25 replies to this topic

[Karyn_elise]

I began experiencing facial flushing back in late November. Which is just after I started using a lot of new products. I started on Solodyn (minocycline), Yaz Birth Control, Differin Gel, and Duac. After about one month I stopped using the Solodyn. After two months I stopped using the Yaz Birth Control Pill and Duac. I continued with the differin gel until a few weeks ago.

I went back to the dermatologist after I stopped both the Solodyn and the Birth Control Pill in early January. I told her that I thought it was causing me to get really hot... I thought at the time that, that was all it was. Hot flashed or something. I thought the medicine caused it. So she perscribed me Bactrim. I used that for about two months. It worked great for break outs. However, I ended up getting a mild rash on my stomach from it. So I went back to the dermatologist about that and she toke me off it and put me on Spironolactone. Which I've been using now for two months and It is worked great for my break outs and my oily skin. Which I'm very happy about.

However the facial flushing has continued and gotten worse over time. I have only recently stopped using the differin gel. About three weeks now. I don't know what could have caused this facial flushing but... it's beginning to become impossible to live with. It mostly happens in any kind of heat or when I'm embarrsed/stressed. Although, sometimes it happens randomly for no apparant reason. It is very discomforting... my face feels like it is burning. When I touch my cheeks they are soooo hot. I can feel my face pulsing almost too. My ears also get very hot and red. It seems to be worse on the right side of my face than on my left side.

If I sit in front of a fan for a good 15-20 mins usually it will calm down. Also sometimes when I wake up in the morning my face is back to normal. Recently though even sitting in front of a fan or getting a good night's sleep isn't working anymore. I woke up today with my right cheek and ear very red... my left cheek was a little red too. My whole face felt so hot. I toke a cool shower and that helped. My face doesn't have that burning sensation anymore but my cheeks are still pretty rosy.

I don't know what caused this or what to do about it. I don't know what kind of treatment there may be. But if anyone knows please please please help me out. I would really appreciate any advice. I would love to hear about anything that may have worked for you.

I am going to the doctor tomorrow morning about this. I'm going to take a really warm shower and go right afterwards so she can see how bad this really is. Also I am going to try going to my dermatologist too if the doctor doesn't know what to do about it.

Please help me. I'm so depressed about this. This is effecting every day of my life. I don't want to go on forever dealing with this. What can I do about this?

[rokoko]

hi, i'm in the same fuckin boat as you!
i was depressed but no more..
accutane started this fuckin flushing for me..same symptoms as you..face, ear, sensation of hot face and the pulsing....
So i'm gonna give you the few trick I have to don't flush..
you need a GOOD moisturiser,who's gonna moisturize your skin for the day(I flush a LOT MORE when my skin is dry)
don't touch your face, never that can be a trigger..
try to be calm, avoid the negative tought
your respiration is a big deal, well for me it is, i've learn that when i'm embarrassed in a situation or something, that's because my respiration wasnt normal(I don't know why I stop my respiration when i'm stressed or something..
so that's it..
before, I flushed everyday at least once..i've change my moisturize and everything stop! that was because my skin wasnt moisturize correctly..
that's the case for me..now that the fuckin winter is nearly gone, my face isnt gonna be so much dry and flush less
Even if I said the flushing stopped, sometime that's happen again when Im fuckin embarrassed..

I would like to know what the doctor say to you!
Good luck
Be strong

[Karyn_elise]

Hey. Thanks for replying.

I've been using the same moisturizer for years now. I love it and it works great. My skin usually isn't dry. But thanks for the tip.

For me the I wish the winter would stay. During summer I know the flushing will be worse for me because heat is one of the biggest triggers.

But I'm so determined to find a way to make it stop. So I'm hoping before summer even gets here it'll be gone. Wish me luck please.

I'll def. post here when I get back from the doctor tomorrow morning.

I hope things get better for you too.

[Karyn_elise]

Ok I just got back from the Doctor. He said he thinks it is a reaction my body is having from one of the medicines I've used for my acne... and my body doesn't know how to get rid of it.

He gave me PREDNISONE. He said the medicine should help cut off the reaction for good. I will only be taking it for 5 days at 30mg a day.

He said I can continue with the Spironolactone... he doesn't believe it has anything to do with it. So I'm happy about that because spiro has def. helped keep me clear and less oily.

So i'm praying that this works. I really can't stand this flushing anymore.

I'll post how everything is going after the five days.

I hope this gets rid of this for good.

WISH me luck Please.

[AsiaXiah]

I hope what your doctor prescribed you this time will take care of the problem. As for me, it was the retinoid (Differin) that was making me blush and flush badly. Cutting retinoid use made me return to nearly normal (I'm still somewhat slightly red, and it gets a tad bit worse now and then, but definitely on the boat towards my old non-red skin again).

If it doesn't go away after this try, you may want to back off on the retinoid. My dermatologist was wise to switch me to azelaic acid, which also has properties to fend off rosacea, so it's been a blessing of a topical lately (and it makes my skin feel super smooth when I put it on, so that's a major plus; I never moisturize now...).

Anyhow best of luck; I definitely know from many months of first-hand experience how terrible redness/flushing/blushing is... It's almost worse than full-blown acne.

[Karyn_elise]

I have already been off of the differin gel for a while now. I thought that was what was causing it but even after stopping, my flushing has only gotten worse.

This was the first time I went to any doctor about it. So this will be my first treatment to get rid of the flushing and redness. We'll see what happens.

Thanks for the tips.

Karyn

[NTK8989]

Hi Karyn

Have u tried drinking green tea and applying it on ur face?
It did help me to reduce the redness and controled my acne, i Drink at least 3 cups of green tea a day, and apply it on my face as a toner, you see results in days. It will make your skin less oily too.
i googled "green tea" last night for an hr, and cant negative things about it besides the cafferine. what i had learn about skincare in all these years is that natural stuff is always the best.

Good Luck to u

[Karyn_elise]

Thanks for the advice. I'll try and drink more green tea.

So far... on my third day with the medicine the doctor gave me.... It seems like It may be working. I really don't know. It's hard to say. Yesterday I didn't flush until after I toke a warm shower. Then all last night it was hard to sleep because of how hot my face felt. This morning when I woke up it wasn't flushed though. My cheeks were a bit rosy. I toke a cool shower and so far today I haven't flushed. But I've been avoiding everything that makes me flush. So... we'll see. I only have two more days to go with the medicine.

Then I will call the doctor on Friday and he'll tell me what I should do next. I may do another five days of the medicine. Depending on my progress by this Friday.

I'm praying this will be all I need. But So far... I just don't know if it's really working... or if today is just a good day.

We'll see how the next two days go.

PLEASE WORK.

I'll up date on Friday.

[Seattle JT]

Hey Karyn I have a very similar problem. I was on accutane ten months ago and was then on minocycline until about six weeks ago. I didn't start to have the facial redness/flushing problem until November, but have had it ever since. At first I was worried I had rosacea or something, but I definitely don't and my redness/flushing is only on my cheeks. The minocycline was definitely making it worse and I noticed a marked improvement once I stopped, but unfortunately I am still super reactive to both heat and stress. I was wondering if when your face gets hot if it felt sticky under the surface or not? When I start to feel a flush coming on, my cheeks start to feel sticky even though they are smooth to the touch. I don't know if this happens to you or not, but I figured that I would ask since I also have the sensation of my face having a pulse when its really bad and we seem to have the same triggers. When I wake up in the mornings my face is almost completely normal with only minimal redness on my cheeks. I would try to avoid taking warm showers because, for me anyways, the more I flush in a day the more susceptible I become to flushing again. I really hope that this drug works for you and maybe I can see if it would work for me too. I am going to a skin specialist next week so hopefully we both can overcome this terrible condition we are suffering from. Please let me know if this drug ends up working for you...

[rokoko]

Seattle JT and I want your reviews !Thanks Karyne Elise, continue, I hope and pray thats gonna work for you!!!!

[Karyn_elise]

Okay today was my fourth day on PREDNISONE. No improvement. Yesterday Went well until after I toke my 75mg of SPIRO. From that point on I was flushed all night long till I woke up. I toke a cool shower and sat down in front of a fan for a while. It calmed down.

I called the doctor and the dermatologist both. I told them both everything about how the past week has gone.

My derm. and the doctor both said it would make sense to go off the Spiro and see what happens.

So tonight is my first night with no spiro. I know my face will more than likely start to break out again. But I'd much rather deal with the mild acne that I had before I ever started on acne medications than deal with this constant flushing and redness... and discomfort.

So far I haven't had any real flushing since I toke a shower when I woke up. My cheeks have been rosy though all day.

We'll see how this goes. I really hope this flushing/redness goes away.

I am not using any topicals other than a very gentle cleanser and aloe lotion. Thats it.

I think treating acne with out oral medications and with out serious chemicals... is probably the best way to go. That way you don't add to your problems with all the side effects.

Please pray for me that this will do it.

And good luck to everyone else also who deals with this stupid flushing and redness.

I would love a buddy!!! If anyone wants to try stopping all acne medications with me. It would be nice to have someone to come with on this journey. I just hope my acne doesn't come back too badly.

Nervous.

[Ugh]

Hey Karyn,

I hope this medicine is working for you. I'm in a similar boat. I used Differin gel for three months on the middle of my face and on the sides (temples). The areas became extremely red, and even after not using Differin for over 4 months, the redness remains. The derm told me it was exezema (sp.), but he didn't sound too confident. Anyhow, let us know how you're doing.

Best of luck.

Okay today was my fourth day on PREDNISONE. No improvement. Yesterday Went well until after I toke my 75mg of SPIRO. From that point on I was flushed all night long till I woke up. I toke a cool shower and sat down in front of a fan for a while. It calmed down.

I called the doctor and the dermatologist both. I told them both everything about how the past week has gone.

My derm. and the doctor both said it would make sense to go off the Spiro and see what happens.

So tonight is my first night with no spiro. I know my face will more than likely start to break out again. But I'd much rather deal with the mild acne that I had before I ever started on acne medications than deal with this constant flushing and redness... and discomfort.

So far I haven't had any real flushing since I toke a shower when I woke up. My cheeks have been rosy though all day.

We'll see how this goes. I really hope this flushing/redness goes away.

I am not using any topicals other than a very gentle cleanser and aloe lotion. Thats it.

I think treating acne with out oral medications and with out serious chemicals... is probably the best way to go. That way you don't add to your problems with all the side effects.

Please pray for me that this will do it.

And good luck to everyone else also who deals with this stupid flushing and redness.

I would love a buddy!!! If anyone wants to try stopping all acne medications with me. It would be nice to have someone to come with on this journey. I just hope my acne doesn't come back too badly.

Nervous.

[Melfice2k]

It might be Food Intolerance as I solved my problem redness/inflamtion. Check this people:
http://www.acne.org/...howtopic=195546

[peridottie]

Wow, you sound a lot like me but perhaps not to that extremity. I don't have any answers as I'm still trying to fix my flushing problem. I don't even know what caused it... accutane or my other topical/oral products. I wish both of us luck!

[BabyAlligators]

I experience the same flushing problem, mine caused by accutane.

I've completely cut off acne medication, although the accutane did its job well enough that it won't be too bad.

I've been off accutane for almost 5 months, and I can tell that the problem has gotten better, it just takes time. So hang in there, look for tips on how to keep the flushing down (on SeattleTJs thread), good luck and all that.

[joey14]

I began experiencing facial flushing back in late November. Which is just after I started using a lot of new products. I started on Solodyn (minocycline), Yaz Birth Control, Differin Gel, and Duac. After about one month I stopped using the Solodyn. After two months I stopped using the Yaz Birth Control Pill and Duac. I continued with the differin gel until a few weeks ago.

I went back to the dermatologist after I stopped both the Solodyn and the Birth Control Pill in early January. I told her that I thought it was causing me to get really hot... I thought at the time that, that was all it was. Hot flashed or something. I thought the medicine caused it. So she perscribed me Bactrim. I used that for about two months. It worked great for break outs. However, I ended up getting a mild rash on my stomach from it. So I went back to the dermatologist about that and she toke me off it and put me on Spironolactone. Which I've been using now for two months and It is worked great for my break outs and my oily skin. Which I'm very happy about.

However the facial flushing has continued and gotten worse over time. I have only recently stopped using the differin gel. About three weeks now. I don't know what could have caused this facial flushing but... it's beginning to become impossible to live with. It mostly happens in any kind of heat or when I'm embarrsed/stressed. Although, sometimes it happens randomly for no apparant reason. It is very discomforting... my face feels like it is burning. When I touch my cheeks they are soooo hot. I can feel my face pulsing almost too. My ears also get very hot and red. It seems to be worse on the right side of my face than on my left side.

If I sit in front of a fan for a good 15-20 mins usually it will calm down. Also sometimes when I wake up in the morning my face is back to normal. Recently though even sitting in front of a fan or getting a good night's sleep isn't working anymore. I woke up today with my right cheek and ear very red... my left cheek was a little red too. My whole face felt so hot. I toke a cool shower and that helped. My face doesn't have that burning sensation anymore but my cheeks are still pretty rosy.

I don't know what caused this or what to do about it. I don't know what kind of treatment there may be. But if anyone knows please please please help me out. I would really appreciate any advice. I would love to hear about anything that may have worked for you.

I am going to the doctor tomorrow morning about this. I'm going to take a really warm shower and go right afterwards so she can see how bad this really is. Also I am going to try going to my dermatologist too if the doctor doesn't know what to do about it.

Please help me. I'm so depressed about this. This is effecting every day of my life. I don't want to go on forever dealing with this. What can I do about this?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Wow, hey i was just researching the Rosacea because i like you had the same symptomps funny that i have been using retin a for about 5 months, but i finally stopped it, yesss i belive that the retin a has thinned our skin and made it really really sensitive so when we blush, we look red, i was too worried about rosacea, i went to my derm and she told me it can be some kind of rosacea which is bullshit, first of all i am 22 years old, i am a male, i am from mexico so rosacea is not common neither in my family neither in my country, so you know this derms, well i do get the same symptomps as you, when i am in class and i leave i look red as if i was in the sun for hours, when i hit the gym, i get red as well, but when i try to relax and stuff i am perfectly fine, i just think it has been all of the things we have had to put in our skin, you know, retin a deffinately pardon my grammar is what causes this, funny how many of us using vitamin a derivates have this temporary problem, i do believe that by stopping the retinoids and acids that the condition can improve substantually, well first of all i went to the beach right, so i stopped using retin a for a while and my skin did not get as red as always, 2, i stopped using retin a for like 2 months redness was much milder and i mean it, 3, i was used niamicin which is some type of b vitamin and took the redness away, only problem is that caused me to break out, sooooo i am seeing a new derm in mexico who is supposedly to be one of the best ones, i actually hate the dermatologysts in The United States, you only spend hundreds of dollars in stupid products that have tons of side effects, and they are like yes come in 4 months, they send their assistant talk with you like 4 minutes and charge you 180 dollars for the consult, i belive the medical industry has to change, this cant be happening, so anyway sorry for my anger but i have been around like 5 dermatologysts, what i want to do is either get accutane, which in low doses helps with the redness and dont have to worry about the freaking acne, that i got from fucking steroids, when at the time i was one of the most gorgeous guys ever, i had tons of girls, perfect body, perfect face, perfect tan, and suddenly in 3 months after using steroids, i got acne, and my life has just been really hard to get used to, from looking great, having the best body, face, tan, to having to deal with acne and redness, anyway, i just try to live as best as i can, some days i just say i will retire to a monastery, you know like in the tibets, like a temple when i can be in peace with myself and my spirit, because this acne thing, has really depressed me, and i really have to be strong and move on, anywayyyyy sorry for the huge post but i think we all understand each other in here, well he know that is not rosacea, we know that is caused by the fucking vitamin a, and we know that in time, if we stop using the fucking vitamin a, we will be fine.

Sorry for my french, but i just had to express my feelings about retin a.

Thank you and if you get something that worksssssss please let me knowwwww, i understand you, and you understand me,,,,, lets help each other.

I wish you only the best......., luck,,,,,,,,,
Kiss

[hollywood7]

on the prednisone topic..

I don't have acne really but will get an occasional breakout on my neck.. anyway, i got poison oak on my legs and took 40mg of prednisone for that last 4 days.

Neway.. Starting last night I am experiencing flushing and horrible headache, blurred vision. Not to mention out of nowhere last night I almost felt suicidal. My doctor told me to get off of it right away but for someone who is very confident usually.. I want to warn other about this shit.

Steroids will do more hard than good.. especially if you continue to take them. I am currently drinking alot of milk thistle to try and clear it out.

[Karyn_elise]

wow good thing I stopped taking the prednisone then. I have enough problems with being upset as it is with the flushing I have.

I hope you get better soon.

I think the best thing I can do for my self is stay off of everything all together. Just eat right and drink tons of water. And exercise too.

I think eventually our bodies will go back to normal. It just will take some time. I'm trying to be positive but Its so hard sometimes I'm so afraid this wont go away.

I keep praying though. I think it helps to believe that god hears my prayers and will make this go away soon.

best wishes

[teach1]

Hi. I am new to the board. I had Fraxel laser done 2 months ago and after 3 days my nose, cheeks and sometimes forehead started flushing. Usually it is heat related or movement. If I go out to my car (I live in FL) I can count on it happening. I can't go to outdoor events and when I work, if the temperature goes below 75 degrees I flush. It is a nightmare. I bought some camoflauge make-up that helps alot. The dermotolgist said it is rosacea. I always had sensitive skin but never flushing or anything like this. I think the Fraxel flared it up but I didn't know I had rosacea or would never have had it done. I take ice chips in a thermos of water everywhere I go. It am on doxycycline and topical metrogel. It is a life changing problem for sure.

[Karyn_elise]

If I were you I wouldn't go on any drugs or use any harsh topicals on your skin. It will only make things worse.

I would only use a gentle cleanser and maybe a mosturizer if you need it. From my experience I regret going on medications and using chemical topicals 100 percent! It only made everything 10 times worse for me.

Good luck and god bless.
I hope you get better soon.