Tomatoes, peppers could aggravate acne, redness
Q: Two dermatologists diagnosed me with acne rosacea. I was told how to care for my skin with creams and medicines. Even when I used these remedies, my skin would have flare-ups.
Then a family physician suggested I avoid nightshades like tomato and pepper to calm joint pain. At first I resisted, but I finally decided to remove these items from my diet. After a while, I realized that it had been months since I’d had any acne breakouts or redness in my skin.
I’ve found I can go three months or longer with clear skin even without the prescribed skin care routine. Why didn’t the dermatologists ever ask about my diet? Making those changes was much more cost-effective and I look much better.
A: Dermatologists sometimes advise their rosacea patients to avoid spicy foods as well as alcohol and hot beverages (Dermatology Practical & Conceptual, Oct. 31, 2017). In addition, foods containing a compound called cinnamaldehyde (tomatoes, citrus and chocolate, among others) often seem to trigger outbreaks.
Q: Thank you for your recent comment on liquid bandages for skin tags. I had a skin tag on my forehead for years and it really bothered me. I kept rubbing it and it would get sore. I started using liquid bandage on it when I read your article, and my skin tag is now gone!
A: Skin tags are benign flesh-colored growths that often appear on armpits or around the neck. Older people are more vulnerable to them, as are patients with diabetes. Dermatologists can cut them off, freeze them with liquid nitrogen or burn them with an electrical cautery device.
Insurance doesn’t always pay for such procedures, so we understand why people might want to try home remedies. We first heard about liquid bandage 14 years ago from this reader:
“I have noticed quite a few skin tags appearing on my body. I have had one or two of the larger growths cut off by my doctor.
“I was fascinated to read in your column that a reader had success getting rid of skin tags by putting BAND-AID TRUSTAY Clear Spots over them. I tried this but could never get a bandage to stay on long enough.
“I was about to give up when I ran
across some liquid bandage in my medicine cabinet. I had a large skin tag growing on my shoulder and put the New-Skin Liquid Bandage on it. Within a week the growth fell off.
“I put it on some smaller skin tags and they shriveled and fell off too.”
Since receiving that letter, we have heard from others that this approach can be helpful.
Q: Like many people with severe lifelong allergies, I can’t take systemic antihistamines. They cause me intolerable fatigue and painful nose dryness with nosebleeds.
While rinsing my nose helps, I have had the most success taking Mucinex for postnasal drip, my most bothersome symptom. It seems to break up thick mucus and allow me to breathe, swallow and sleep. Yet many doctors claim Mucinex doesn’t work any better than placebo. Do you have any insight?
A: Your experience is intriguing. There are at least a dozen different Mucinex products containing the mucolytic agent guaifenesin. Although the effectiveness of this ingredient against cough is rather controversial, some doctors report that it helps make mucus less thick and sticky (Respiratory Medicine Case Reports, Nov. 3, 2018).