I've always been redder than most people in the face. But in the last 2 or 3 years it has been getting much worse. Even my husband has commented on it occasionally - and he is usually very unobservant.
I have a history of parts of my face having eczema - but that is currently not bad at all and it wasn't in the same places as the redness is now anyway.
I have a history of quite severe sun damage from my youth. I've had blisters caused by sunburn on my face at least twice, plus "lesser" episodes where my skin eventually peeled but didn't blister first.
The redness I'm getting is mostly on the right side of my face but sometimes affects the left as well.
It tends to happen late in the afternoon onwards. I'm always at my palest when I first wake up.
My skin isn't actually dry or rough. It is just very red.
My skin isn't actually hot, but I do feel a burning sensation.
I don't have acne or spots.
I have wondered whether I'm developing rosacea.
I avoid moisturisers because I can't tolerate vaseline, lanolin, liquid paraffin, petrolatum, and petroleum jelly in any form. Various other names of the same ingredients appear disguised in various products but I can usually guess where it is hiding.
I've tried coconut oil, but it runs a lot when it warms up with body heat, and frankly, I don't want to smell like a coconut all the time!
I absolutely must find a moisturiser that I can tolerate - but what?
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Sorry to hear that. It sounds unpleasant and distressing. I find Weleda products very good - clean and free of nasties. I use their skin food but the almond moisturiser is very gentle x
How is your digestion? Do you eat gluten / sugar? And do you take iron supplements?
These are the variables your question brings to my mind. When I had an iron infusion, my face became redder. I think this was because of whatever it did to my gut flora, rather than the iron, because the redness stuck around for a while.
Doing the low Fodmap diet eased the red in my skin. I think - based on when it happened and what I had already cut out by then - it was the low sugar aspect.
My digestion is not great. I was 100% gluten free for several years but have relapsed for quite some time and am finding it hard to stop eating gluten again. I do keep trying.
I also eat more sugary stuff than I should, but that is another one I struggle to keep under control. I will have to keep trying to keep my intake down.
One major problem for my gut is that I have to take a PPI permanently to prevent damage from an NSAID I take for chronic pain. The PPI isn't optional and I've been taking it continuously for about 8 years.
I no longer need to take iron supplements and haven't done for about two or three years.
I've never tried the low Fodmap diet. I will look into it again.
I have the same problem as you with Petrolatum, Paraffinum, and everything that contains it whatever fancy name they use to disguise it, it makes my skin burn.
I've also recently developed a sensitivity to certain dressings. I had a Mepore dressing applied after some recent surgery and my skin had blistered within 48 hours and is now permanently scarred (the surgeon, when checking my wound, even said I was sensitive to it then put the exact same dressing on again!). I also recently had a heart monitor fitted for a few days and the adhesive pads made my skin start itching within a few hours. Is this another one of these gifts that age brings - they're never ending 🙄😟
I can use MooGoo moisturiser, you could check that out see if any of their range looks OK, it's natural stuff
I have tried all sorts of creams, ointments, and lotions on my eczema over the years. (I developed eczema when I was 9 and I started getting problems with the standard treatments a few years later.) Any treatment which included petrolatum or lanolin had an odd effect on the eczema. It would leave me with very smooth bright red skin that still itched. I kept on treating it but it would never recover and return to looking like normal skin.
I ended up, in my 20s, being prescribed a liquid scalp lotion (although my eczema wasn't on my scalp) and it worked really, really well. It contained no lanolin or petrolatum.
I think the story of the doctor putting the same dressing on skin which had already been severely aggravated and irritated is typical of the "couldn't care less" attitude of so many doctors. I hope the scarring fades given time.
I'll look up MooGoo products, thanks for the suggestion.
Dr Jart does a green cream that camouflages redness. Take a look at Vichy products, they have a user forum where you can get advice too.
For myself I am allergic or sensitive to many things that show up as redness on my face, including foods and alcohol, I avoid some and live with the consequences of others.
I'm no expert, but a few weeks ago, I was told I had phymatous rosacea, and the symptoms of redness you are describing, do sound similar to mine.
I am 67 and have a history of flushing when eating a spicy meal, entering a warm environment from a cold one or just washing my face. I never suspected rosacea in all those years though.
I have found that The Ordinary azelaic acid suspension10% from The Abnormal Beauty Company helps with my redness. I think I bought it on-line from Boots.
I have stopped washing my face with water and anything else and have started using Avene Tolerance Lotion extremely gentle cleanser.
My face sounds drier than yours, so maybe you wouldn't need the moisturiser I have started using. It's Curel Intensive Moisture Facial Cream.
Since my diagnosis, I have been researching on various rosacea websites and forums and came across Changing Faces. Mine is far advanced (without ever having had typical rosacea pustules ) and I have rhinophyma now. My nose is developing that "bulbous nose" appearance which was often associated with heavy drinking. It's very rare in women (oh lucky me!!) and I've never been a drinker so the next step for me will be CO2 laser therapy. Another woe to add to my ailments list 😭.
I went to a private dermatologist when I began getting the weird pale lumps on my nose because I didn't know if they were cancerous or anything and I didn't want to wait 18 weeks for a possible referral by my GP. ( I avoid my GP for everything if I can! )
None of the products I am now using make me smell like a coconut 😂!
I'm sorry to hear that you have developed rhinophyma. That sounds like a horrible thing to have to deal with. I remember an aunt who appeared to have that problem, and she wasn't a drinker either.
So far my nose doesn't appear to be particularly affected by the redness I'm getting, it's more to one side of my face (and occasionally both sides). It's this lack of redness on my nose that makes me wonder if the problem I have is really rosacea or something else. But in order to find out I'd have to find a doctor who was interested enough to actually take me seriously, and at the moment, compared to some pictures I've seen on the internet, my issue is at the milder end of the scale - but it is gradually getting worse.
Thanks for the suggestions of things that might help, I'll be looking into them.
I work outside and was finding my skin very red before I started using Eucerin Actinic Control cream. It’s 100 spf, odourless and soaks in like a normal moisturiser without the sliminess that sunblocks usually have and doesn’t burn the eyes. I’ve checked the ingredients and it should be ok for you to use. I have also been using rose water as a face cleanser for several months now and found it very helpful for calming my skin too. Between the two of them most of the redness has gone and my skin is much clearer.
Hi HB, sorry to hear of that. My first thoughts are histamine reaction to food, high cortisol or particular supplements like niacin. Do you get allergies? X
I did have high cortisol for a very long time, but I don't have any major symptoms of it any more. I take niacin in a B Complex but it is in a non-flushing form.
I don't have allergies, I tend to have intolerances. So, lanolin and petrolatum are both no good for me.
A histamine reaction is something for me to look into. But I think I've read that could be a really hard thing to identify, so I'll try the creams and moisturisers that have been suggested first. I'm hoping to end up with a nice simple treatment before going on to anything complicated.
I used to have rosacea, and I hated it, and it went entirely 6 years ago when I had a course of antibiotics for SIBO and a course of caprylic acid for fungal overgrowth. My advice is look into the gut connection. Also, I understand it can be caused in some people by an overgrowth of mites on your skin, for which you need a specific cream to control them. Fair skinned people are more likely to get rosacea, and I’m sure your immune function has something to do with it, allowing the organisms to overgrow. Certain foods and drink definitely make it worse, eg sugar, refined carbs, alcohol, fermented foods. A good dermatologist should give you some answers. Have you seen the programme ‘The bad Skin Clinic’ (Really channel which is on Freeview on a Wednesday)? I’ve seen them treat rosacea on that programme. Hope you find some answers.
Your experience of rosacea and path of learning has v much overlapped with my own.
Have you had any history of / issue with candida?
I’ve found that binds up with the skin stuff, too.
I went on the low fodmap diet and antibiotics for SIBO, and found my rosacea (along with changing red, bulbous nose appearance) diminished a lot / almost completely after it, but sadly has come back a bit since finishing it and then decompressing.
I've looked up the symptoms of SIBO, and I only really have one of them - the bloating, which can be painful but isn't always. I remember taking caprylic acid about 10 years ago, but it just aggravated my gastritis. I think I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope that SIBO isn't a cause of my redness.
I agree that I need to improve my diet. I really need to cut the sugar, and go back to gluten free eating.
I've only ever seen one of the episodes of The Bad Skin Clinic, and it was interesting, but I always forget to look for it when it's on. I must do better!
sorry to hear about red face, it’s almost certainly not this but if all else fails you can check with a CBC. I have polycythaemia Vera and it causes excess red cells and high haemoglobin and haematrocit, if it’s not treated the reds build up and can cause red face.
The easy way to check is look at a very recent or new CBC. If Hct or Hgb or reds are at top end or above a haematologist can diag. It’s rare so unlikely but one thing to consider.
I last had a CBC /FBC in February, and my red blood cell count was in range but high in range. I have copies of FBC results going back to 2011, and my Hct was above range when last measured in Feb 2023. But all my previous results have been quite low in range. And my Hgb is almost always below mid-range, and has never been higher than about 55% through the range. So I think the chances of me having PV are extremely small.
After reading it gets redder in the afternoon and onwards , my thoughts is it could be histamine. Look up the bucket theory and histamine. I find using almond oil and grapeseed oil by the brand NOW to be gentle . The bonus is that grapeseed is a natural sunscreen and it's very light and appropriate for summer
There might be some dysbiosis by taking ppi's for such a long time and testing and treating if positive may be helpful for your case .If indeed its histamine, I've found combining black seed oil, beef thymus and beef kidney to be sooo helpful.
Hi! My dermatologist told me my redness is rosacea. I use an eczema cream to try and keep it calm. I just saw a commercial for Bobbi Brown cosmetics and she had a balm in bronze that she said helps tone down redness. I’m looking into that 😊 Best regards!
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