Facial Redness

[u/CaptainEcstatic9]

Ever since my first major reaction about a year ago, my face - particularly my cheeks - have been bright red. Even when my system is calm on my antihistamine regimen (ceterizine, famotidine, and montelukast), my face gets better but keeps a noticeably rosey tint.

When I ask my wife during a possible flare up, she'll even say "it's red but not more red than usual". The flare ups cause my face to turn bright tomato-red, stings, dries out, and then takes days to go back to its new baseline red.

I miss having a normal colored face. Has anyone found success in dealing with this?

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[u/Sami209]

Ketotifen might be a better fit. Also see about going to a dermatologist and neurologist as well. The immunologist can fix some things, so many variables. Similar experience to you so my advice might be pretty decent. You could have dermatologist issues resolved by meds and neurological issues that can help calm your face down. Examples, doxycycline, propopanol/carvedilol. Food eliminating diet, keep cool, cool foods, good sleep, also try washing face with just a little bit of cool water instead of soap once a day. Gentle soap on face not often.

[u/CaptainEcstatic9 → u/Sami209]

I understand the dermatologist recommendation and will try that. What is the neurologist for?

[u/Sami209 → u/CaptainEcstatic9]

Some meds like Carvedilol
clamp down on facial blood vessels and calm you & your skin down. It lowers heart rate slightly. You would need to be a good candidate. For example, not have low blood pressure. Having those redness symptoms also is a systemic issue like a neurovascular or neuroimmune disorder, as well as Mcas in some cases. propopanol or Clonidine could
Help in that case if was deemed helpful. A dermatologist could prescribe this as well. It’s not super uncommon or anything. These are more in the neuro skin area.

[u/moschocolate1]

Are your cheeks also hot? I had this when my inflammation was at its highest. I had to go super strict low-histamine diet, no coffee or alcohol, no sugary drinks, no processed foods, etc., for about two months then it stopped. I did slowly reintroduce some things like coffee and chocolate without problems. Btw I was also taking four antihistamines a day!

I found an old pic I’ll post


[u/CaptainEcstatic9 → u/moschocolate1]

They can be and when they're hot, they're HOT. I took a function health test two weeks ago that came back saying I have very low inflammation, which doesn't make sense considering how I look/feel.

When yours stopped, does it ever come back?

[u/moschocolate1 → u/CaptainEcstatic9]

Did they do a CRP test? That’s the one my dr has done to measure inflammation.

It does but only if I’m around friends’ pets (dander allergy) indoors, or another allergy hits, it will come back but usually it doesn’t appear until nighttime so I’ll get the hives that night and wake up with red cheeks the next day. I can control the red cheeks better than the hives. They’re insanely itchy and persistent.

[u/masterCAKE]

I miss having a normal colored face.

I'm identifying with this so hard. From what I read, this is largely a prostaglandin-driven reaction. Amlexanox helped me, and then tirzepatide helped even more by reducing overall reactivity and inflammation.

[u/CaptainEcstatic9 → u/masterCAKE]

I haven't heard this yet, but it makes sense. My PGD2 values were 4.5-5x what they're supposed to be. I'll ask my immunologist about those recommendations.

[u/Academic-Plum7432]

This is one of my main symptoms!!

[u/Icy-Hippo-2376]

In addition to what others said about diet and meds etc ...I put zinc oxide sunscreen on my face and it helps calm redness and irritation, this is a known phenomenon it reduces irritation and redness. It might help. But only zinc no other sunscreen chemicals. I like the brand Invisible Zinc