Prince Charles 'needs strong people around him' says expert
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The future king has often been pictured looking red in the face, but contrary to what some people might put down to ageing skin, or in some cases, the result of a problem with alcohol, Prince Charles suffers from a condition known as rosacea. These skin flare-ups, which can be seen in photos and video footage as old as his wedding to Princess Diana in 1981, often appear to make the senior royal appear red in the face. But left untreated the condition can cause other serious symptoms.
Surprisingly, the condition affects one in 10 in the UK. While most sufferers of the condition are aged 40 and over, some who are in their early 20s or 30s usually go undiagnosed for years.
“Flushed or red skin comes as a result of blood vessels opening and blood rushing to the surface,” explains doctor Ioannis Liakas, Medical Director at Vie Aesthetics in London.
“This can be due to a number of reasons including overheating, feeling anxious or embarrassed, from drinking alcohol or from skin conditions like rosacea.”
Older people tend to notice this more frequently because as we grow old, we produce less collagen and elastin which means the connective tissues in our skin weaken and blood vessels are allowed to expand further,” added doctor Liakas.
Although in recent appearances, the Prince’s skin looked in rather good condition – after the bombshell of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leaving the family – body language expert Judi James noticed that his cheeks were the colour of “raw liver”.
The body language expert said: “The Prince’s cheeks are flushed to the color of raw liver, which could be a physiological response to being underworld scrutiny so soon after all the royal dramas and Harry’s exit to Canada.”
Psychological or not, the NHS explains that the condition is long-term, with symptoms usually worse in men.
The first signs of rosacea include:
- Redness (blushing) across your nose, cheeks, forehead and chin that comes and goes
- A burning or stinging feeling when using water or skincare products.
These symptoms are then closely followed by others including dry skin, swelling around the eyes, yellow patches on the skin, sore eyelids and a noticeable thickening of skin mainly on the nose.
These more serious symptoms often develop when the condition has gone untreated. Over time, individuals can become extremely sensitive to temperature changes, and can even find it difficult to tolerate water.
A book addressing the condition, titled Acne and Rosacea: The Complete Guide and written by Alison Bowser, states that in a survey, around 45 percent of individuals with rosacea found flushing to be the worst symptom.
This extreme flushing even made 13 percent of individuals avoid socialising because they were too self-conscious.
Although it is not known what specifically causes rosacea, there are some triggers that can make the condition worse. Commonly these include:
- Alcohol
- Spicy foods
- Cheese
- Caffeine
- Hot drinks
- Aerobic exercise like running.
However, interestingly, 75 percent found that stress alone was responsible for some flare-ups. Keeping track of what your triggers are, and avoiding what causes flushing and swelling is a key part of keeping the condition at bay.
Bowser stated that 44 percent of individuals blamed foods, including tomatoes, cheese (except cottage), spinach, yogurt, plums, raisins, vinegar, yeast-containing foods, chocolate and marinated foods.Unfortunately the condition cannot be completely cured, but treatments can help control symptoms.
When seeking advice from a GP, they may suggest:
- Prescriptions for creams and gels you put on your skin
- Taking antibiotics for six to 16 weeks
- IPL (intense pulsed light) treatment – this may not be available on the NHS.
Within her book, Bowser states that topical or applied gels, creams or lotions can give results as good as antibiotics. In addition, a natural remedy used to help reduce redness and inflammation is ginger.
The NHS also recommends wearing a high SPF sun cream of at least SPF 30 everyday, even when inside, avoiding heat and sunlight where possible, covering your face in cold weather and cleaning your eyelids at least once a day to avoid a build-up.
If you do not clean your eyes regularly, and in the proper manner, you run the risk of developing blepharitis – an eye condition that causes red, swollen and itchy eyelids. The NHS recommends following this simple method when cleaning eyes properly:
- Soak a clean flannel or cotton wool in warm water and place on your eye for 10 minutes.
- Gently massage your eyelids for around 30 seconds.
- Clean your eyelids using cotton wool or a cotton bud. It might help to use a small amount of baby shampoo in water.
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