Top Tips to Reduce Redness

Whether it’s caused by a reaction, skin condition, genetics or frosty winter weather, redness is a common and persistent skin concern. While redness is easier to spot in lighter skin tones, it may appear more purple or brown in those with a deeper skin tone. Regardless of the cause or your skin tone, here are our expert-approved top tips for reducing its appearance.

1. Opt for a gentle cleanser

Redness can often be the result of a compromised skin barrier, so it is important to ensure you use a non-stripping cleanser that will keep your barrier intact and prevent existing redness and sensitivity from being aggravated. Opt for cream textures and choose fragrance-free products if your skin is sensitive.

Try these:

• The Cream Cleanser Fragrance Free
• Skin + Me Purify and Prep Cream Cleanser
• Dermatica Squalane Cleanser

2. Use a targeted treatment

Address signs of redness with a treatment that has been formulated to soothe the skin and reinforce your barrier, bolstering your skin's resilience against external aggressors. Barrier-supporting treatment oils and azelaic acid serums are great choices to help relieve redness. Nicknamed our 'fire extinguisher in a bottle', The Support Oil is clinically proven to reduce skin redness by up to 42%*, making it a routine staple for anyone looking to calm their complexion.

Try these: 

• Skin Rocks The Support Oil 
• The Ordinary Soothing & Barrier Support Serum
• Paula’s Choice Azelaic Acid Booster

3. Choose restorative moisturisers

Responsible for keeping your skin calm and protected, strengthen an impaired skin barrier by choosing moisturisers that contain barrier-supporting ingredients such as ceramides, squalane and pro-vitamin D3. This will also help to keep your skin hydrated by locking in water.

Try these:

• Skin Rocks The Rich Moisturiser 
• Rhode Barrier Restore Cream
• Dermalogica Stabilising Repair Cream

4. Wear SPF daily

Redness can often be a sign of sun damage, and the best way to prevent this is to keep your skin protected with sunscreen. Choose an SPF 50 formula you enjoy and reapply every 2 hours if you are outside in the sun or working by a window.

Try these:

• Garnier Super UV Serum SPF50
• SOS SPF 50 Sun Cream
• Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun PF 50+ PA++++

5. Keep it cool

Experiencing hot flushes and sudden bouts of redness? Apply a cold compress in the form of a cold flannel, cooling face mask or cryo globe for immediate relief.

Try these:

• Darphin Cooling Hydrating Face Mask 
• Skin Rocks The Flannel
• Pacifica Beauty Cooling Cryo Globes

6. Colour correct

If you're looking for an instant solution to counteract redness and give you a more even complexion, try using a colour corrector. These green-hued creams can be applied before makeup or worn alone to cancel out any red in the skin (think back to art; green sits opposite red on the colour wheel). 

Try these:

• Dr Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Colour Corrector
• Erborian CC Red Correct
• Rosalique 3 in 1 Anti-Redness Miracle Formula

7. Go professional

If topical products aren’t helping, your next port of call is to book in with a licensed aesthetician, as in-clinic treatments such as laser and light therapy can help to tackle more severe redness. If you are experiencing chronic redness and broken capillaries, it is also worth visiting your GP or dermatologist, who can investigate potential conditions such as rosacea. 

We recommend:

Dr Ejikeme @ Adonia Medical Clinic