INFLAMMATION IN THE SKIN
Inflammation is our body’s built-in defence system to protect itself. It occurs when your immune system responds to a stimulus or trigger. Special cells send a message to your body to widen blood vessels, making them more permeable, which allows the immune response to reach the affected area more easily. This leads to many of the symptoms associated with inflammation, including redness, heat, and swelling.
Healthy skin vs inflamed skin - inflammation triggers blood vessels to dilate which shows as redness and heat on the skin surface.
Most of us associate “inflamed skin” with an allergic reaction – like a rash or hives - but treating inflammation in the skin first can be the key to successfully treating your skin concerns.
But why should inflammation be tackled before your skin concerns? Let me give you an example…
You decided you want to complete a marathon. You start training, but one day, you trip, fall and sprain your ankle. If you kept running on your sprained ankle, it would get worse and worse and there’s a chance you would never complete the marathon. So instead, you rest, your ankle gets better and then you continue your training and complete the marathon.
Now let’s swap that scenario to the skin… The marathon is your skin goal (e.g. clearing acne) and your sprained ankle is skin inflammation.
The inflammation (your sprained ankle) needs to be dealt with BEFORE you can think about treating your skin concern (completing the marathon). You see? It’s the same - always treat the inflammation first!
Signs and symptoms of inflamed skin:
Inflammation can be the root cause of many skincare concerns - because of this, it can present itself in many different ways:
Premature ageing: inflammation causes our skin's collagen and elastin to break down at a faster rate leading to fine lines and wrinkles
Sensitive skin: will be reactive, easily turn red and may feel hot to the touch
Dehydrated skin: inflammation is often linked with a weak skin barrier, meaning your skin loses its ability to retain water - skin may feel tight, dry and uncomfortable
Acne: is a chronic inflammatory disease
Post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH): as the name suggests, occurs following inflammation in the skin (such as acne, bug bites, razor bumps)
What causes inflammation in the skin?
Inflammation within the skin can be triggered by internal and external factors. Some common examples are below:
Internal triggers:
Lifestyle - e.g. diet, stress, lack of sleep, smoking
Health/skin conditions - such as rosacea, eczema , psoriasis and acne
Bacterial, viral, or fungal infection
External triggers:
Pollution
Air quality
Sun exposure
Skincare or product use - e.g. over exfoliating, retinoids, allergic reactions
Okay, so how can you reduce inflammation in the skin?
My favourite anti-inflammatory skincare ingredients to look out for are:
Green tea
Chamomile
Calendula
Colloidal oatmeal
Tiger grass (aka cica)
Ceramides
Red LED therapy
Aloe Vera
CBD
While it’s impossible to avoid all inflammatory triggers - ensuring that you’re getting enough sleep, eating well, minimising stress and using anti-inflammatory skincare will help keep excess inflammation at bay.