All the skincare bloggers you follow, have at one time or another talked about skin inflammation. You’ve heard your friends say “Oh no my skin is so inflamed”. You have probably noticed a few red patches, rashes or itchiness on your skin at one time or another. If not, I’m officially jealous! So what is it? What causes this uncomfortable, sometimes unsightly redness and itchiness? INFLAMMATION, yeup that’s your culprit.
WHY GOD? Why me?
It’s not you, it’s them - Bacteria, teeny-tiny infectious microbes or even cancer cells that your body recognizes as threats. “Inflammation is an indication that something has triggered your body’s immune reaction and your body is busy fighting to keep it from entering your system.”
Does it have to be so public?
Embrace it! But also understand what’s happening here and why. The minute your immune system detects an invader, chemicals from your body's white blood cells enter your blood or in this case, skin tissue to fight the invading infection. The increased blood flow to the infected area is what causes redness. These chemicals can sometimes cause fluids to seep into the skin tissue, causing swelling. Take a minute to think about how cool that is!
OK, so how do I know it’s inflammation?
Now inflammation can take the form of rashes that appear red and raised. Sometimes the rash can result in pimples or blisters and can itch, sting or even burn.
