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 lead to redness, itching, swelling, heat, and tenderness. Skin inflammation often causes the development of itchy rashes as well as the onset of scars or spots that are difficult to eliminate. 

"Skin inflammation presents itself as redness in the area, increased warmth coming from the skin, and an annoying sensation of tight skin."

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

• Acute inflammation, therefore limited to a specific period of time ranging from a few minutes to a few days; 
• Chronic inflammation, which extends over time lasting for months or years without ever subsiding; 
• Inflammaging, a latent and silent skin inflammation that is not evident but works in the deep 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 in which skin inflammation presents itself and how to soothe its effects.

What is skin inflammation?

Often referred to as dermatitis, skin inflammation is a reaction of the immune system, 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 may occur as a result of using cosmetics or perfumes containing ingredients that the skin cannot tolerate.

The causes of inflammation can be different depending on the person. Often, acute inflammations 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 better not to ignore it. 

Various types of skin inflammation

Essentially, it is possible to distinguish two types of skin inflammation based on the duration of this imperfection. As we will see, the type of Inflammaging instead concerns elements related to the advancement of age. 

Acute Inflammation

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

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

Often, the redness resulting from an acute inflammation is temporary and only widespread in certain areas, such as the cheeks. This factor can be a result of emotional stress and is a condition that should also be considered in cosmetics when choosing a cosmetic product, as the skin is just a part of the organism as a whole, including the brain.

How to respond to acute inflammation? 

An acute inflammation should be treated with calming and soothing agents predominantly of natural origin for topical use. 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 level of cellular membranes. 

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

Eco Defence 50 Spf is the non-greasy face sunscreen that, in addition to protecting the skin from solar rays, contains highly soothing actives such as the extract of Mallow, Calendula, Marshmallow, and Maritime Pine which are highly antioxidant, anti-wrinkle, and anti-pollution. 

Acute inflammation can also be due to daily exposure to air pollution present in cities and populated areas: for this reason, it is important to use face serums capable of minimizing the oxidative effects caused by air pollution.

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

Chronic inflammation 

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

For this reason, we speak of a true dysfunction that is divided into several groups: 

• Erythrosis, a pathological condition that can be diagnosed by a dermatologist. It usually presents genetic traits and may depend on an untreated erythema that therefore generates a compromised skin barrier. 
• Telangiectasia or couperose, that is a permanent vasodilation in which the 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 may develop keratosis. 
• Rosacea, or a very common inflammation often associated with couperose. 

How to treat a chronic inflammation? 

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

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

The constant use of hyaluronic acid also helps to strengthen the skin barrier due to its ability to limit 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, a fully-fledged inflammatory process.

Per Inflammaging, in fact, refers to the acceleration of the skin aging process due to various factors that cause oxidative stress. The factors can be extrinsic or intrinsic, they can depend on genetics or on 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 the acceleration of aging. 

Inflammation is therefore considered a biomarker of accelerated biological aging as well as one of the mechanisms by which the aging process is associated with increased susceptibility at a global level in the organism.

Chronic or excessive inflammation can therefore become harmful by increasing the likelihood of suffering consequences and aging prematurely at the cellular level. It can thus be said that the main concern of the cosmetic industry can be reduced to the fight against skin inflammation. 

LeLang has been working for years in the fight against oxidative stress and inflammation with the aim of limiting the onset of micro-inflammations that cause cellular aging. With the help of patented naturally derived active ingredients that have been specifically studied, it is possible to act at an anti-aging level and slow down the aging process.

Studies show the correlation between inflammation and premature aging: fighting or preventing chronic and acute inflammation through specific products allows for healthy and strong skin, visibly youthful. 

The 7 key factors for having 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 principles allows you to block the mechanism that activates oxidative stress. Ferulic+HA is the 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 glycation process of proteins: the sugars we often ingest, such as glucose and fructose, form non-enzymatic bonds with proteins and lipids generating glycotoxins. The phenomenon of glycation, also known as AGE, is triggered not only by food but also by smoking and exposure to UV sunlight, which make the skin tired and stressed. The glycation process can be prevented with products like Biorevitalizing Fill Serum that contains extracts capable of stimulating the production of type 1 and type 3 collagen and reducing the damage of glycation by acting on the extracellular matrix. 

3 - Protecting Yourself from Air 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 Antipollution actives such as the Licoglow face serum and Blu Defence that work thanks to the combination of Antipollution Micro Algae. 

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

5 - Avoid thermal shocks that cause redness on the face, neck, and décolleté, leading to the dilation of blood vessels. 

6 - Strengthen the immune system through regular exercise and without overdoing it with medications. 

7 - Having a healthy and balanced diet, rich in nutrient-dense and naturally antioxidant foods.