Flushing Rosacea "Subtype1" - Apple Cider Vinegar???

[Chris1986]

Hey there,

Just wanted to come here and report what has made the biggest improvement for my sensitive, hot face, flushing, redness situation - which I have had since I was a child. Typical triggers are stress, cold weather, alcohol, too much sun, working out etc. This all got much worse in my late 20's and before that was quite bearable. Also, have some psychological issues tied up with the blushing and an over active nervous system I would think. Not sure if that is conditioned or what not - but I've seen quite an improvement recently.

So what do I do?

I'll be brief. I ingest two Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) pills in the morning, and two around dinner time. I began this routine about three months ago by taking a teaspoon or so of Bragg's ACV (the liquid) with a small amount of water and shooting it, but I heard that is really bad for your teeth and thus switched to the pills. They are about $10 at your local pharmacy for 200 pills. I don't know the brand but it is a cheap generic. I found that it was even working with no name grocery store brand apple cider vinegar.

The improvements have been nothing short of astonishing - and I am very skeptical in general - especially about organic "cure-alls" like ACV and oil of oregano etc. What are they?

I am able to tolerate WAY MORE carbs than I could before, something that I feel makes a huge difference to my flushing sensitivity. My skin feels cooler to the touch. My nearly constantly swollen sinuses have much improved to the point that I don't notice them much anymore. I can go out drinking, and yes flush, but the flush doesn't last nearly as long and I don't feel like sh*t for 5 days like I did before (this was clearly something to do with digestion of alcohol or carbs or both). Previously, after drinking I would feel exhausted and tired for almost a week, with brain fog and all that fun stuff. I would also be much more sensitive to flushing and anxiety.
I am not as sensitive to stress, weather, and other things. I went hunting in the cold, blustery weather for about 8 hours yesterday - face uncovered - and had about an hour long flush when I got home. If I had done that last year - it would have been a four-five hour burning event!

This has made it unambiguously clear to me that I my rosacea, flushing, sensitivity is closely tied to my diet and gut health - or something of that nature.

There has been research suggesting that these symptoms are closely tied to low-stomach acid - something that ACV has been shown to improve - or at least to temporarily improve digestion by substituting for some of the lack of acid.

Other things I have done which are helping...

I have tried to implement the warm-room flush theory to some degree. I sleep in a pretty warm room at night and I find that I am much less sensitive the next day. Something about the peptides not building up and therefore preventing the rebound effect. I don't go crazy but I also no longer limit hot beverages or anything and I have found this to work fairly well.

Also, I meditate daily, using the headspace app. Between 10-15 mins in the morning right away - and honestly what a break for your mind. I notice after about 7 days of meditating that I just generally feel calm, more generous, and able to deal with my problems much better.

Anyway, that's pretty much it for now. I must say I can't believe that ACV has helped so much - especially with my food tolerance and flushing threshold - it's so weird. But it has made a huge difference and I just can't believe it's placebo. I am enjoying life so much more now, despite all the other stressful things occurring that we all deal with as human beings.

I suggest you give this a try for a week if you can. Not much downside as there are only a few small research studies showing that ingesting 1 cup of ACV a day was tied to a negative health outcome.

Let me know if you have any questions.

[darren1]

I've been taking AVC daily for about 2 months and meditating for a couple of years. I've seen improvements and don't seem to get the hot flushes as much anymore if at all. My face still goes red in hot rooms or cold environments though.

I'm also recovering from Mirvaso induced erythema so I've been using a turmeric and honey mask every other night for about 6 hours at a time, for about 3 months. That seems to be lightening and clearing my skin but verrrry slowly.

Diet is definitely a big part of all this. I decided to reduce dairy my first quitting cow's milk to see if it helps. Compared to my itching, burning, dry skin from a few years ago, I can honestly say I've improved no end. The anxiety isn't as bad as it used to be. I've also quit cannabis and alcohol.

[Chris1986]

Hey Darren,

Great to hear your progress.

I would agree that the biggest improvement has been the feeling of the flushing, burning, itchiness of the skin - not as much the redness associated with it.

Like you, I can still get red for the same reasons as before, albeit not as severely. But the relief really comes from not feeling it so much - not having your cheeks burn and eyes water and being super self-conscious as a result.

[Rasqepade]

Thanks for sharing Chris! My Type 1 rosacea symptoms are very similar. I've had "pre-rosacea" symptoms all throughout my childhood but it didn't turn into a major problem until I was 17, especially the psychological feedback loop of "oh no, I'm turning a bit red" and then having a panic attack, exacerbating the redness/flushing. I'm 22 now, and spent the last few years barely managing my symptoms since they're not quite as severe as many other's on here. I went to Wal-Mart and bought the cheapest ACV capsules they had, somewhere around $6 it was. I may also add in MSM/Ceramides at a later date, but I'll hold off on those until I see how much improvement comes from the ACV alone.

The past few days have been great! Just following the routine you laid out, I haven't had a painful flush since. It's not a "cure" because I still get redness from the cold or heat, but I'll gladly take this over how it was only a week ago. I should mention I also decided to cut coffee completely (highly recommend cutting coffee if you have rosacea) recently, and I'm working on quitting smoking too. I've indulged in these two major triggers since I was diagnosed, despite knowing they don't play well with Rosacea. This came after a fasting period of a few days where I didn't each much, but kept hydrated and took probiotics, and a multivitamin daily. I feel so much more motivated to start managing my rosacea symptoms and triggers, since flushing on a daily basis doesn't seem like an inevitability.

I figure the next step is seeing my doctor, (bad experience a few years ago with dermatologists), and finding out if he's willing to work with me and my individual case. Thanks again, your post helped immensely!

[Chris1986]

Hey Rasqepade,

Really glad ACV is helping you. Funny how simple it is huh?

Also, it's good you're going to see a dermatologist. In my experience they seem rather ignorant regarding our form of rosacea...as does most of the scientific/dermatological community, but hopefully they can help with basic skin care and what not.

As a random aside, I am not sure if alcohol bothers you, but it definitely causes me to get red, hot, stuffed sinuses etc, even after one drink. Well, after watching some youtube video on the asian flush, I decided to try taking a Pepcid AC and Claritin antihistamine prior to drinking twice last week....annnnnnnnnnd not a twinge of a flush. Say what? I didn't even know that was possible. There is a post in general discussions that talks about taking gaviscon prior to drinking to quell the alcohol flush and I would imagine it is the same mechanism at work. As a general rule, I limit drinking as much as I can, but every now and then I have a few.

Anyway, take care and let us know if there is anything else that you find works for you.