Skin inflammation: types, causes, and treatments

Inflammation is nothing more than the immune system’s response to an invasion of foreign particles. Inflamed skin usually indicates that it has been irritated by intrinsic or extrinsic causes. This can cause redness, itching, swelling, heat, and sensitivity. Skin inflammation often leads to the development of itchy rashes as well as the appearance of scars or spots that are difficult to remove.

Skin inflammation appears as redness of the area, increased heat coming from the skin, and an annoying feeling of tight skin.

To properly treat this blemish, it is necessary to recognize the type of inflammation and determine whether it is:

• Acute inflammation, which is limited to a specific period ranging from a few minutes to a few days;
• Chronic inflammation, which lasts over time, lasting months or years without ever subsiding;
• Inflammaging, a latent and silent skin inflammation that is not visible but works in the deeper layers of the epidermis, promoting an increase in free radicals and thus oxidative stress, the main cause of premature cellular aging.

Let’s take a closer look at the main ways skin inflammation presents itself and how to soothe its effects.

What is skin inflammation?

Often also known as dermatitis, skin inflammation is an immune system reaction, a response to an external or internal agent that causes discomfort to the body. Skin inflammations can be caused by genetic factors, bacteria, but also by allergic reactions to foods or medications. Some inflammations can occur following the use of cosmetics or perfumes containing ingredients that the skin does not tolerate.

The causes of inflammations can be different depending on the person. Acute inflammations often appear as simple redness that can later turn into dark spots.

Chronic conditions such as psoriasis are autoimmune. Often, skin inflammation is acute and treatable; however, if it lasts more than two or three weeks, it is best not to ignore it.

Different types of skin inflammation

Essentially, it is possible to distinguish two types of skin inflammation based on the duration of this blemish. As we will see, the type called Inflammaging relates instead to factors connected to aging.

Acute Inflammation

This type of inflammation generally lasts a few hours or a few weeks, resolving quickly if properly treated. It is a transient type of inflammation that does not cause permanent tissue damage and often appears as acne, sunburns, blisters, hives, and allergic reactions. It is often a simple reaction to a harmful external stimulus, such as sun exposure without sunscreen. Known as photo-inflammation induced by UV rays, it can cause excessive dilation of capillaries.

To reduce this type of inflammation, soothing products containing calming agents such as panthenol, vitamin E, or other natural soothing ingredients like witch hazel, mallow, or chamomile are used. Hyaluronic acid also helps speed up the healing and regeneration process of the skin thanks to its ability to retain subcutaneous water.

Often, the redness resulting from acute inflammation is temporary and limited to certain areas, such as the cheeks. This factor can be a result of emotional stress and is a condition that should be considered even in cosmetics when choosing a product, as the skin is just one part of the body as a whole, including the brain.

How to respond to acute inflammation?

Acute inflammation should be treated with predominantly natural soothing and calming topical agents. Nutralight is a face cream designed to reduce skin inflammation, especially if caused by unprotected sun exposure. It contains a mix of natural oils, including carrot oil, rich in antioxidants that block inflammation at the cellular membrane level.

In addition to soothing acute inflammation, it is essential to take care of your skin by preventing redness and blemishes. It becomes indispensable to use good sunscreen both at the beach and in the city, in summer as well as in other seasons.

Eco Defence 50 Spf is a non-greasy facial sunscreen that, in addition to protecting the skin from sun rays, contains highly soothing active ingredients such as extracts of mallow, calendula, marshmallow, and maritime pine, which are highly antioxidant, anti-wrinkle, and anti-pollution.

Acute inflammation can also be caused by daily exposure to atmospheric pollution present in cities and urban areas: for this reason, it is important to use facial serums that can minimize the oxidative effects caused by air pollution.

Facial serums like Blue Defence, the lifting serum ideal for city dwellers that also protects against blue light, and Licoglow, the illuminating serum that reduces skin flaking and brightens thanks to the mullein complex.

Chronic inflammation

As the term itself indicates, this type of inflammation is chronic. This means it persists beyond six weeks. It often indicates an immunological disorder, and over time the continuous immune system response can cause tissue damage. Chronic inflammations include eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, vitiligo, and rosacea.

For this reason, it is considered a true dysfunction that is divided into several groups:

• Erythrosis, a pathological condition that can be diagnosed by a dermatologist. It usually has genetic traits and may depend on untreated erythema that generates a compromised skin barrier.
• Telangiectasia or couperose, a permanent vasodilation where capillaries are visible to the naked eye and can be caused by atrophic aging. The skin appears thin and transparent, with a shiny appearance rich in erythema and can develop keratosis.
• Rosacea, a very common inflammation often associated with couperose.

How to treat chronic inflammation?

In these cases, medical advice is essential. In addition to dermatological treatments, topical cosmetic products can help soothe chronic inflammation, including Vitis Cell Serum, which, thanks to red vine stem cells, acts on vasodilation by strengthening the walls of the microcirculation and improving skin thickness.

The stimulation of fibroblasts helps improve collagen synthesis and regenerate the skin where it is compromised by inflammation.

Constant use of hyaluronic acid also helps strengthen the skin barrier by limiting the evaporation of subcutaneous water.

Inflammaging

Aging is a completely natural phenomenon and at the same time a complex process. Aging can be considered a form of latent inflammation, an inflammatory process in every respect.

Inflammaging refers to the acceleration of the skin aging process caused by various factors that lead to oxidative stress. These factors can be extrinsic or intrinsic, may depend on genetics or psychophysical stress, congenital capillary fragility, or an excessive immune response. For this reason, diet and lifestyle, as well as the use of medications and exposure to sun and pollution, contribute to accelerating aging.

Inflammation is therefore considered a biomarker of accelerated biological aging as well as one of the mechanisms through which the aging process is associated with greater overall susceptibility in the body.

Chronic or excessive inflammation can thus become harmful by increasing the likelihood of consequences and premature cellular aging. It can be said that the main concern of the cosmetic industry is the fight against skin inflammations.

LeLang has been active for years in the fight against oxidative stress and inflammations with the goal of limiting the onset of micro-inflammations that cause cellular aging. With the help of patented natural active ingredients specially studied, it is possible to act at the anti-aging level and slow down the aging process.

Studies show the correlation between inflammation and premature aging: fighting or preventing chronic and acute inflammations through specific products allows you to achieve healthy, strong, visibly young skin.

The 7 key factors for youthful skin

Inflammation and aging are therefore closely linked, which is why it is important to pay attention to 7 key factors:

1 - Block oxidative stress: using cosmetic products formulated with antioxidant ingredients blocks the mechanism that activates oxidative stress. Ferulic+HA is a face serum with antioxidant Vitamin C and Hyaluronic Acid that, thanks to the slightly exfoliating action of Ferulic Acid, deeply stimulates collagen formation and helps prevent the formation of free radicals.

2 - Slow down the protein glycation process: sugars we often consume, such as glucose and fructose, form non-enzymatic bonds with proteins and lipids generating glycotoxins. The glycation phenomenon, also called AGE, is triggered not only by food but also by smoking and exposure to UV solar rays, which make the skin tired and stressed. The glycation process can be prevented with products like Biorevitalizing Fill Serum, which contains extracts capable of stimulating the production of type 1 and type 3 collagen and reducing glycation damage by acting on the extracellular matrix.

3 - Protect yourself from atmospheric pollution: we often underestimate the impact of pollution on the skin, which causes oxidative stress and triggers skin inflammation and inflammaging. There are various products containing Anti-pollution actives such as the facial serums Licoglow and Blue Defence, which work thanks to the combination of Anti-pollution Micro Algae.

4 - Use an SPF: on the face and in any season, sunscreen protects the skin from harmful UV rays that cause photoaging. Eco Defence 50 Spf is a non-greasy facial sunscreen that protects against sun and pollution.

5 - Avoid temperature fluctuations that cause redness on the face, neck, and décolleté, causing dilation of blood vessels.

6 - Strengthen the immune system through regular physical exercise and avoiding excessive use of medications.

7 - Have a healthy and balanced diet, rich in nutritious and naturally antioxidant foods.