To Angie/Group--hormones & rosacea (my story)

[Guest guest]

Hi Angie and everyone,

Glad I found this board--I can relate:

Angie, you say you flare before your period and you have severe hormonal

problems? That might be the cause of your flushing- -at least that is what

happened to me. I was on the birth control pill for years with great skin

the whole time I was on it (diagnosed with rosacea, but was only midly red

and it never bothered me) and then I decided to stop the pill. My skin got

progressively worse over the next year to the point of severe nose and

cheek edema and ocular problems. My eyes and face burned, but I was not

red (I think my edema was so bad that my skin was white instead of my

usual red). My face was basically disfigured--no exageration. I did not

recognize myself in the mirror!!I was really hot and sweaty all the

time--(sort of like having hot flashes, but more like just flushing). I

also had many other problems that turned out to be hormone related:

headaches, chronic fatigue, panic attacks, foggy thinking-list goes on.

Anyway, I went to many doctors with no help. All my primary doctor did was

test me for menopause, and then told me I wasn't in it (I am 31 so that

came as no surprise!). I tested negative for all food and airborne

allergies. I finally figured it out that rosacea was the cause of my

facial swelling and I was able to link it with stopping the pill, so I

went back on. Not only did all my other problems go away, but my face went

back to normal too. The pill slowly cooled my body down and I stopped my

flushing completely. Within 4-5 months my face was almost normal (except I

still had some eye problems), but my nose was small again and my cheeks

were thin-I looked like me!

Anyway, to make a long story short: hormones were my trigger and might be

yours too. Any hormone fluctuations/change in hormone balance can disturb

your SNS and body temperature--which causes your body to heat up which

leads to flushing. The most severe is hot flashes, but also you can just

be overly sweaty or mildly hot and will flush too. Angie, are you being

treated for your hormonal problems? Have you ever been on the pill? If

not, I would consider going on the birth control pill to regulate your

hormones (monophasic preferably, those are the same hormones everyday--no

flucuations).

Most important: you need to find the cause of your flushing, so the edema

and burning/pain will stop.

Hope this helps,

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