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Red patches on the face

Where they are and how long they last: two questions that narrow the field more than anything else.

Redness on the face is one of the commonest reasons for a dermatological visit, and also one of the hardest to interpret alone, because different conditions share the same colour. Two pieces of information, however, narrow the field almost immediately: the site and the duration.

The site is highly indicative. Central redness — cheeks, nose, chin, forehead — with flushing triggered by heat, alcohol or spicy food points towards rosacea. Redness beside the nose, between the eyebrows and in the nasolabial folds, greasy and scaling, is typical of seborrhoeic dermatitis. Redness with sharp borders reproducing the shape of something speaks of contact. Redness following the application of a product and fading within hours is more likely reactivity.

Duration completes the picture. Redness that comes and goes through the day is one thing; redness that stays stable for weeks is another. And one situation deserves a note of its own: a single, persistent patch that does not itch and does not pass, in someone with a long history of sun exposure, does not belong to the inflammatory pictures on this page and simply needs looking at.

A single patch that does not pass is not just redness

This is the distinction worth isolating from the rest. Almost all the pictures on this page are diffuse or symmetrical, come and go, and react to something: a product, heat, a season. A single lesion that stays in the same place for weeks or months, with a surface that may be rough or crusted, that does not itch and does not behave like the rest of the face, follows different reasoning — especially in fair-skinned people with a long sun history. There is no reason for alarm: there is reason to have it looked at, instead of going on applying different creams to it.

How it shows

Redness in the central face with recurrent flushing
Greasy, scaling redness beside the nose
Patches with sharp borders reproducing the shape of an object
Immediate burning after applying products
Redness persisting stably for weeks
A single patch that does not itch and does not resolve

How we proceed

1Dermatological visit: site, borders, duration and triggers
2Distinction between rosacea, seborrhoeic dermatitis, contact and reactivity
3Dermatoscopic examination when the lesion is single and persistent
4Therapy based on the identified picture
5Follow-up and review of the cosmetic routine

Available treatments

Dermatology visit
Dermatoscopic diagnosis
Therapy targeted at the cause
Scheduled follow-up

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Our specialists will evaluate your case and define the most suitable treatment plan.

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Siena · Firenze

Where to find us

Skinfarm Siena →342 795 0356

Skinfarm Florence · Dermatology →350 862 2658

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Frequently asked questions

Why do I flush when I have a glass of wine?+

Vasodilation triggered by alcohol, heat, spicy food or temperature changes is a common phenomenon, and in many people it remains just that. It becomes clinically relevant when flushing is frequent, lasts a long time and progressively leaves a background redness that does not fade: that is the typical trajectory of rosacea, and recognising it early changes the pathway more than tackling it years later.

I used a steroid cream and now it is worse: why?+

It is a sequence often seen on the face. Steroids reduce redness quickly, but prolonged use at this site can thin the skin, make capillaries more visible and cause rebound worsening on stopping, with redness returning more intense than before. This is one reason facial steroids should be used on advice and for defined periods, not as a habitual remedy.

Could it be an allergy to cosmetics?+

It is possible, and the shape of the redness helps: contact allergy tends to produce borders following the area of application and typically appears hours or days later, not immediately. Immediate burning on application points instead to simple reactivity. When the history does not clarify, patch testing gives an objective answer, and it is performed at the Siena clinic.