Medical Reports: Perk up your skin

WSVN -- Maria Huertas was blessed with practically flawless skin until her son was born.

Maria Huertas: "A few days later I started to realize my face was flushed, it was red, people kept asking what's wrong, do you suffer from high blood pressure?"

Turned out she suffered from a very common skin condition called rosacea.

Maria Huertas: "Over 12 million people have rosacea and it's very common in areas such as South Florida where you get a lot of sun exposure."

Dr. Leslie Baumann, Professor of Dermatology at the University of Miami, says rosacea is caused when dilated blood vessels lose their ability to shrink back down.

Dr. Leslie Baumann: "Rosacea is not curable but it is very controllable especially if you catch it early."

Now there's a new weapon in the fight against rosacea and it's found right in your morning cup of coffee.

Dr. Leslie Baumann: "Caffeine works by being an anti-oxidant, which means it gets rid of inflammation, and it helps to get those blood vessels to shrink back down."

Caffeine constricts blood vessels, reduces redness and acts as an anti-inflammatory.

Dr. Leslie Baumann: "My skin is soft, my skin doesn't look like it's cracking, it's not red anymore."

Dr. Baumann put Maria on a new topical treatment called Replenix CF. Caffeine tops the list of ingredients and drinking coffee is another way to get the benefits. But if you're prone to facial flushing, stick to iced coffee instead.

Now Maria isn't afraid to put her best face forward.

Dr. Leslie Baumann: "Because your face is the first impression, it's the package and you want to make sure it looks properly."

Another added bonus: Caffeine also fights cellulite by dehydrating fat cells. So look for it in new treatments.

Dr. Leslie Baumann
Prof. of Dermatology at the University of Miami
Miami Heart Institute
4701 North Meridian Avenue
Nichol Building, Suite 7450
Miami Beach, FL 33140
Tel: 305-532-5552

www.skintypesolutions.com
www.rosacea.org