13 replies to this topic

[jblaze]

Hello all. I used to have really bad acne. I used to get new pimples each and every day. Those days are in the past and when I get pimples it's few and far between. Now that my face is nearly pimple free I just seem to have this reddish tint to my skin. I know it's hard to see from the pics but in sunlight or bright lighting it becomes much more pronounced. It's not beat red, but it's red enough to be noticable and I've become very self-concious over it. It's not red marks left behind from pimples, and it doesn't look like rosacea. It's mainly concentrated on my cheeks under my eyes and up to my temples. I notice that when I shave the skin underneath is my normal skin tone, and the skin that doesn't have facial hair on it has got this redness going on. I also notice that when I shower the redness is much more pronounced until about 10 minutes or so after when it subsides to its usual level. I know acne didn't cause it, because I used to have terrible acne but my skin wasn't red like this. It only started about a year ago when my acne began to calm down. All I use on my face is Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser. Could that be the culprit?? What can I do about this?? I also notice that when I get embarassed, nervous, or am put on the spot in any way my skin gets very red and flushed and it feels hot. I never used to have this problem. Somebody help me please its ruining my life I feel like I could be decent looking if my skin would just cooperate!! How do I make this go away!?!?

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Edited by jblaze, 06 October 2009 - 10:32 PM.

[klaank]

hey ur skin looks great! haha well, it could just be irritation without the breakouts. be thankful for that :] are you using BP everyday? or getting too much sun exposure? either one can do it.

[Maver1ck]

It's hard to say exactly what your redness is from with 100% certainty. Many acne products can leave your face with temporary redness. They can also bring out long term redness as rosacea. Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser shouldn't be making your face red. It is one of the more widely used cleansers for people with rosacea due to its gentleness.

I think your best bet would be to see a dermatologist and get an expert's opinion. A dermatologist would be able to diagnose you and allow you to treat the redness and stop its progression.

Also.. one thing I've started using that has helped with my self-confidence is a tinted suncreen called Zinco. Makeup would work too if you don't mind trying it out. I've heard green tints work best for covering up redness.

[willllliammmmmmm]

Do you wear a sunscreen every day?

[lady cappie]

Wow, your skin looks really good! It is a little red, but if you hadn't mentioned it, I really wouldn't have noticed.

I know that probably doesn't help, but I always feel better when I realize it's not as noticeable as I think it is

I would tentatively suggest moisturizing, only because whenever my skin gets red or blotchy, it usually means it's getting on the dry side.

Good luck!

[jblaze]

hey ur skin looks great! haha well, it could just be irritation without the breakouts. be thankful for that :] are you using BP everyday? or getting too much sun exposure? either one can do it.

Thanks No, I haven't used any kind of acne medication for almost 2 years, just the cetaphil so I'm really hoping that's not what's doing it cause I feel like it's some really good stuff. I don't think it's the sun as I'm not outside too often. My skin used to get tan when I was in the sun, back before I ever had acne, but no more. All I know is the sunlight just makes the redness more noticeable.

It's hard to say exactly what your redness is from with 100% certainty. Many acne products can leave your face with temporary redness. They can also bring out long term redness as rosacea. Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser shouldn't be making your face red. It is one of the more widely used cleansers for people with rosacea due to its gentleness.

When I had acne I used just about everything available to try and treat it. Clearasil, oxy, differin, dkr, ertyhromycin (which for several months stopped the pimples in its tracks until it seemed to lose its effectiveness). I also had some sort of laser treatment. I forget what it was called but the doc said it was supposed to poison the bacteria that causes acne. Of course that never worked, but it did make my face red as a tomato for several days. Come to think about it, I think that is about the time when I noticed that my face was more red than usual. I also used a lot of apple cider vinegar to get rid of the marks the pimples left behind. (which worked extremely well).

Do you wear a sunscreen every day?

Haven't worn sunscreen since I was a kid.

Wow, your skin looks really good! It is a little red, but if you hadn't mentioned it, I really wouldn't have noticed.

I know that probably doesn't help, but I always feel better when I realize it's not as noticeable as I think it is

Thanks Yeah I know it's not terrible and it doesn't bother me like acne used to, but I had really bad acne for 7 years and now that it's mostly gone I wish I could just have normal looking skin for once.

Edited by jblaze, 07 October 2009 - 11:11 AM.

[emmagaz]

Its from the BP, my skin is like that too

[willllliammmmmmm]

Haven't worn sunscreen since I was a kid.

Maybe you could try wearing a sunscreen. Photosensitivity is probably contributing to your redness in a big way. Benzoyl peroxide (and many other acne medications) make the skin significantly more prone to photodamage. Even a few minutes' exposure per day can have a strong effect, especially when this effect accumulates over the course of months or years.

As far as choosing a sunscreen goes, you might want to try Blue Lizard Sensitive; you can probably pick it up at your local CVS. It's a physical sunscreen (rather than chemical) which means that it will make your skin slightly pale when you apply it (which in your case might not actually be a bad thing). It will probably be less irritating to your skin than a chemical sunscreen would be, and its active ingredient (zinc oxide) is an anti-inflammatory that some people on this site believes help heal red marks and calm inflammation. Give it a try for a week and see if you don't experience some improvement.

Do you find that your redness is more significant later in the day (say around 7-9 PM) and less of a problem when you wake up? Do you find that certain things (heat or alcohol) trigger your redness? Also, is your skin generally oily or dry?

[willllliammmmmmm]

(The fact that your skin no longer gets tan makes me fairly confident that a sunscreen will solve your redness problem.)

[willllliammmmmmm]

I just noticed now that you said your skin feels flushed and hot. This is caused by dilated blood vessels in the face, possibly as a result of photodamage. This is, from what I understand, a form of very mild rosacea. Try wearing a sunscreen (it can't hurt) and take a look at some webpages about rosacea triggers to help you identify them. Then, start avoiding them. I'm under the impression that the more you are able to avoid them, the less they will bother you, in time.

As quick fixes (in case you have a sudden episode of intense redness) you might want to try applying a hydrocortisone cream (only do this once or twice.. any more can thin the skin and make redness worse in the long term), an aloe vera gel (one that doesn't contain alcohol), holding an ice cube against the roof of your mouth for a minute or two, drinking cool water, or sitting in front of a fan for 10-15 minutes. Caffeine (a vasoconstrictor) may also help with your problem to some extent, though hot beverages will probably make it worse, so make it an iced coffee! And try not to take showers that are very hot.

Finally, if you have oily skin, make sure you keep it relatively dry. As oil accumulates on the face throughout the day, various bacteria begin to multiply on the surface of the skin, and bloodflow to the face increases in order to fight off potential pathogens.

There are laser surgeries available that shrink the capillaries in the face to reduce this redness, but they're very expensive procedures, so it's probably best to try cheaper, easier methods first.

Let us know how things are going.

[Arkwell]

hey man i have the same problem, some days are better than others but my face is always red like yours

ive been using BP for 7 months now and i have no acne at all whatsoever which im pleased about but now i have to deal with a red face..... im almost positive its from the BP in my case, i noticed you said you dont wear sunscreen, that may be the cause i wouldnt think its the cetaphil because its one of the best gentle moisturizers on the market, i use cetaphil so im hoping thats not the cause

im planning on undergoing a few experimental things, sunscreen etc.

then im planning on going to the derm because i have a feeling it may be rosascea

[jblaze]

ive been using BP for 7 months now and i have no acne at all whatsoever which im pleased about but now i have to deal with a red face..... im almost positive its from the BP in my case, i noticed you said you dont wear sunscreen, that may be the cause i wouldnt think its the cetaphil because its one of the best gentle moisturizers on the market, i use cetaphil so im hoping thats not the cause

I just don't think sunscreen would make much of a difference because I have very limited exposure to the sun. I'm almost never outside and when I am it's for very short stints.

I've used cetaphil for a very long time, and it never used to dry out my skin. But these days i've noticed that my skin is getting kinda dried out and flaky from it. I've tried using less when I apply it, and applying it quicker and getting it off my skin faster but I still end up with dry skin after I use it. Should I not be using this stuff anymore?? I'm becoming more and more suspicious that it's the cause, not only because it's drying my skin out when it never used to, but also because my skin is at its reddest when I step out of the shower, and that is when I wash my face with the cetaphil.

Edited by jblaze, 06 November 2009 - 11:56 AM.

[bchamz]

Let me tell you friend, your face looks good, don't worry about your face... I am 25 years old and my face is similar to yours. I hate the redness flush feeling, been dealing with it for quite some time now. Like you, I battled with pimples and then, once through with that, it's like I had this new issue. I feel like now, looking back, I see that I was too harsh on my face. So, when I see someone like you, with a good face, I highly recommend not using anything that feels harsh.

I USE AVEENO AND IT HAS BEEN THE ONE THING THAT WORKS....

After years of pills, retin a, all that stuff, for redness and flushing, aveeno soap works best... I also wear aveeno sunscreen if I plan on being outside. If your like me, for years, i thought putting on sunscreen seemed like a bad idea.... and for you, it might not be neccesary, but, aveeno sunscreen is the one to use I would bet, if ever needed.

Anyways, you learn how to manage it, and in time, you start to see what works... and the extreme flushing leaves...

p.s. one thing to consider, what makes me blush... and why... meditate, deep breathing goes along way with this friend!!! You will see the whole solution differently in a few years, trust me. Start seeing it now!

[ZAguy]

did it get better?