition will depend on the severity and underling cause. There are several natural remedies that provide relief and cure the rash, although more serious cases of facial rashes require over-the-counter medications or prescription medical intervention.
At home activities for treating rash on the face include:
- The application of a mixture of olive oil and baking soda or Aloe Vera to relieve itching
- Vitamin E and cod liver oil for curing a rash
- The application of an ice pack to relieve itching of the face from an allergy
- Cooked oatmeal for pain relief from extreme itching
- Calcium gluconate and water for rash relief
Certain steps and practices as well as remedies that can help avoid or treat facial rashes include the following:
- Psoriasis of the face can be treated by keeping the skin moist, avoiding hot water, getting sunlight and stopping smoking. Petroleum jelly or moisturizers and topical applications can also be considered, if natural remedies do not work in curing the symptoms of psoriasis.
- Dry skin on the face can be prevented by avoiding washing the face often with harsh soaps and inferior products, and by switching to a balanced diet.
- Heat rash does not require treatment, although cooling down may be beneficial for avoiding exhaustion.
- Allergy rashes can be prevented by avoiding the exposure to the allergy trigger and stopping the use of harsh facial products.
In situations where above remedies are not effective in curing the red rash on face, topical creams may be prescribed by a doctor. Most of these medications will be anti-allergy medications. Topical steroids are categorized under 7 groupings based on potency and below are a list of the most common medications grouped accordingly. The last group medications are least potent and appropriate for mild conditions while the first group medications will be prescribed for a severe case of contact dermatitis.
Topical steroids are typically classified into 7 groups on the basis of potency level, with group 1 being the strongest and group 7 being the weakest.
When treating children, the doctors will recommend milder forms of topical applications and currently, Cutivate (fluticasone propionate) and Elocon (mometasone furoate) are deemed to be safer for kids according to recently published results. Cutivate is also the only FDA approved topical steroid for infants of 3 month age range.
Home Remedies for Red Rash on Face
It is best to treat the underlying cause of petechiae in the treatment of the condition, and there are also a number of natural methods for this.
A Cold Compress
Although a cold compress will not treat the underlying cause, it will help reduce inflammation and decrease the risk of petechiae from recurring on your red rash on face. It’s easy to make one: simply wrap a towel around an ice pack, and hold it against the affected area for about 15 to 20 minutes. Alternatively, you can use cold water instead of ice.
Supplements
There are specific supplements that can help reduce petechiae due to certain root causes. For instance, probiotics, methylsulfonylmethane, thymus extract, protease enzymes, and digestive enzymes can help treat petechiae due to allergic reactions.
Vitamin Support
Certain nutrients will increase platelet count and help decrease inflammation, including vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin D, foliate, and vitamin B9. A multi-vitamin high in these vitamins plus vitamin B12 can also help prevent vitamin deficiencies associated with petechiae. Vitamin C and quercetin can also help with root causes of petechiae such as rheumatoid arthritis or an allergic reaction.
Herbal Remedies
Dandelion root can improve liver function, improve blood clotting, and prevent petechial spots. Chlorella and spirulina are also excellent super greens that can help with detoxification and treat underlying causes of petechiae such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Other useful herbal remedies include eyebright and stinging nettle. According to traditional Chinese medicine, there are also a number of remedies that help reduce bleeding under the skin such as Rehmannia root, lotus root, and peppermint.
How to Prevent Petechiae
Here are a few tips to help prevent tiny red rash on face’s skin.
- Avoid lifting or straining activities: Lifting weights or straining during bowel movements can increase internal pressure, which may damage blood vessels and cause bleeding and tiny red spots.
- Foods to eat and avoid: It’s a good idea to limit foods that thin the blood, such as garlic and onions. Also, avoid all processed and refined foods with sugar and saturated fats. Opt for fresh foods such as berries, cherries, plums, and tomatoes. These foods are high in antioxidants and will help increase platelet levels.
Improve skin health: Try applying avocado oil or walnut oil on the skin to improve its elasticity and texture, and to help prevent outbreaks of petechiae or red rash on face.
More references
- What cause your skin rash: http://www.everydayhealth.com/skin-and-beauty-photos/common-skin-rashes.aspx
- Itchy face and red rash on face: http://www.healthhype.com/itchy-face-facial-rash-causes-pictures-treatment.html
- Signs of heat rash: http://www.onhealth.com/content/1/heat_rash
- Heat rash: http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/tc/heat-rash-topic-overview
- Tiny red spots on the face: http://www.doctorshealthpress.com/skin-care-articles/tiny-red-spots-on-skin