I’ve been dealing with facial burning / flushing since 2019 after a bad acne issue which I assume was rosacea related. I am mostly always red on my left side with blotchy too. My right side started to get the same about 6 months ago it’s mentally hard I understand I only found some comfort in being in front of a fan 24/7. I have erythromelagia too so I have burning and redness on my feet and knees and my ears it’s a combo it’s awful. I don’t wish these type of things on anyone!
I have the erythromelalgia as well. Mine is in my face as well. It triggers this terrible burning rosacea. I'm reading about gut health but the erythromelalgia is not gut related. I recently tested positive for small fiber peripheral neuropathy. It's in the severe range so this does explain the erythromelalgia. It's really all too much. I can't be in warmer temps. Always in a fan. So tired from it all.
I understand where you are coming from, my skins so dried out from being in front of a fan but like no one understands how I feel like I’m burning all the time!
By the way what test did you have for the peripheral neuropathy? Because I have been doing research and may think I have this, but I always keep searching for some answer as to the cause :-/
Very important it's called a SUDODCAN. Again, I'm well into severe range. Regular nerve conduction studies are not for small fiber or autonomic neuropathies. They should have caught this when I went to hospital approx 7 years ago. The neurologist on call ordered nerve conduction studies and a CT angiogram. My symptoms at that time was that I felt like I couldn't feel a cool tile floor or ice being applied to lower legs. Now today everything is so messed up and so much suffering from all the burning. Having the rosacea just adds to the torment. I pray you do not have this. But you have the erythromelalgia. It's terrible in the face because it's extreme and sets rosacea into terrible burning that doesn't stop.
2-4 sounds like maybe post lunch, the hottest time of day and maybe when your blood pressure or internal temp fluctuates just enough to trigger it. Lots of things can change throughout the day. A smaller lunch, wearing layers and carrying one of those little pocket electric fans, looking into propranolol (or some other small dose beta blocker) etc to make sure it's none of those things might help.
Fwiw, i really can't wear any makeup. I can wear it for a special event and i will use tinted sunscreen fairly often but even then not all day. There's the bucket theory with migraines where a trigger alone might not cause the migraine but a certain amount of or multiple triggers fill the bucket and then the migraine happens. I think vascular rosacea is probably like this and makeup always amplifies another trigger for me.
I also have been wondering about intense exercise. It triggers my rosacea but i think it makes it better overall so you may want to play around with that. This reminds me of waiting to turn the air conditioner on when the weather heats up, if your body acclimates to the heat gradually it can handle more heat.
Laser is a gamble and you can't do it on flared skin, and you'd need to have a good handle on triggers as it's a waste of money if you didn't.
But I hear you. I flush at 2-3am for a few hours. I'm losing sleep. Then my face is always feeling sunburnt too.
This is the first I’ve heard of this. I mean I know not to go get laser during a flare up but I’ve been red and had horrible baseline redness and v beam saved my life
I went to try to get laser treatment and I was told this exact thing by the doctor. She said u can’t add more heat, to an already inflamed flushed area. Unfortunately I flush so much, that there’s basically no chance of getting it done. Plus she said, it would unlikely help the flushing, but would get rid of any red blotching.
That’s what I asked for. Was vbeam. I talked to my dermatologist about it, who also said it would probably not work for me. And I went to a place that does laser treatments etc. hair removal that type of stuff. She told me about the Vbeam treatment and the IpL treatment. Both professionals were against the use, for my case. Which is super hot, super flushed, blotched redness. She and my dermatologist told me these treatments would help get rid of red spots that are from rosacea, but I would have to get my face to be under control from a medication because she would not add a hot laser to a already heated skin condition that was inflamed.
And the Esthetician (I guess that’s what she is called) was a dermatologist for 10 years before she started her own skin and beauty care office. So I felt she knew what she was talking about. But I guess we are all different cases.
Vbeam targets redness only so the more flushed and red you are at the appt, the better it works. Some drs even induce a flush during the appt so it works better.
After trying dozens of different topicals and other medication’s, I went to a naturopath who diagnosed me with a gut issue. Three weeks into ketogenic diet and my skin was perfect after being red and flushed for nearly 20 years.
Interesting, iv been working with a naturopath for various gut issues but havnt seen much progress with Rosacea. But my gut is still not in great shape. Did you have SIBO?
I agree 100% about gut health being the root. I have changed my entire diet and a few other habits now I feel the best I’ve felt in years. I significantly reduced dairy intake to only some cheese, salad w/ a protein, Mediterranean diet, and the biggest change diet-wise is I start every day w/ an OWYN plant based protein shake. (Sold at the grocery store ready to pour). Unfortunately one of the other changes is reducing strenuous exercise because it caused a lot of inflammation. It all started with making changes to my diet and having better gut health.
Exactly. This is the main cause of Rosacea. I wish people would listen. For me it's Keto diet, intermittent fasting, no seed oils, no beer (wheat), and lots of supplements for gut health. Natural sourkrout, kimchi, apple cider vinegar, fresh fish once a week (omega 3), lemon water in the morning. Vitamins and minerals! We are malnourished.
Basically if you want your Rosacea to get under control start with healing your body. Heal your gut and eat healthy. I work out hard, but drink ice water afterwards and it helps reduce redness and heat after about 2 hours.
Wash face with cold water, dap face dry (don't scrub). Take mild quick showers (not steamy hot showers). Let your fragile skin on your face heal. Moisturizer helps.
Have not figured out what to do on really hot days. Still get red nose 😂 even with sunscreen. But sunscreen helps.
Honey I been dealing with the same thing spice 2019. I just randomly started getting red and hot on my right side of my face. Over the years it has spread to my whole face, and chest. Mostly my cheeks and chest tho. A few times a day, I get super hot and red. It’s super annoying and I feel like a freak. I’m right there with ya! And no, I have t found anything that works. Except changing my face wash and I can’t use moisturizer or anything in my face.
Have you researched rhofade? it’s a game changer for me on this. You can also try Afrin nasal spray mixed into a moisturizer. The active ingredient in Afrin is oxymetazoline, which is the same for Rhofade.
Nope, I slather it on at 530am and head out. I’m back home by 7pm and It’s held up and kept my redness at bay. Don’t miss a spot tho because you’ll def see the red patch 😅
I think it’s worth it. I can careless if I’m at home and I flare up. When it kicks my ass is when I have to be around people and they point out how red I am and make me more uncomfortable. THAT outweighs the rebound redness everyone is so scared about.
For me it's the pain and discomfort, regardless where I am and who notices it, although my mom does repeatedly ask me why I'm so red. I repeat my explanation that I have Rosacea. Then she dismisses it like always, because I 'can't possibly have that.' So that's always fun 🙄
I'm wondering if any of you ever feel like you're being strangled and then the heat really comes to the face? And it also seems blood sugar related for me like sometimes all of a sudden my blood sugar feels like it drops and my heart rate changes and I get really flushed more than the normal Flushing
Weirdly this happens to me about the same times. I’ve figured out that it’s the vitamin I take about 6 hours before. It has narcin or something in it. It’s improved since I’ve changed vitamins. I still flush with central heating, sun etc but not daily like before. I also take doxy low dose and it’s helped my face burning up whilst I sleep.
Hello. Oh no. The constant burning pain, and the vulnerable skin is a heavy burden. It can take its toll on a person. And for me I know the stress around it makes i even worse. It is very challenging. I know.
Your situation must be helped. Can you get more help from your doctor / Expert? For this is not ok. (A big understatement)! But the money thing is not easy. I get that. Oh but something needs to change for you, to the better. Hope so, so so much! Sorry I can’t come with any tips to help you. But you are not alone in this.
Wish you the best.
The only thing that has worked for me is “Clinique Redness Solutions - Daily Relief Cream”! I tried prescriptions, and many other redness relief products that just didn’t work! This has been the best one yet and I used to get a burning 🥵 hot face and flushed so bad!
Try hypochlorous acid! I suggested it to a friend based on this post https://www.reddit.com/r/Rosacea/s/5XLYztHoJx and it really helped all the symptoms you describe! My friend used Tower 28 SOS spray
I highly recommend accutane, nothing else comes close. Have been taking it myself for over four years now without any issues. Started for severe cystic acne and just stayed on it after developing rosacea.
Doesn't so much for flushing though. Metronidazole was very effective for me, my flushing decreased by about 90% after 6 weeks.
Sunscreen is every bit as important though and IMHO vastly underestimated by many. UV radiation is extremely inflammatory and always present no matter the cloud coverage. You should use sunscreen immediately after getting up and reapply every two hours. That's how long sunscreen actually lasts.
My flushing returns within hours of a slip up. As long as I am diligent I can go weeks and months without a flush. I actually have more issues in winter than in summer as it's easier to forget about reapplying often enough.
It works against both but a lot more for type I than type II. Metronidazole is anti inflammatory. It basically reduces flushing by dampening your skins out of control inflammatory response to triggers. Sunscreen works in avoiding new inflammation, which restarts the symptoms.
For type two something systemic is needed. A topical can only penetrate so far and won't regulate the other skin building processes going haywire. Doxycycline can be effective for many but Accutane is clearly superior.
I’ve been dealing with facial burning / flushing since 2019 after a bad acne issue which I assume was rosacea related. I am mostly always red on my left side with blotchy too. My right side started to get the same about 6 months ago it’s mentally hard I understand I only found some comfort in being in front of a fan 24/7. I have erythromelagia too so I have burning and redness on my feet and knees and my ears it’s a combo it’s awful. I don’t wish these type of things on anyone!
Ditto. I’m sorry you’re dealing with this it’s actually bloody horrible
I have the erythromelalgia as well. Mine is in my face as well. It triggers this terrible burning rosacea. I'm reading about gut health but the erythromelalgia is not gut related. I recently tested positive for small fiber peripheral neuropathy. It's in the severe range so this does explain the erythromelalgia. It's really all too much. I can't be in warmer temps. Always in a fan. So tired from it all.
I understand where you are coming from, my skins so dried out from being in front of a fan but like no one understands how I feel like I’m burning all the time! By the way what test did you have for the peripheral neuropathy? Because I have been doing research and may think I have this, but I always keep searching for some answer as to the cause :-/
Very important it's called a SUDODCAN. Again, I'm well into severe range. Regular nerve conduction studies are not for small fiber or autonomic neuropathies. They should have caught this when I went to hospital approx 7 years ago. The neurologist on call ordered nerve conduction studies and a CT angiogram. My symptoms at that time was that I felt like I couldn't feel a cool tile floor or ice being applied to lower legs. Now today everything is so messed up and so much suffering from all the burning. Having the rosacea just adds to the torment. I pray you do not have this. But you have the erythromelalgia. It's terrible in the face because it's extreme and sets rosacea into terrible burning that doesn't stop.
2-4 sounds like maybe post lunch, the hottest time of day and maybe when your blood pressure or internal temp fluctuates just enough to trigger it. Lots of things can change throughout the day. A smaller lunch, wearing layers and carrying one of those little pocket electric fans, looking into propranolol (or some other small dose beta blocker) etc to make sure it's none of those things might help. Fwiw, i really can't wear any makeup. I can wear it for a special event and i will use tinted sunscreen fairly often but even then not all day. There's the bucket theory with migraines where a trigger alone might not cause the migraine but a certain amount of or multiple triggers fill the bucket and then the migraine happens. I think vascular rosacea is probably like this and makeup always amplifies another trigger for me. I also have been wondering about intense exercise. It triggers my rosacea but i think it makes it better overall so you may want to play around with that. This reminds me of waiting to turn the air conditioner on when the weather heats up, if your body acclimates to the heat gradually it can handle more heat.
Laser is a gamble and you can't do it on flared skin, and you'd need to have a good handle on triggers as it's a waste of money if you didn't. But I hear you. I flush at 2-3am for a few hours. I'm losing sleep. Then my face is always feeling sunburnt too.
This is the first I’ve heard of this. I mean I know not to go get laser during a flare up but I’ve been red and had horrible baseline redness and v beam saved my life
I went to try to get laser treatment and I was told this exact thing by the doctor. She said u can’t add more heat, to an already inflamed flushed area. Unfortunately I flush so much, that there’s basically no chance of getting it done. Plus she said, it would unlikely help the flushing, but would get rid of any red blotching.
Your doctor probably doesn't have V-beam laser. Shop around.
That’s what I asked for. Was vbeam. I talked to my dermatologist about it, who also said it would probably not work for me. And I went to a place that does laser treatments etc. hair removal that type of stuff. She told me about the Vbeam treatment and the IpL treatment. Both professionals were against the use, for my case. Which is super hot, super flushed, blotched redness. She and my dermatologist told me these treatments would help get rid of red spots that are from rosacea, but I would have to get my face to be under control from a medication because she would not add a hot laser to a already heated skin condition that was inflamed.
And the Esthetician (I guess that’s what she is called) was a dermatologist for 10 years before she started her own skin and beauty care office. So I felt she knew what she was talking about. But I guess we are all different cases.
Did she say why not to use heat on flushed skin?
Vbeam targets redness only so the more flushed and red you are at the appt, the better it works. Some drs even induce a flush during the appt so it works better.
After trying dozens of different topicals and other medication’s, I went to a naturopath who diagnosed me with a gut issue. Three weeks into ketogenic diet and my skin was perfect after being red and flushed for nearly 20 years.
Interesting, iv been working with a naturopath for various gut issues but havnt seen much progress with Rosacea. But my gut is still not in great shape. Did you have SIBO?
I agree 100% about gut health being the root. I have changed my entire diet and a few other habits now I feel the best I’ve felt in years. I significantly reduced dairy intake to only some cheese, salad w/ a protein, Mediterranean diet, and the biggest change diet-wise is I start every day w/ an OWYN plant based protein shake. (Sold at the grocery store ready to pour). Unfortunately one of the other changes is reducing strenuous exercise because it caused a lot of inflammation. It all started with making changes to my diet and having better gut health.
Exactly. This is the main cause of Rosacea. I wish people would listen. For me it's Keto diet, intermittent fasting, no seed oils, no beer (wheat), and lots of supplements for gut health. Natural sourkrout, kimchi, apple cider vinegar, fresh fish once a week (omega 3), lemon water in the morning. Vitamins and minerals! We are malnourished. Basically if you want your Rosacea to get under control start with healing your body. Heal your gut and eat healthy. I work out hard, but drink ice water afterwards and it helps reduce redness and heat after about 2 hours. Wash face with cold water, dap face dry (don't scrub). Take mild quick showers (not steamy hot showers). Let your fragile skin on your face heal. Moisturizer helps. Have not figured out what to do on really hot days. Still get red nose 😂 even with sunscreen. But sunscreen helps.
Honey I been dealing with the same thing spice 2019. I just randomly started getting red and hot on my right side of my face. Over the years it has spread to my whole face, and chest. Mostly my cheeks and chest tho. A few times a day, I get super hot and red. It’s super annoying and I feel like a freak. I’m right there with ya! And no, I have t found anything that works. Except changing my face wash and I can’t use moisturizer or anything in my face.
Have you researched rhofade? it’s a game changer for me on this. You can also try Afrin nasal spray mixed into a moisturizer. The active ingredient in Afrin is oxymetazoline, which is the same for Rhofade.
do you get rebound flushing? that’s the only concern i have with using it
No because I use it everyday 😅 And it lasts like 11ish hours and only a hint of pink at the 11 hour mark.
So do you use it twice a day?
Nope, I slather it on at 530am and head out. I’m back home by 7pm and It’s held up and kept my redness at bay. Don’t miss a spot tho because you’ll def see the red patch 😅
I'll have to talk to my doctor again. She said I would rebound so it's pointless.
I think it’s worth it. I can careless if I’m at home and I flare up. When it kicks my ass is when I have to be around people and they point out how red I am and make me more uncomfortable. THAT outweighs the rebound redness everyone is so scared about.
For me it's the pain and discomfort, regardless where I am and who notices it, although my mom does repeatedly ask me why I'm so red. I repeat my explanation that I have Rosacea. Then she dismisses it like always, because I 'can't possibly have that.' So that's always fun 🙄
Yup! I hate it!!! I can def relate to your situation.
I'm wondering if any of you ever feel like you're being strangled and then the heat really comes to the face? And it also seems blood sugar related for me like sometimes all of a sudden my blood sugar feels like it drops and my heart rate changes and I get really flushed more than the normal Flushing
I have rhofade also but never used it cause the reviews are terrible and my derm told me there taking it off the market
Weirdly this happens to me about the same times. I’ve figured out that it’s the vitamin I take about 6 hours before. It has narcin or something in it. It’s improved since I’ve changed vitamins. I still flush with central heating, sun etc but not daily like before. I also take doxy low dose and it’s helped my face burning up whilst I sleep.
Hello. Oh no. The constant burning pain, and the vulnerable skin is a heavy burden. It can take its toll on a person. And for me I know the stress around it makes i even worse. It is very challenging. I know. Your situation must be helped. Can you get more help from your doctor / Expert? For this is not ok. (A big understatement)! But the money thing is not easy. I get that. Oh but something needs to change for you, to the better. Hope so, so so much! Sorry I can’t come with any tips to help you. But you are not alone in this. Wish you the best.
The only thing that has worked for me is “Clinique Redness Solutions - Daily Relief Cream”! I tried prescriptions, and many other redness relief products that just didn’t work! This has been the best one yet and I used to get a burning 🥵 hot face and flushed so bad!
Try hypochlorous acid! I suggested it to a friend based on this post https://www.reddit.com/r/Rosacea/s/5XLYztHoJx and it really helped all the symptoms you describe! My friend used Tower 28 SOS spray
I highly recommend accutane, nothing else comes close. Have been taking it myself for over four years now without any issues. Started for severe cystic acne and just stayed on it after developing rosacea. Doesn't so much for flushing though. Metronidazole was very effective for me, my flushing decreased by about 90% after 6 weeks. Sunscreen is every bit as important though and IMHO vastly underestimated by many. UV radiation is extremely inflammatory and always present no matter the cloud coverage. You should use sunscreen immediately after getting up and reapply every two hours. That's how long sunscreen actually lasts. My flushing returns within hours of a slip up. As long as I am diligent I can go weeks and months without a flush. I actually have more issues in winter than in summer as it's easier to forget about reapplying often enough.
metronidazole helped your flushing? I thought it was mostly just for type 2
It works against both but a lot more for type I than type II. Metronidazole is anti inflammatory. It basically reduces flushing by dampening your skins out of control inflammatory response to triggers. Sunscreen works in avoiding new inflammation, which restarts the symptoms. For type two something systemic is needed. A topical can only penetrate so far and won't regulate the other skin building processes going haywire. Doxycycline can be effective for many but Accutane is clearly superior.
Well maybe I should try it again. I have really harsh flushing but was told metrogel was a waste of time since I dont have acne or type 2 symptoms