my case/story

[bryn280482]

ok, im new here...came across it whilst searching for cure's for facial flushing, its actually quite comforting to know i aint the only one suffering from this condition.

ok, im 24 and only over the past few years have a i really suffered from flushing, ive looked at old photos and i never suffered from it when i was around 16 so it's only really come on in the past few years. At first i put it down to perhaps gaining weight, which i have (and am trying to do something about). But im now thinking that it's just a condition that i have.

The flushing isnt that extreme, its just in the cheek area of my face...its just got to the point where i constantly think of it, if i talk to anyone all i can think of is 'is my face red', i have a really low self esteem because of this and actually try to avoid going out now, its a bad situation to be in but it's something i cant seem to help.

i've looked online and found an anti-redness moisturizer called Rosacia, i purchased it and the cream did nothing, in fact i believe it made the condition worse, that's the only product ive specifically used.

ive used several other facial cleansing creams (basically just stuff that was in the house) and i always feel it makes the condition worse, it seems to make the skin redder.

is there any other alternatives you people could recommend to me for this?? i've looked at ETS surgery, but its seriously to expensive for me. Im thinking perhaps this condition could be helped with another type of cream or cleanser. The weight loss may also help, but im yet to see.

can anyone recommend me anything? it would be much appreciated

thanks for reading.

 

[BennyFingers]

Hi Bryn,

I'm new here myself and it doesn't look like too much goes on in this particular part of the forum (the main social anxiety board is better frequented).

Anyway, fellow blusher here although with improvements to my diet and a bit of head-work I'm getting better.

I'm sorry to tell you that no topical treatment has ever done anything for my blushing, i think becuase its not your skin thats the problem, it's your nervous system. Don't confuse what you have with Rosacea either (although blushing can lead to this separate condition). There's alot of confusing and contradictory stuff written on the net about Rosacea and blushing - often they sound like one and the same.

I too have toyed with the idea of ETS but the sheer quantity of horror stories around are enough to put me off. Besides, do you really want someone destroying bits of your nerves? It's very scary stuff and the side effects can be worse than the blushing.

Its been my experience (27 now, started blushing around 14) that although the blushing is not curable by quick-fix it can be controlled to some extent. The key here is to notice exactly when and where the blushing happens - literally do a diary, note the conditions and vitally note what you're eating. I indentified via an exclusion diet that lots of sugar and colourings increase my chances of blushing considerably. Artificial sweetners, caffeine and citric acid have similar effects.

It's worth trying an exclusion diet of rice and roasted root vegetables for a week. Drink only water. Its a pretty miserable week but see if this helps your blushing, it'll certainly help you lose weight. Then as your reintroduce foods, notice if anything seems to increase the likelihood of you blushing.

If you're seriously feeling the effects of social phobia/anxiety then it may be time to speak to a counsellor or a psychiatrist or if you can't afford, get a decent self-help book based on cognitive behavioural techniques and do the excercises contained within. If you're determined, brutally honest with yourself and patient, you'll find it does work (but its harder from a book than with a mentor).

I hope some of this is helpful, blushing sucks but there are ways of making it suck less and it needn't cost you a fortune. Beware of anyone selling a miracle cure - there's plenty of people ready to take advantage of our desperation.

best,
bennyfingers