If you have itchy skin on your face and don’t know what to do about it, listen to our useful tips and recommendations. You will learn the possible causes of such a scourge, how you can get rid of them, and also learn about medications and folk remedies used in this case.
Human epidermis - a litmus test that reacts to literally everything and reflects any processes occurring in the body. If the skin on your face itches, you need to immediately find out what triggered the appearance of this unpleasant itching and take immediate measures to eliminate it.
Otherwise, this can lead to complications and consequences such as swelling, flaky crusts and even purulent ulcers. As a rule, all this is accompanied by rashes that interfere with sleep and living peacefully, because they itch constantly and painfully. The result is a lot of complexes, a reluctance to leave the house anywhere, and one single question: what to do? We will try to answer it fully and in detail.
Itchy face: reasons
As already mentioned, the skin reacts to literally everything: what we breathe, what we consume, what emotions we experience, what diseases we suffer from. The more deviations from the norm, the worse the condition of the epidermis. First of all, the skin of the face suffers, which begins to itch and itch unbearably. Sometimes for unknown reasons.
Once you feel itching, there is no need to console yourself that it will soon go away. The very next day you risk waking up with scabs and weeping sores on your face if you don’t take any measures.
The first step on the path to recovery should be to find out the reasons why your face itches. These may be the following factors:
- Allergy for food (most often citrus fruits or dairy products) or low-quality decorative cosmetics.
- The next reason why the face peels and itches is dry skin. It can be either natural or acquired. In the latter case, this happens if you often use products containing alcohol or soap with a fat-dissolving effect. On the one hand, an oily film is a very unpleasant sensation, but because of it, it is very unwise to deprive the epidermis of natural protection. An infection penetrates through cracks in the skin, and then severe itching begins.
- The face may begin to itch due to skin reactions to atmospheric phenomena. For example, to excessive heat or high humidity. If you often visit saunas and baths, don't be surprised if your face itches. For some, itching is a reaction to cold winds and frost in winter. This is called cold allergy, which usually affects those who suffer from anemia or hypothyroidism.
- Medications can also cause your face to itch. If they contain components that the body does not accept, or you have to drink them for too long and uncontrollably, the skin may react to all this with itching and a rash on the face.
- Ultraviolet irradiation may well be the explanation for why your face itches. If you overexposed yourself to the sun or got carried away with visiting a solarium, you will have to pay for it with itchy skin.
- The most unpleasant reason for this phenomenon is skin diseases, which will require mandatory drug treatment. Among them are seborrhea, psoriasis, demodicosis and rosacea.
- Internal diseases can also cause an itchy face: all kinds of infections (measles, folliculitis, chickenpox), scabies mites, diabetes, anemia, cancer.
- Bad habits: smoking and alcoholism.
- Poor nutrition: a lot of fatty, smoked, pickled and salty foods in the diet.
- Poor state of the nervous system: constant stress, nervousness, anxiety.
So, analyze the lifestyle you lead and try to understand the reasons why your facial skin itches: by eliminating the factor that causes itching, you can get rid of the scourge itself. Please note that there may be several such reasons.
Therefore, if you suspect one thing, you should not discount other points. If you were unable to do this on your own, you have only one, but very reliable way out - to seek help from a specialist. And this should not even be a cosmetologist, but a dermatologist.
Treatment of itchy skin on the face
After examination and additional tests, the dermatologist will make a diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate facial skin treatment. Depending on why your face itches, you will be prescribed medications and medical and cosmetic procedures. Be sure to go through them completely and strictly follow the doctors’ instructions so that the itchy skin does not return to you halfway.
Seborrhea
- Symptoms: the skin on the face itches, shines, flakes, pink spots appear, which soon become covered with blood crusts, and the pores expand.
- Treatment: sodium thiosulfate, calcium chloride, corticosteroids, antibacterial ointments and creams (bicarbonate, sulfur solution), alcohol solutions (salicylic alcohol, boric acid, tinctures of hawthorn or lily of the valley).
Psoriasis
- Symptoms: the skin on the face itches, turns red and becomes covered with peeling scales.
- Treatment: local therapy (salicylic, sulfur-tar, naphthalan ointments, calcipotriol, diprosalik), phototherapy, systemic therapy (acitretin, roaccutane, cyclosporine, homeopathic remedies).
Demodicosis
- Symptoms: unbearable itching, loss of eyelashes, acne.
- Treatment: drugs to strengthen the immune system; means for normalizing the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract; antiparasitic drugs (trichopolum, metronidazole, tinidazole); sulfuric, yellow mercury, ichthyol ointments; various pharmaceutical talkers; antibacterial ointments “Aversect”, “Permethrin”; anti-inflammatory cream-gel "Dexodem Phyto".
Rosacea
- Symptoms: the skin of the face becomes lumpy, inflamed, begins to itch very much, turns red, and a vascular network appears.
- Treatment: metronidazole (ointment and tablets), diet, boric acid lotions, special massage, antibiotic therapy, psychocorrection, immunocorrective drugs, cryotherapy (cold treatment).
Universal medications against itching on the face:
- antihistamines for oral use: suprastin, cetrin, fenkarol;
- topical ointments: menthol, for example;
- powders with talc;
- a compress of gauze soaked in boric acid (dilute 15 ml of acid in half a liter of water).
After treatment, try not to make any more mistakes that lead to such trouble.
To prevent your facial skin from itching, you need to eliminate from your life factors that can provoke this unbearable and unpleasant itching.
Therefore, always remember some rules that will help keep your skin beautiful and healthy.
To prevent your face from itching: tips and tricks
Many people know that unpleasant, painful feeling when the skin on the face peels and itches: on such days there is no desire to go anywhere, the mood deteriorates and you don’t want to look in the mirror at all. To never feel this way, try to follow a few simple rules. This is much more pleasant than having to spend weeks being treated for a nasty itch and hiding from everyone at home.
- Avoid dairy products and citrus fruits, to which the skin of the face often reacts with an allergic reaction. Its first sign is itchy skin. Remember: everything is good in moderation.
- Always make sure that your decorative and skincare cosmetics are of high quality and fresh. If you regularly use products from one manufacturer, do not forget to take a break every 5-6 months. Very often, the face itches precisely because of the incorrect selection of cosmetics for a particular skin type.
- Do not use alcohol-containing cosmetics to cleanse your skin too often., which lead to cracking of the skin and its excessive dryness. Also, you should not choose soap with a fat-dissolving effect for washing, which completely deprives the face of a protective film, which can also lead to itchy skin.
- Limit yourself from visiting saunas and baths. Do this at least once a week, but once a month, otherwise the skin will constantly react with itching to the dryness and steam of these establishments.
- In summer, constantly moisturize your skinso that she doesn't itch. To do this, make masks regularly and drink clean water in unlimited quantities.
- If your facial skin begins to itch and peel in winter, check whether you are adequately protecting it from winds, frosts and low temperatures. You may need to dress warmer and constantly cover your face with a warm scarf or high collar.
- Do not take any medications without a doctor's prescription. Follow the dosage and know: you cannot take medications for more than 2 weeks: side effects are inevitable, and one of them is itchy skin on the face.
- Be careful not to burn your face in the sun or in a tanning bed..
- Get a medical examination check for skin diseases that may cause your face to itch, and then get treatment.
- You will have to get rid of bad habits: quit smoking and drink less alcoholic beverages.
- Take a course of multivitamins twice a year.
- Try to eat healthy: eat more fruits, vegetables, drink natural juices.
- Breathe more fresh air.
- Try to protect your nervous system from shocks and stress of any kind.
If you follow these simple recommendations, you will not have any problems with your facial skin, especially itching and scratching. Those who have at least once experienced these unpleasant feelings know from their own experience how long all these peelings, dryness, ulcers and crusts that form as a result of this scourge take to heal.
So it is much easier to prevent itchy skin on the face than to undergo treatment and take medications later.
And, of course, you can use folk remedies that will soothe irritated skin, relieve itching and prevent its spread.
Folk remedies against itchy skin on the face
When the skin on your face itches, turns red and flakes, and there is no way to see a doctor, you can try to relieve the first painful signs with the help of folk remedies. However, be extremely careful when using them at home.
Firstly, they can also cause an allergic reaction and thereby only worsen the skin condition. Secondly, it is still better to first consult with your treating dermatologist in order to avoid complications and side effects.
Apple vinegar
Wipe itchy facial skin with apple cider vinegar once a day.
Baking soda
Apply a paste of baking soda and water (the proportions are arbitrary) to the inflamed, itchy areas twice a day.
Oatmeal mask
Grind oatmeal in a coffee grinder to flour, pour 1 tablespoon of 50 ml of cold boiled water, leave to swell for half an hour. Apply the resulting paste to problem areas of the face that itch for 15-20 minutes. It is recommended to make this mask after 1 day.
Herbal infusion compress
Pour 2 tablespoons of dried herbs (chamomile, string, nettle, parsley, oak bark, yarrow, coltsfoot) into 1 glass of boiled hot water, let it brew for half an hour. This compress should be used every day.
conclusions
Now you know what to do if the skin on your face itches: find out the causes if possible, eliminate them, consult a doctor and undergo a course of treatment, using folk remedies in parallel. This is the course of action that should be taken if such trouble overtakes you.
You don’t need unnecessary complexes about your appearance, so try to get rid of this scourge as soon as possible so that nothing interferes with your lively communication with other people and the joy of life.
To the question “why do you want to scratch your face?"can only answer dermatologist after examining the patient and a series of tests. Only a specialist can determine the real cause of facial skin itching, redness or peeling. But you can independently familiarize yourself with the possible origins of its appearance.
Origins of skin problems
The constant desire to scratch your face is annoying. In addition to stress, it exposes you to aesthetic problems with your face. Red-pink blotches, peeling, and acne may appear.
Signs of itchy skin include:
- the skin tingles with “needles”;
- burning sensation;
- the appearance of redness and capillaries in some areas;
- irritation;
- strong desire to scratch certain areas of the skin.
The appearance of itching can be explained by both the presence of skin diseases and psychological problems.
Dermatitis
There are such types of dermatitis as:
- simple (contact);
- allergic;
- atopic.
Let's take a closer look at each of them.
Contact. This type is caused directly by the influence of any substance on the skin. Irritants can be chemical cleaning products, incorrectly selected cosmetic products, or medical creams and ointments.
Even some toothpastes can negatively affect the epidermis of the skin and cause itching, and then peeling.
The male half of society can expect inflammatory processes after shaving. The result of microdamage to the skin from a mechanical razor will be the appearance of irritation. And even when using foam, gel or shaving cream that is not suitable for your skin.
Allergic dermatitis is localized mainly on the cheeks, forehead or neck. It represents eczema that you want to scratch.
Causes of allergic dermatitis:
- ingestion of medications or food products that cause an allergic reaction in a given person;
- stimuli “from outside” located in the external environment. This could be pollen, animals, some fruits and even dust.
A rash appears, with the help of which the body shows its owner its protective reaction. To make a diagnosis of allergic dermatitis, the attending physician must first identify the allergen that is the direct source of the skin reaction. Then the patient eliminates as much as possible any possible points of contact with the identified allergen. If the problem does not disappear over time, it would be advisable to use special creams containing steroids and antihistamines in tablet form.
Atopic dermatitis is also known as neurodermatitis. The occurrence of this type of dermatitis is typical for children under six months of age. Having appeared at this period of life, it periodically reminds the owner of himself throughout his life. This type of dermatitis is chronic and difficult to cure. “Favorite zones” for this type of localization are the forehead, neck and areas around the lips.
The causes of this type of dermatitis are very often genetic factors. The reappearance of dermatitis in adulthood can be explained by insufficient rest, stress, environment, unbalanced food and other factors.
Dry skin
Often, facial itching can be caused by dehydration of the skin. Dryness can be genetically inherent in nature, or caused by external factors. These include: cosmetic products with aggressive composition.
From this we can conclude that you should not abuse cosmetics containing alcohol or wash your face with soap. This does not mean that you should not cleanse your skin, because the natural fat film on our face performs a very important protective function. You just need to choose the appropriate gentle facial skin care.
Temperature effect
For some people, high temperature and humidity can contribute to facial itching. Summer, a bathhouse or a sauna is torture for them. There is also the opposite type - these are people who react to low temperatures and strong winds. It is generally accepted that this “winter” type of person is allergic to cold. Its occurrence is most often observed with existing problems with the thyroid gland or with anemia.
Internal diseases
The desire to scratch your face may also appear when you have a disease of some internal organs. This could be the liver, kidneys or gastrointestinal tract. Violation of their functioning leads to a malfunction of all other body systems. Externally, this manifests itself in skin irritation.
The source of scratching may lie in diabetes mellitus, malignant tumors or hemophilia. They can also be infections: chickenpox, inflammation of the hair follicles, diseases caused by staphylococci or measles. In most cases, with hepatitis or significant liver damage, itching also manifests itself in full. This can easily be explained by an increase in bilirubin in the blood, which affects the capillaries of the face, causing irritation.
Demodicosis
Damage to the skin epithelium by a parasitic mite of microscopic size. This parasite lives in the ducts of the sebaceous and sweat glands, as well as hair follicles, eating epithelial cells. The favorite habitats of these microorganisms are the eyelids, areas above the eyebrows and the chin area.
In fact, the parasite itself only provokes the onset of the disease, which can really bring a lot of problems to the owner. In addition to itching, there is redness, dryness and tightness of the face. If the disease is not diagnosed in time and treatment is not started, it threatens to open the pores with mites. When bacteria and infections get into the pores, acne, blackheads and styes occur. Advanced acne is very difficult to cure.
Psychological diseases
Psychological disorders, psychoses, and excessive nervousness have their own place in the list of causes of itching of the face and body. Science has proven that even stress at work can cause an incredible desire to itch.
Psoriasis
From Greek, this word is translated as “skin itch” and means the name of a congenital skin disease, which is expressed by the appearance of scaly areas with reddish plaques. The disease can affect any part of the body. The clear cause of this disease has not yet been identified. There is a pattern - with severe stress or a change of seasons, most patients experience a period of exacerbation of the disease, which is then replaced by its remission.
Seborrhea
Seborrhea predominantly attacks parts of the body covered with hair. However, there are cases of the disease appearing on the face and the surface of the entire body. The occurrence is provoked by a hormonal imbalance, along with which the functioning of the sebaceous glands is disrupted. In this regard, adolescents and elderly people are most susceptible to this disease.
Treatment
In no case should you self-medicate the above diseases. It is better to entrust getting rid of the disease to a professional. A doctor can tell you why your face itches. Depending on the severity of the disease, medication, hospital treatment, or surgery may be prescribed.
If the disease is not so significant, therapy may be limited to some prohibitions (elimination of irritations in the form of allergens or cosmetics) and lifestyle adjustments. Sometimes the solution is quite simple. Changes in diet, physical therapy or rest in a sanatorium. Treatment with mineral waters - balneotherapy - is very pleasant and truly effective.
Methods for preventing skin diseases
No one will deny that it is better to prevent a disease than to treat it.
The following will help you minimize the risk of disease:
- adequate sleep (at least 7, but not more than 9 hours a day) and rest;
- periodic administration of a vitamin complex;
- proper balanced nutrition;
- sport;
- development of stress resistance;
- reducing the consumption of cosmetics and, if possible, medications;
- use of sunscreens.
The most universal advice for avoiding itching is strengthening the body's resilience. This can be achieved by leading an active lifestyle and a positive attitude towards the world. And, of course, regular visits to doctors and tests will help identify the disease at an early stage.
Why does my face often itch and burn? What reasons can cause itching and redness of the facial skin. What to do if your face is swollen, red and itchy. What methods and means can you get rid of the problem.
The appearance of itching on any part of the skin causes a person to have an acute desire to scratch the place where the unpleasant sensations were localized. This action always results in visible reddened marks remaining on the problem area of the skin. This situation causes women the most inconvenience and discomfort, especially when their face or hands itch—parts of the body that are always on public display.
Such a problematic attack, in general, occurs quite often. But not all people are equally susceptible to it. Some may encounter this unpleasant phenomenon very rarely, only when certain negative factors coincide, while others are haunted by it throughout their lives.
Causes of facial irritation
Human skin reflects the processes occurring in the body and reacts to any changes in it. That is why, in cases where the skin of the face is very itchy, experts recommend not to delay and consult a specialized doctor. After carrying out the necessary research, he will accurately determine the cause that provoked irritation, redness and itching of the skin. Only after this will it be possible to take adequate measures to eliminate these unpleasant signs.
In the case when treatment of a scourge is started without clarifying the prerequisites for it, a person may develop serious complications that cause significant damage not only to appearance, but also to general health. Most often, experts diagnose the following consequences of inadequate therapy that eliminates redness of the facial skin, or its complete absence, such as:
- the appearance of flaky crusts;
- significant swelling of the entire surface of the face or certain areas of it;
- formation of purulent ulcers at the site of scratching.
Itching of the facial skin, provoked by the use of inappropriate therapy, can be prevented not only by timely contacting a specialist and finding out the true cause of such an aesthetic scourge, but also by strictly following all the doctor’s recommendations and prescriptions during treatment.
There are several prerequisites, as well as risk factors, that cause itching and redness on the face. All of them should be considered separately in order to have a general understanding of them.
Allergy as a cause of itching
As already mentioned, our skin reacts to everything without exception - air, food, emotional background, health status, infectious lesions, and so on. The condition of the epidermis is directly related to these endogenous and exogenous factors. The more deviations from the norm there are, the worse our skin looks.
The first to suffer are the facial and hair parts of the scalp, which begin to itch and burn unbearably. In response to a frequent question from patients about what types of allergies can cause itching on the face, experts note the following types of allergenic factors:
- Food. It occurs when a person consumes foods to which his body reacts very sharply. Most often, citrus fruits, strawberries, chocolate, nuts, dairy products and synthetic additives provoke burning and redness of the skin.
- Contact is associated with the use of hygiene products or cosmetics that are not suitable for the skin type, as well as local pharmaceuticals.
- Medication is the body’s reaction to vaccination or the medicinal use of certain medications intended for oral administration.
- The skin of the face can also itch due to exposure to thermal or cold factors (heat or frost with strong wind, as well as high humidity).
- A fairly large reddened area of skin can appear when a person abuses ultraviolet radiation - excessive use of a solarium or prolonged exposure to direct sunlight.
The fact that the face is red, burning and itchy due to some allergic reaction is indicated by both external signs that appear on the skin and the subjective sensations of the person affected by the misfortune. Usually this is a stuffy nose, redness of the skin (it turns red all over or in certain areas), severe tearing, the appearance of numerous pimples, wounds, blisters or a pronounced rash on the face.
But it is not at all necessary to confirm that the itching effect on a person’s face was influenced by an allergic reaction, to have all of the above signs. Often this type of attack manifests itself with two, and sometimes three pathological symptoms. If children suffer from an allergic type of illness accompanied by itching of the face, they will always have bright red rashes in the form of hives, which are mostly absent in adults.
Risk factors for the development of the disease
If your face itches, the reasons may not only be allergic reactions. The appearance of itching and flaking is greatly influenced by dry skin, which can be either acquired or congenital. It is this that is the main risk factor that contributes to the appearance of negative manifestations on the skin of the face. Its direct participation in the appearance of itching is due to the fact that dry skin always cracks, as a result of which microscopic defects form on it. Through these cracks, the infection actively penetrates into the deep layers of the epidermis, causing a severe itching effect in a person.
Also, when asked by their patients about why the face itches, experts point to the following risk factors that provoke this pathology:
- problems with the nervous system, which are provoked by frequent stress, increased mental and emotional stress and anxiety;
- diseases of the internal organs also provoke the development of itching on the face, accompanied by redness of the skin;
- An important risk factor is the presence of bad habits, alcoholism and smoking.
Those who neglect the rules of a healthy diet also risk suffering from redness and itching of the facial skin. Nutritional disorders that always provoke the appearance of this cosmetic scourge on a person’s face are considered to be the consumption of large quantities of fatty and sweet foods, as well as the constant presence of pickles, marinades and smoked foods in the diet.
In order to prevent the development of a pathological condition, you should fully analyze your lifestyle. This will help you understand what causes have a greater influence on the appearance of this aesthetic ailment, and completely eliminate them from your life. When identifying a predisposing factor, experts recommend taking into account the fact that there are usually several of them. That is why it is best to consult a specialist to diagnose the problem, since it is quite easy to lose sight of any of the reasons on your own, and therefore the treatment of the pathology will be incomplete.
Troubleshooting
In order to completely get rid of the aesthetic scourge that occasionally appears on the face, the cause that provokes it must be eliminated. Only after this the therapy can give a positive result. All therapeutic measures that relieve a person from misfortune must be prescribed by a specialist and carried out under his direct supervision. This is necessary because during therapeutic treatment of the face with medications, it may be necessary to adjust the treatment course used. To prevent misfortune, you must follow the following rules:
- daily moisturizing and nourishing of sensitive skin is carried out with high-quality hypoallergenic creams;
- It is recommended to replace all alcohol-containing preparations with cosmetic milk or emulsion;
- For morning washing, it is best to use herbal infusions.
The diet should be sufficiently enriched with fresh herbs, vegetables, fruits and berries.
Also, in no case should you allow scratching of the itchy skin, otherwise this will provoke the entry of pathogenic microorganisms into the resulting wounds and the subsequent development of pathological diseases of the face, which will significantly aggravate the situation.