Definition
Burning in the face can have various causes and can be accompanied by a variety of other symptoms. Irritation of the skin by cosmetics, dry skin or even an allergy are conceivable as triggers. Another possible cause is shingles on the face, which causes small fluid-filled blisters in the affected area. In addition, certain nerves in the area of the face can be irritated, resulting in sudden shooting, burning, very strong pain in the face. The treatment depends on the underlying cause.
Causes of burning in the face
A common cause of burning in the face is irritation of the skin. Aggressive cosmetics, dry heating air or other environmental influences such as UV radiation cause burning and itching of the face, which is accompanied by skin changes such as redness and scaling. Skin diseases such as neurodermatitis or seborrhoeic eczema can also cause a burning facial skin and are accompanied by typical skin changes.
An allergy, for example to ingredients of certain cosmetics, can also lead to burning pain and itching in the face. In addition, reddened, scaly skin with small blisters and pimples often occurs. Another cause of burning pain in the face is shingles (herpes zoster).
This is caused by certain herpes viruses (varicella) and manifests itself as unilateral, burning pain in the face, which is caused by the attack of nerves running from the face. Over the course of days, small fluid-filled blisters also form on a reddened ground in the affected area. As the eye and ear are also affected and the pain can also become chronic, rapid medical treatment is essential.
Finally, trigeminal neuralgia can be the cause of burning pain in the face. This causes irritation of the trigeminal nerve, which manifests itself as suddenly shooting pain in the facial area that lasts for seconds and is extremely severe. The burning pain is always one-sided.
Finally, trigeminal neuralgia can be the cause of burning pain in the face. This causes irritation of the trigeminal nerve, which manifests itself as suddenly shooting pain in the facial area that lasts for seconds. The burning pain is always one-sided.
A burning sensation in the face can also occur as a result of an allergy. If, for example, there is an allergy to cosmetics, this is called a contact allergy. Burning pain and itching occur, accompanied by allergic eczema (inflammatory skin disease with redness, scaling, small pustules and spots).
Similarly, an allergy to certain medications can manifest itself. Food allergies or allergies to insect venoms can also be accompanied by a burning rash on the face. In this case, however, it is more likely to appear in the form of volatile wheals (similar to the rash after touching nettles), which can also appear on the rest of the body.
Pain in the form of a burning sensation in the face can always have a psychosomatic background. Mental stress and internal conflicts can manifest themselves physically in the form of pain and thus torture the person concerned. In order to make this diagnosis, however, other causes of burning pain in the face, such as shingles or trigeminal neuralgia, must first be excluded.
Typical for psychologically caused facial pain is an inconspicuous finding in the laboratory, neurological and physical examination, and, if carried out, also in imaging. Stress and inner tension often express themselves through physical complaints such as pain. Burning, tingling or other sensations can also occur in the face.
This suspicion is particularly strong if the complaints increase during stressful phases of life and decrease, for example, during holidays. However, since physical illnesses such as shingles can also be behind the burning sensation, more serious causes must first be ruled out before the complaints are dismissed as stress-related. Relaxing procedures such as autogenic training or yoga exercises can combat stress and thus reduce the symptoms caused by it, such as discomfort and burning sensations in the face.
Examples of relaxation procedures can also be found in our article Relaxation. Particularly after drinking wine, sufferers experience a spotty, burning and itchy redness on the face after only a few sips. The cause is an allergy to ingredients (e.g. the lipid transfer protein), which are contained in different types of alcohol in varying concentrations.
The burning rash can also be accompanied by swelling of the eyes, lips or tongue and can even lead to breathing or circulatory problems. Such reactions usually occur within the first hour after consumption. More common than this real allergy, however, is histamine intolerance, which can also lead to symptoms such as redness, burning and itching. As alcohol blocks the breakdown of histamine, larger amounts of the incompatible histamine are produced, which causes the above-mentioned symptoms in affected persons. You can find out whether you suffer from histamine intolerance in our article Histamine intolerance.
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