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Hi Guys,
I really really need your help here. I have been experiencing these problems for the best part of 2 YEARS now. Anyway, it started when I just went red once, did something embarrassing...
Nowadays I never feel fresh, I always feel hot and agitated. I used doxycycline and Tetracycline in the past and am currently on accutane (day 29) I had heat issues BEFORE taking accutane but not before taking anti-biotics. The accutane doesn't seem to make it much worse / better but it does make my face redder.
Anyway, I've tried therapy, propanalol and beta-blockers. They all helped a tad but not majorly. I work 5 days a week and am NOT anxious. This is a PHYSICAL condition.
Anyway, I don't use any cosmetics with harsh ingredients in (aside from hair wax) and have tried my best to overcome this (with no luck)
What's my next port of call? I think I might have to have ETS surgery as it's ruining my life. I ALWAYS feel hot and FLUSH horribly when under pressure.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-...c-blushing.html
I am a long time reader but never have posted. Because I know that flushing can be a real pain to deal with I feel it is my obligation to share my success in hopes others will find the information useful. I have found aveeno calming lotion in the morning helps a boat load, aloe, a baby aspirin only when I couldn't calm my face down, vitamin c and e, l lysine and grapeseed extract.
I'm a 6'2 male, weigh 180ish and am 22. I was on accutane for about 10 months (40 mg a day). The flushing only started up about 5 months after. It was literally a paralyzing feeling. I remember giving a 45 speech and 2 minutes in I was on fire (worst experience, I really though IW was going to pass out, my blood vessels were pounding on my cheeks ugh it sucked). The main things that caused the flushing were fooling around with my gf (We would make out for 1 minute and my face would be bright red, it was beyond embarrassing), hot food, hot environments, emotions, giving speeches, and sometime just because my body felt like screwing me over for some reason. After putting up with this nonsense for a year I knew I needed medical help as my body was not healing. My derm said I could use a laser and take something called nicazel. The lasers I passed on and the pill made things worse in my eyes. It was just a whole bunch of vitamins with anti inflammatory properties but for whatever reason things got worse. I pulled myself of this and started taking vitamin c, l-lysine, grapeseed extract and vitamin e. This combination has helped me a ton. It made my skin look healthier and the flushing was less intense My other doctor then (not derm) gave me a prescription for cholonydine (pardon the illiteracy) which I have been on for 2 months. This coupled with the above vitamins has nearly knocked the flushing out all together. I can fool around with my gf and believe it or not my face will be completly even toned after (like 1 in 15 times I will get red though but it's the exception and not the norm now). I can go eat 30 hot wings and not flush (I started sweating a ton when I did this but did not flush just got warm like any person would). I have been in the loop in Chicago when it was nearly 100 degrees and muggy and I only get a little flushed. The point is, I don't flush like I used to. And the few times I do (which really are rare), I can splash cold water on my face and put on a little lotion (aveeno calming) and within 10 to 15 minutes the redness is greatly lessened. The redness also is no longer ever coupled with that painful on fire feeling like before. I have irish blood and am fair skinned and blonde so I was pronned to redness before accutane. So I'm used to turning red when I run or am in the sun or get overheated (i did this before accutane and still do it so this redness is normal for me and I don't mind it). I don't really drink much anymore because I don't want to risk flushing, just the occaionsal beer which hasn't been an issue. Although I still have some redness that is fading, it is not flushing but just me blood vessels healing. I guess my advice would be to really push for some sort of anti flushing medicine (chlonidine was what I used because I have an abundance of other pills I am on so my doctor felt this was the safest, I have felt no side effects from this). If you really need help, don't take no for an answer. I took a list of medicine into my doctor I had read help flushing and he looked into them and gave me one. I did alot of the research myself though. Don't let your derm tell you it'll just fix itself. I can say I am a pretty strong willed kid. I've gone through depression (never told anyone so I cope myself and that was tuff) but flusing not only depressed me but kept me from functioning. Now I can go to job interviews or parties or whatever confident and not worry about flushing. Sure there is the occasional flush from being super embarassed or really warm, but hey that's not really anything to be ashamed off. Like I said, I just felt it was my duty to pass my success onto others in hopes it will help them fix there problem. A side not, since the flushing has stopped, my skin looks much healthier and I still don't get any pimples or produce oil period. So in my mind accutane was worth it. The ride was tuff but slight redness is better than mass oil and pimples.
If anybody past or present comes across this topic, and you've found success with your flushing , please feel free to drop me a private message!
Would love to know whats worked for you, particularly if you used Mirtazapine, Clonidine or Propranolol. But anything for that matter.
I see my derm soon and would love some guidance or insight from somebody whose been there. Thanks.
I'm fuckn done with this shit. Its been two years since i first blushed, and its been the two worst years of my life, by far. Unlike most of you i don't flush for longer periods of time, I only blush when I feel uncomfortable. And when do I feel uncomfortable? All the fuckn time.
BUT I have realized something. The anxiety caused by the fear of me might going to blush, is way worse than the blushing itself. How often do i get terrified because I'm so scared of blushing? ALL THE TIME. How often do i actually get in an embarrassed situation and blush? Almost never, maybe 3% of the time.
What do I fear? why do I blush? I go around in the store and is perfectly fine, and when I go to pay I blush. WHY THE FUCK AM I AFRAID OF PEOPLE? BECAUSE I THINK I'M GOING TO BLUSH. WHY DO I BLUSH? CAUSE I THINK, OH NO DONT BLUSH, AND THEN ALL HELL BREAKS LOSE.
I am so ready to get on with my life. I've been living in a cave for two years. Dodging every situation that might have led to a blushing incident. From now on I'll go after it. From now on I'll go after and hunt down every situation that might get me to blush. And I wont stop until my body and mind realize that theres nothing to be afraid off.
Accutane introduced me to blushing. And blushing gave me social anxiety. Its a fact. I can be mad, I can be bitter. But I'm fuckn tired of feeling sorry for myself, since thats all I have ever done for the past two years.
I'm going to give myself until October, and if I can't get my blushing under control I'm going to my doctor. My derm literally told me to fuck off, and that there was no link between accutane and the blushing. Well fuck you.
I'm done. Its time to get a fuckn move on with my life. The day I realize that blushing isn't dangerous, and that its okay to blush from time to time. Well thats probably the day I stop to blush.
Every time I go into public its a battle. And I might still lose a battle form time to time, but in the end, I'm going to fuckn win the war.
Come at me accutane. Come at me blushing. I'm tired of your shit, and I'm ready to fight back.
Against the grain should be a way of life
What's worth the price is always worth the fight
Every second counts 'cause there's no second try
So live like you're never living twice
Don't take the free ride in your own life
Edit: And a funny story. I live in a place where I share kitchen with 7other people. And the other day I was eating with this girl. And she said something, hey it smells like shit, did you fart? And I went bet red lol And she was like, OH haha you're blushing. And you know what she said next? Haha, thats the first time in two years I have gotten you to blush, all it took was a farting joke. I LIVED WITH HER FOR TWO YEARS, AND SHE NOTICED THAT I BLUSHED ONE FREAKN TIME. My problem is the fear of blushing, not really the blushing itself. And I'm finally starting to realize it 
In the past 14 days I've been on accutane the redness/pinkness has dramatically subsided in my overall face and especially in my cheeks. I'm getting my natural color back like rosy cheeks when I was a baby. And If I do "flush" it seems less dramatic then when I was off accutane.
Hey, Shantelle, Lamarr etc... Just thought I let you guys know after almost 3yrs I am back on steroids. Inflamation going crazy again lol! I swear Accutane truly is the gift that just keeps giving......not the good kinda of giving either
Hi Oli Girl
Good to hear from you, but not good to hear that you are back on steroids. Ahhh. I guess they are essentially treating you with steroids like they do with lupus patients in terrible inflammative states. Have they re-ordered blood tests and all those things? What else does the Rheum suggest?? Do you have any thoughts or indication of what has caused the flare-up?
I have been off Plaquenil since mid-May. It was scarey to get off it but i thought i'd see how I went without it. Inflammation everywhere had died down well having been on Plaq July '10 - May '11, and having had 2 vbeam laser treatments by end Feb... but now that it is Winter, and my work having no air-con, the flushing/Rosacea side of things has flared up a little bit. I have had to get another vbeam last week and i'll need another in Sept. It does seem to help me and doesn't give me any unexpected side effects or consequences so i'll keep up reg treatments.
I am trying to get my body off oral medications to give my body a break as advised my the hospital Derm, so only thing I am using at moment is anti-Seborrheic Dermatitis treatments as an on-going regimine. I try to keep my life as stress-free as possible, because for me stress is a huge trigger and sets my body off. I/Derms/Rheums are uncertain at this point now if I have Lupus or perhaps was experiencing a very long period of drug induced lupus with lupus-indicating blood tests and symptoms (even though anti-histone test was neg) which improved dramatically whilst on Plaq (who knows how long Isotretinoin stays in the system, unlike other drugs which leave the body relatively quickly). It is confusing. I see the hospital Derm again early August, and the Rheum in Sept for follow-ups. I'll get blood tests done again then to see if anything changed/changing like ANA and ESR..
Hope the steroids kick in and help calm things down for you so you find some relief again.
Shantelle
My derm was a moron. For the entire year I was on accutane she continued to say that the redness was no big deal. Then a year after being off accutane she finally said that the redness can be permenate and I should have said something while I was on the medicine (which I did every 2 weeks). She was reluctant to give me any medicine so I got up and walked out in the middle of the appointment. I went to my general doctor (who is really good) and explained everything and asked him for choloidine. He looked into it and made sure it was safe and put me on it and flushing has been a minor issue since. The redness from 2 years of flushing still lingeres but is getting better. So don't give up. Find a doctor who will listen. Also I agree that in reality my redness was not as bad as I thought. I was the whitest kid prior to accutane so the redness stuck out to me. But in reality, no one comments on it and it's never as bad as I think. There is times I feel like my face is on fire and it's just a slight blush. Getting over that emotional hurddle is tuff though. I'm still dealing with it and in general I have pretty even toned skin and when it's a red it just looks like I've been in the sun alot and is minimal. I know it's hard but really try to just face the fear head on. I gave a 45 presentation my last quarter at school and the whole time my face was a fire engine. And every other presentation that quarter (which was like 4) I flushed. But then the last one I was just so used to it and expecting it and sick of caring that I got up there and did not flush at all.
Ive been flushing everynight for the past 3-4 months or so. I just got back from a 8 night boat cruise, and barely flushed even once!
I even drank alcohol on 3 of the nights and danced .. only to find id get a very slight flush.. which didnt burn, or didnt last very long at all. If i met someone new and felt a bit uncomfortable, id blush ever so slightly not even noticeable and it would go away within 1 minute.
Before the cruise i would flush between 6-9 EVERY night. It was uncontrollable. And now im back so it will be interesting to see if i go back to my routinely night flushing.
I can only assume because i was waking up at different hours everyday my body clock was off, therefore i wasnt flushing at certain times. But then i barely flushed at all. So i just dont understand it. The moment i get back into some exercise i know ill go red again though.
Just prescribed Clonidine for flushing. Hopefully gonna see some good results!
Anyone taking Clonidine or anything similar drop me a private message, would love to hear how its going for you.
Cheers.
There's are some that take clonidine for flushing with sucess! Wishing you all the luck
So after a little more research, i was reading about how hyperthyrodism could be a cause for the heat intolerance, sweating, and facial flushing i experience.If this is my problem, would beta blockers, lasers, or anti inflammatory medications be necessary?
Thanks
They would help control the symptoms, but you would be better of using hyperthyroid medication that treats the actual condition thus reducing symptoms. Luckily thyroid function is easy to test via blood work so talk to your doctor.
So after a little more research, i was reading about how hyperthyrodism could be a cause for the heat intolerance, sweating, and facial flushing i experience.If this is my problem, would beta blockers, lasers, or anti inflammatory medications be necessary?
Thanks
They would help control the symptoms, but you would be better of using hyperthyroid medication that treats the actual condition thus reducing symptoms. Luckily thyroid function is easy to test via blood work so talk to your doctor.
well, im already on thyroid medicine
im just thinking that my dose is too high, and that i should just lower it
oh, and please post your experiences asap
So after a little more research, i was reading about how hyperthyrodism could be a cause for the heat intolerance, sweating, and facial flushing i experience.If this is my problem, would beta blockers, lasers, or anti inflammatory medications be necessary?
Thanks
They would help control the symptoms, but you would be better of using hyperthyroid medication that treats the actual condition thus reducing symptoms. Luckily thyroid function is easy to test via blood work so talk to your doctor.
well, im already on thyroid medicine
im just thinking that my dose is too high, and that i should just lower it
oh, and please post your experiences asap
Having Grave's (hyperthyroid) myself, I would have to say to you to have your labs checked for your thyroid. Yes, hyperthyroid can cause the symptoms you mentioned above.
Being that you are already on thyroid medication if needing your dosage lowered, then there would be no need for beta blockers etc.... Call your physican Do Not lower the medication your self!
Hey, Shantelle, Lamarr etc... Just thought I let you guys know after almost 3yrs I am back on steroids. Inflamation going crazy again lol! I swear Accutane truly is the gift that just keeps giving......not the good kinda of giving either
Sorry to hear that Oli Girl!
I stay stableish but I work very hard for this... and have to accept certain problems.
Do the pred in high doses for short times, pulse them! You should try a combination of pleq and mepacrin, lower doses of each is better than a higher/normal dose of either one alone.
I wouldn't be able to function without certain supplements/drugs unfortunately.
Hey, Shantelle, Lamarr etc... Just thought I let you guys know after almost 3yrs I am back on steroids. Inflamation going crazy again lol! I swear Accutane truly is the gift that just keeps giving......not the good kinda of giving either
Sorry to hear that Oli Girl!
I stay stableish but I work very hard for this... and have to accept certain problems.
Do the pred in high doses for short times, pulse them! You should try a combination of pleq and mepacrin, lower doses of each is better than a higher/normal dose of either one alone.
I wouldn't be able to function without certain supplements/drugs unfortunately.
Yeah, the predisone worked, but as soon as I was off it went back to the same. Plus I have to be careful from the Osteopenia Accutane left me with....I did get some bone back.
I am certian I have a collagen disorder w/theese tendon issues.
Anyway, someone mentioned l- arginine for collagen...Do you know anything on this supplement? I don't want anything elese to flare, as the flushing has mantained along w/ raynaud's. Uggh!
Hope all is well
im on accutane and i have redness/pinkish skin on my cheeks and nose thats just always there and is worse after a shower (i take cold ones) or if i stay in the sun a while... i dont flush though and have never felt "flushing" in my face...
is it still rosacea? will this go away when im off tane?
im on accutane and i have redness/pinkish skin on my cheeks and nose thats just always there and is worse after a shower (i take cold ones) or if i stay in the sun a while... i dont flush though and have never felt "flushing" in my face...
is it still rosacea? will this go away when im off tane?
Could be, but also could resolve itself post tane. Anyone that tells you 100% one way or the other is lying, wish I could be more specific, but the exact nature of accutane is unknown. How long have you been on tane and what dose, weight? Is it really red or just more noticeably pink? Could just be the tane drying out your skin and causing some irritation.
Finally talked to my GP today. As i told before my Derm said she couldn't do anything, so now I'm waiting for an appointment with a psychologist.
She(the GP) didn't really know anything about blushing, like i expected, so now the next step is a psychologist.
Dunno whats going to happen now, but at least I'm "in the system", hopefully it wont take to many months/years before I can walk "out" of it.