There are a few things that can cause redness around the nose, so here’s a little overview of what could be causing yours. It’s important to get a rough idea of what’s going on with your skin, so you can get to the bottom of what’s causing it and hopefully get rid of it. I did some research around this when my 14 year old daughter got terrible redness and soreness around her nose a few weeks ago, probably brought on my having to wear a mask all day at school. It led me to look into understanding more about skin redness.
What is the redness around your nose?
Here’s a list of the things that could be causing the redness around your nose:
- perioral dermatitis – this is like a goatee of red, flakey, bumby, uncomfortable skin around the nose and chin. It’s pretty unsightly and can make you feel absolutely terrible about yourself. It can sting, or itch or feel tight, or all three, and it can become infected. It is easily confused with eczema and unfortunately, if you use a steriod cream on it, such as hydrocortisone, it makes it much worse. It is hard to diagnose and GPs often misunderstand it. The majority of skincare will also make it worse. No one can say exactly what causes it but often, like eczema, it can be poor gut health and stress. Have a look at this article that covers it in much more depth: www.mindbodygreen.com/0-17334/perioral-dermatitis-what-it-is-why-it-sucks-how-to-deal-with-it-naturally
- rosacea – read my other blog on rosacea
- eczema – read any of my other blogs to find out more about eczema and what you can do to minimise it, or perhaps look at my eczema book.
- allergy to skincare product – have you used something new which contains ingredients that your skin doesn’t like? As I’m always saying, understand what your skincare contains and avoid skincare that contains alcohol, harsh preservatives, artificial perfume or fragrance. Also go easy on exfoliators – I never use them personally, a gentle rub with a muslin cloth is enough to gently remove the skin cells that are ready to leave your face.
Could any of the above be the cause of your redness? With my daughter, we sent a photo to the GP and then talked on the phone – our GP thought it was perioral dermatitis and prescribed some really strong lotion for her to apply. She did this once and said it hurt so much that she wasn’t using it again. So after doing a bit of research, I asked her to stop applying concealer and make-up around her nose, moved back to just washing her face with warm water, then she applied some local raw honey to all the red areas twice a day. And guess what? It completely cleared up within 10 days.
raw honey
Raw honey is incredible for skin issues, it is certainly worth investing in a pot of lovely local raw honey from a local beekeeper. Please NEVER buy honey from your supermarket, it basically isn’t honey, it’s sugar syrup, and you have no way of knowing if the honey bees were killed in the production. We only buy honey from local beekeepers who we know, and who we can see treat their bees very well, and only take honey when bees have made too much. Bees eat honey and need it through the winter, so beekeepers should only take honey when they know their colonies have enough to see them through winter. Make sure you find a lovely local beekeeper and not only will you be supporting a local, passionate person who loves bees, but you will be getting great quality honey. You can read more about how to choose honey here.
Raw honey is honey that is taken from the hive and put in a jar, and has been through absolutely no heating or processing and still retains all its important properties. It is antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-fungal, immune-boosting and healing, all of which will help you with sore, inflamed, possibly infected skin. It’s no wonder my daughter’s skin cleared up using our lovely honey.
diet and skin redness
Yes the boring diet and nutrition bit again – all redness/inflammation anywhere in or on the body will be lessened by eating a healthy balanced diet with plenty of water, fresh local veg and plenty of good quality protein and omega fats. Avoid too much sugar and processed food and alcohol, all of which will make redness worse. There are a ton of blogs out there on eating an anti-inflammatory diet, just google it and see what comes up that will work for you.
Hope you found this helpful in understanding what the redness around your nose is, and how you might solve it. If you have any skincare issues, or if you think your skin is infected, please do contact your GP.
