Comments (5)

  1. Thanks for the posting. I’m surprised you didn’t mention the large amounts of UV light that’s put off by fluorescent lights (including the new compact ones that are going in everywhere). Being under these lights does more than just make you look redder, they actually cause you to be redder by exposure to that spectrum. FYI, you should also avoid black lights.

  2. Andrea & Geoffrey,

    This is so true. First of all, I cannot stand fluorescent lights as they drive me crazy (due to the frequency). I also don’t like the energy-saving fluorescent bulbs that are becoming more popular these days, mostly because of the greenish hue and the frequency.

    In setting up my business, I spent a long time away from fluorescent lights and I could really notice a difference in my skin. Recently, while attending a parent-teacher night at my kid’s school in a room with bright fluorescent light bulbs, I could feel my face getting really itchy. I also noticed other parents’ faces becoming red.

  3. Andrea, thanks for the info. My workplace is filled with fluorescent lights. I hate going to work because of this.

  4. It’s so refreshing to find so many websites where people are discussing this. I’m so accustomed to being the only flushy faced red person around that it makes me feel better to know I’m not the only one. And since my face stings constantly at work as well, I’m glad to hear I’m not imagining it. Here is a piece I got from another message board that you might find interesting.

    Hello Group,

    Very intriguing subject. Yes, fluorescent lighting is a very common
    trigger for rosacea flares. However, if you ask a dermatologist or
    rosacea specialist about this trigger, they will say they never
    heard of it and dismiss it off the cuff. The derms just don’t
    understand triggers like these. During my doctoral work my lab and
    office was stacked with fluorescent lighting. After complaining
    about this trigger to 25 to 30 dermatologists and getting the blow
    off, I finally did some research and found out that the best doctor
    to talk to was a highly specialized eye doctor called a neuro-
    opthalmologist,

    I set up a time to interview the doctor and he immediately knew what
    I was talking about. Fluorescent lighting has some properties in it
    that when it penetrates the eye and is transduced back through the
    optic nerve, it excites the visual cortex of the brain (normal
    action), but also alters the production of two chemicals in the
    anterior hypothalamus – norepinephrine and gabba (not normal).

    These chemicals then stimulate dilatory nerve fibers to the face
    and also releases cortisol, a dilatory hormone; hence rosacea
    flushing. In the normal population fluorescent lighting is a common
    trigger for migraines and cluster headaches because of the changes
    caused to norepinephrine and gabba (blood brain vessels dilate, but
    they don’t flush because they don’t have rosacea). So, fluorescent
    lighting does not induce a rosacea trigger via direct interaction
    with facial skin, but is in fact a visual cortex processing affect.

    During my doctoral work, studying in the lab 10 to 12 hours a day
    was killing my rosacea. So, I have some suggestions that worked
    quite well for me during that time period:

    1. If you can, remove all the fluorescent light bulbs overhead your
    work area and replace them with normal light bulbs (which do not
    change those two brain chemicals). I did this in my office and it
    was wonderful.

    2. If you cant do the above, remove every other fluorescent light
    bulb to decrease the total light penetrating the eye. I did this in
    my lab and it made a difference.

    3. If you cant do any of the above, order a pair of non-corrective
    glasses with various shading that are specially made for indoors.
    This works and is highly recommended by the neuro-opthalmologist
    for his patients that get migraines or headaches from fluorescent
    lighting but cannot remove the light system. Be sure to order the
    shaded glasses that are designed for indoor lighting as they don’t
    interfere with vision and in fact usually brighten/sharpen the
    contrast of indoor material due to multiple mechanisms.

    The real take home story is that I don’t think a single
    dermatologist or rosacea specialist has ever heard of this trigger
    or immediately dismisses it. This is a real trigger. This is a
    common trigger. This reaction is a physiological one (not a
    psychological one) that is caused by the simple excitation of two
    chemicals in the anterior hypothalamus.

    Hope that helps some.

    Regards,

    Geoffrey
    ______________________________

    Dr. Geoffrey Nase
    Ph.D. Neurovascular Physiologist
    http://www.drnase.com

  5. Thank you for info! So true! Those lights make my face more purple-ish. My problem is the tiny veins…really bad! I use make-up daily now. In the summer, though, it’s often to hot&humid for it. Swimming is a problem, too. There are just times when make-up isn’t possible. One must just learn to accept the condition, & get on with life! Education is helpful, too. I just tell people! Paula Harris

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