Say Goodbye to Blotchy Skin

By Aly Walansky

The last thing you want to see when you look in the mirror is redness, patches and blemishes – but that’s the reality for many of us.

Blotchy skin can be caused by a number of things, from chronic conditions such as rosacea, to allergies and irritation. “Finally, there is just the genetic tendency to have uneven skin tone, which is the hardest of all to battle,” says Jessica Krant, MD, MPH, founder of Art of Dermatology LLC, and assistant clinical professor of dermatology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in New York.

Fortunately, many of the problems that cause blotchiness can be treated. Here are some expert tips:

See a specialist.

“Treating blotchy skin begins with making the correct diagnosis,” says Indy Chabra, MD, PhD, FAAD of www.SkinMDnow.com. “Successful treatment is predicated on making an accurate diagnosis.” Some conditions are treatable with prescription meds, while others can be eased with lifestyle changes.

Stay out of the sun!

Unfortunately, all that time at the beach can leave you with brown spots, red blotches, or otherwise uneven skin tone. “Sun damage is a main cause of uneven and blotchy skin,” says dermatologist Marina I. Peredo, M.D., P.C., founder of Spatique Medical Spa. To prevent it, use sunblock with an SPF of 30 everyday. If your skin is already showing signs of damage, use a skin brightening cream or consult a doctor about microdermabrasion.

Eat a skin-friendly diet.

For a clearer complexion, Dr. Roni DeLuz, RN, ND, PhD, author of 1 Pound a Day, recommends cutting down on processed food and refined sugar and eating more cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cabbage, all of which help detoxify your skin. Margo Marrone, co-founder of The Organic Pharmacy, also suggests adding 15 drops of bilberry tincture to a glass of water and drinking twice daily.

Scrub and moisturize.

Angela Portella, Spa Director at Guerlain Spa at the Waldorf Astoria, recommends exfoliating your body once a week with a scrub or polish to keep skin smooth and rejuvenated. Apply moisturizer after showering while your skin is still damp, which will help your body retain the moisture.

Try a natural mask.

Melissa Picoli, founder and esthetician at BijaBody health+beauty spa, suggests calming irritated skin with a DIY mask. Mix together two teaspoons each of oat flour and aloe vera gel with a teaspoon of pu-erh tea (available in health food stores) or green tea. Apply to your face, leave on for 10 minutes and follow with a soothing facial oil containing rosehip seed oil and rice bran oil.

Go easy on your face.

“Blotchy skin is your body’s way of telling you to chill out!” says Picoli. This means clean up your diet, lay off the wine, and put the harsh irritating products away for a few weeks until your skin normalizes. Often, in the pursuit of a line-less face, we reach for too many products with irritating chemicals, which wreak havoc on our skin’s precious pH balance. Reach for really nurturing ingredients such as botanical oils and tea extracts, and you’ll notice the difference within a few weeks.