Uncontrollable redness

[ZeroSunGame]

I am reading a lot and love the information, but I'm feeling a little negative right now. I've had rosacea since the 80's. I'm here right now after trying a new sunscreen for 4 hours a week ago and having everything go out of whack. (I put it on before going to work and couldn't wash it off till lunchtime.)

Now I'm being really careful about foods and hot water, etc. But there are things I am never going to be able to control, or is that wrong? Everytime I feel animated, like talking and smiling and laughing, instant red face. Bend over, major red face. Eat a bite too much, heat wave red face. Also, I'm in south Texas and you can't open the car door without being hit by a wave of hot air like a blast furnace.

It seems like there are a lot of things I'm not going to be able to control. Or is it the case that by controlling the controllable factors, you can get to where these common things like laughing no longer cause redness...is that hoping too much?

[fanny]

hi and welcome
You pose an interesting question. I'm thinking that by treating rosacea then we can get to the stage that it is in remission and therefore we will not be troubled by the symptoms-too optimistic?
I visited my son and his family in West Texas recently and had a major red face every day. When I was able, I splashed with cold water and that helped.
I know you know now but please always do a patch test first before trying a new product.
i know this is a little subversive but I have never found a sunscreen that does not give me problems and so if I am in the sun I wear a hat.
Take care
Fanny

[ZeroSunGame]

Thanks for your answer. It made me feel better because I haven't found one either. The one I tried last week that did this was Celazome Moisturizing Sunscreen. I'd never heard of it, but I asked someone at work what she uses and she brought me a sample. I did look it up online and saw it contained aloe (I'm allergic), but I was hoping it was such a tiny amount it wouldn't matter, and the company name "Celazome Clinical Skin Care" made me feel like it was going to be safer somehow. Dumb. You are right about the patch test. Never again. I'm not a patient person and waiting impatiently for this to improve is probably just making things worse.

[fanny]

I relate completely, I know that more than once I have probably put at least 5 products on in a space of 5 minutes in the hope that redness or pand ps will disappear immediately! Nowadays I use water to wash with, finacea and a little zinc oxide mixed with cetaphil or nivea.
All the best
fanny

[ZeroSunGame]

Are you talking about zinc oxide ointment? I saw powder mentioned in another post. I tried Vanicream SPF 60 and could not smell it while it was on and I didn't break out from it. I discovered I don't really like having anything on my face, probably because I'm not used to it, but this is something I could wear for yard work or something like that. Or maybe I could get used to wearing sunscreen. They also have an SPF 35 but I read it has cinnamate in it, which I'm almost sure would not work for me, but the SPF 60 does not. Is the Nivea + zinc oxide lighter than sunscreen? And is it hard to wash off?
Thanks

[fanny]

Hi
I use plain old zinc oxide cream, it can be a little difficult to remove and so I mix a little jojoba oil into the water I wash with. For sunscreen protection you would need a higher spf than this cream , I like to wear a hat rather than use a sunscreen.
Take care
Fanny

[ZeroSunGame]

I'm allergic to jojoba, or at least I think I am. It was in a shampoo I used a number of years ago and it made my face act up back when my skin wasn't even that sensitive. But now I don't know what else was in the shampoo so maybe it was something else that did it. If jojoba doesn't bother you and I've seen it mentioned on some webpages about rosacea, maybe that wasn't what bothered me in the shampoo. I've been avoiding it for maybe 25 years.

My face is still red and intermittently uncomfortable, it comes and goes, but I can see one improvement. The spot right between my eyebrows is not as swollen. When it is swollen and I squint or frown I get a really thick deep ugly crease there, even though I have fairly thin skin and next to no fat. I'll take anything at this point.

I had canned peaches and took an iron pill tonight and had a big flush again, don't know which it was that did it.

[fanny]

Too much sugar in the canned peaches perhaps? Rosacea is so frustrating, but you are doing what you can, ie noting your triggers. If I think something is a trigger I will try a little again to see if it is a true trigger. With topicals I'll do a patch test to see.
Any improvement, no matter how small, is a a move in the right direction.
All the best
Fanny

[ZeroSunGame]

Thanks for your continued replies. It was helpful to suggest testing items, I've never actually made a point of doing that. There are a number of things I know from experience affect my face so I just avoid them, but I've never done any scientific trials to see if other things might. Sugar was not something I'd ever even considered, I don't eat much sugar or sweets. I tried another iron pill this morning and it didn't seem to do anything, so it might have been the peaches in natural pear juice, you could very well be right. That is something I wouldn't mind having to give up. A plain apple does not have that affect.

On the good side, things are closer to normal now. I think I'm getting used to wearing the sunscreen. It's a lot better if I put moisturizer on first, then wait a little while, then put on the sunscreen. Then the sunscreen is easier to spread. I've got to say, this stuff (Vanicream) is pretty easy to get on, I keep checking to see if I have white streaks and I never do, it's pretty foolproof. But since I'm not used to it, I keep feeling like it must be "showing" or something. It has a nice side benefit that it tones down my redness nicely, much like makeup, and I lose that "raccoon eyes" effect (I flush on my cheeks and chin but around my eyes stays white). I can't smell it at all. The only thing is, you have to get used to not touching your face, and be careful about collars and clothing, which is a real pain. I tried putting lotion on my face at night and it didn't hurt anything but I don't like sleeping with it, I think I'm going to have to stay with a clean face for sleeping.

I was reading a website that talked about caffeine and aspartame as triggers. Funny story. I was always a big unsweet iced tea drinker (South Texas) and hot tea drinker. But I was on the computer and forgot to turn off the hot water on the stove too many times and ruined pans and scared myself. When I turned 50 I qualified for senior discount cokes at fast food places and THAT was when I started gradually developing a diet coke habit anytime I was out doing errands. Then I started buying it for home because I didn't have to worry about remembering to turn off the stove. So up till recently I've been drinking a 2-liter bottle a day. It definitely makes me wonder if either aspartame or caffeine could be part of the problem. I don't think it's the aspartame(?), I think I'd know because I used to have a rare diet coke at the mall back when I was a constant tea drinker and I don't remember any effects. But anyway I've got some Sam's Diet Cola which is super low caffeine, and some refrigerated Red Diamond iced tea without lemon, and I am at the beginning of a process of reducing colas and caffeine, it's probably going to take a while.

So those are my accomplishments for 2 weeks:
1) lotion I can stand
2) sunscreen I can stand
3) mentally getting used to going out in public with stuff on my face
4) less caffeine
5) less aspartame

Do you or anybody know if the blogs are working, or do I need more posts to see them?

thanks

[fanny]

Thank you for posting in detail, it is helpful for otheres. I am glad things are settling down for you.
Take care
Fanny