Rosacea and Pregnancy

by Sarah
(Australia)

I found while I was pregnant that my mild Rosacea which I developed at a very young age in primary school definitely lessened to a point where people would comment that my skin was looking clearer. For a long time I wasn't very fond of different foods so I mostly just ate fruits and salads and barely any meat and I have always been quite the carnivore so I do wonder if my diet had anything to do with my paler complexion, which I'll admit even before pregnancy, though still quite red against the rest of my stark white face my rosacea had settled down since the very beginnings of a flushed red face that looked embarrassed all the time and I was far from the age of being allowed to wear make up back then.

The other thing I can note during my pregnancy is that I did drink a lot more green tea which also may have contributed.

During the pregnancy I had significantly lowering iron stores that were not noted until they had become dangerously low as I had always had such high levels they were not concerned until they had to be, so the question could be posed if lower iron helps to reduce redness as well.

Also it could be considered that the pregnancy itself or even the loss of body fat from a changed diet could have contributed to the result.

Something to note is that although the redness went down I still had the rough tiny pink bumps so my skin never completely cleared and I've always had these bumps all along my arms as well but they rarely flare up red and actually can be known to look purple in fiercely cold weather which does not look good on my face but is slightly easier to cover up with make up then bright red. I have found that even on my sensitive skin there are green concealers like miracle veil fluid that work very well to help reduce the appearance of redness once mineral foundation is applied over the top for anyone who is having trouble finding something to help appearances when they want to dress up.

And although I do not get Rosacea around the eyes I have a severe sensitivity to light to a point that I have to avoid driving at night as the headlights make my eyes water worse than chopping up an onion and the only fix is to buy some very expensive specs with anti reflective coating that basically work like sunglasses without being pitch black at night. It is all very confusing but nothing I have done has improved this symptom.

To end I would recommend that everyone have a play with their diet I think it is certainly a main factor in helping to improve the appearance of the skin with any skin condition. I think particularly a reduction of how much meat is in the diet as I have read many times that it is the main food group eczema and psoriasis patients should avoid. However I do suffer quite severe eczema and I noticed a severe increase in how uncomfortable my skin was with eczema cropping up in small spots all over my body not previously affected during my pregnancy so who knows does it really make a difference?