Lupus and Skin: Rosacea? Lupus Rash? Food? Finding the source of the redness

Welcome to Day Four: No coffee or chocolate.

That's right. We're doing a mini food elimination diet over here. Be glad you're not around. 

I have to admit, though - I am pleased with the results, even if I'm not super enthusiastic about cutting those two things out of my diet permanently. 🍫☕ Sigh. 

Here's what led me to this experiment: 

As September and October rolled around last year, I noticed that, on my face, the reddish sun-kissed look I'd had all summer wasn't fading. 

Had I gotten too much sun over Labor Day? 

Was I continuing to get too much sun exposure at the girls' softball games in October? 

I found myself dabbing a little concealer on my nose almost daily, something I hadn't done since my prednisone days with flaring lupus. I decided I would up my SPF game, even as the weeks grew cooler.

Then winter came, and the redness continued. I read about the effects of cold temps on dry skin, the breakdown of the skin barrier as we age, and figured maybe it was actually dryness I needed to combat. So I increased my moisturizer routine, especially at night.

I tried a redness relief lotion first, followed by a hydro booster, then another couple of moisturizers targeted to redness relief. They all helped a little, but just temporarily, and some had unwanted side effects. 

And the redness continued. And then it started getting worse - spreading to my cheeks right next to my nose. And then I started getting acne in those cheek areas.  Like a teenager!  

Was it the latest lotion? Was it that my Vitamin C ran out? Was I still getting too much sun? 

Or was it food? Or Rosacea? Or a Lupus rash (which I've never had on my face before)? Or just my skin barrier gone crazy? 

My skin care enthusiast daughter suggested I go back to the basics, so I went back to applying just my regular moisturizer morning and night, plus aloe. (I can't say enough about having an aloe plant in the house.) 

Then my doctor called to say that my latest blood tests show that I'm anemic. 

Which explains why I've been so tired. And possibly napping twice a day. 

And why I've been drinking coffee at least three times a week to give me the boost I need. 

And then...cue the lightbulb.  

Coffee. Acne. Redness. 

We've been here before. 

Over a decade ago, I gave up coffee on a daily basis because I linked it to skin issues I was experiencing. I stopped the coffee, and they literally went away overnight. 

But we forget, don't we? 

And when I'm tired (and anemic), I REALLY forget. 

So I'm cutting out coffee AND chocolate (another skin disruptor) to see if I can heal my skin. I'd love to avoid a visit to the dermatologist, but as we know, often the wisest thing is to seek the help of a medical professional. 

First two days of the elimination were AMAZING. I saw immediate improvement. 

Day Three, I experienced a little setback - see my list of possible culprits below - but today I'm back at it. Aloe is on. I am moisturized. And I'm not drinking a hot mocha latte.   I will keep you posted! 

Here's a list of possible culprits that might play a role in my skin health. Let me know if any of these affect you: 

Coffee

Chocolate 

Fried foods

Sun exposure 

Dairy

Gluten

Hot Drinks

Other: 

Makeup brushes

Eye mask that I wear at naptime

Based upon Day Three's setback, adding:

Pizza 🍕😢