by Mark Lees, PhD
Red Alert
Professional advice for
helping redness-prone skin
Are you affected by issues of skin
redness? Chances are, you have some
form of rosacea, skin irritation, or
cumulative sun damage. These issues
result in surface redness, telangiectasia
(distended capillaries), or genetically
red, splotchy skin.
Genetics play a major role in skin coloration.
Individuals of Western European descent are more
likely to have issues with redness. Persons of Irish,
Scottish, British, or Scandinavian background—
who tend to be fair-skinned—are more likely to
have skin that reddens easily.
The Fitzpatrick Scale is a system of skin
analysis that types skin based on its lightness or
darkness, and how quickly the skin is affected by
sun exposure. The Fitzpatrick system ranks skin
on a 1–6 scale. People with Fizpatrick Type 1 skin
tend to have very light-colored skin, red or blonde
hair, and blue or green eyes, and burn easily when
exposed to the sun.
