Who is Lex Gillies? Beauty blogger who ditched gluten and dairy to combat rosacea flare ups – all you need to know
MORTIFIED blogger Lex Gillies was left red-faced after a common skin condition left colleagues thinking she fancied the boss.
The 32-year-old blogger suffers rosacea, which causes red flushing to the face - similar to when a person blushes.
But who is Lex Gillies, what causes rosacea and how does she fight hers? Here's what you need to know...
Who is Lex Gillies?
Lex is a beauty blogger from Canning Town, east London, who documents her battle with rosacea on her blog and Instagram account.
She runs the blog, which she says she started up when she was made redundant and needed something to keep her "sane on the internet".
When Lex, 32, first noticed the red blotches of appearing, the then uni student blamed late night partying and a poor diet.
But, soon her face started to flare-up on a daily basis.
And despite trying to use make up to hide the flushes, she was unable to tame the redness.
Her confidence plummeted and Lex was left feeling embarrassed when a former boss assumed she was blushing because she secretly fancied him.
Now, she has made drastic changes to her lifestyle, ditching gluten and dairy, and avoiding stress and heat where possible.
And the result is fewer flare ups helping Lex learn to embrace her skin.
Lex said: "My face looked like a tomato and it was impossible to tell when the flare ups would happen.
"After I found out there wasn't a cure for rosacea I was devastated, the condition was ruining my life."
At first the beauty blogger said she struggled to know how to tame her skin, having to deal with horrible pimples, and scaly, red patches.
People assumed she was sunburned, but her embarrassment reached new heights when a work pal assumed she fancied the boss.
"I had just had a normal work-related conversation but, as stress is a huge trigger for me, my rosacea flared up as I had wanted to come across to him well," she recalled.
"As my boss walked away, my colleague said very loudly, 'Look how red Lex has gone! I think someone might have a crush on the boss'."
Mortified that her colleagues and boss had heard, Lex couldn't even respond.
Normally, she said she will reply to people's jibes with, "no, it's an incurable skin condition but thanks for drawing attention to it".
What is rosacea?
Rosacea is a common but poorly understood skin condition, that typically affects the face.
It causes red flushing to the cheeks.
Other symptoms include:
- burning and stinging sensations
- permanent redness
- spots
- small blood vessels in the skin becoming visible.
The exact cause of the condition is not known, but one suggestion is that abnormalities in the blood vessels is to blame.
Other triggers include exposure to sunlight, stress, strenuous exercise, hot or cold weather, hot drinks, alcohol and caffeine.
There is no cure for the skin condition but various treatments and steps can help reduce flare ups.
They including avoiding known triggers, creams and gels and oral medications.
What triggers Lex's rosacea and how does she combat it?
While each rosacea sufferer will experience different triggers, for Lex the key one was stress - the "hardest one to avoid".
"The main trigger for me was definitely stress," she said.
"But there are also other factors that affect my skin which include extremes of temperature, hot drinks, hot showers, alcohol, spicy food, energy drinks and flying.
"Winter was always the worst time of year for me, going from the warm indoors to freezing temperatures outside would turn my face bright red."
When she finally went to see her doctor about the changes she had noticed to her skin, she hoped a cream or drug would help it disappear.
But, she was told there is no cure.
"I refused to leave the house without make up on and I was left with no confidence," she said.
"I had an interview for an amazing job and got myself so worked up and worried that when I woke up on the morning of the interview my face was purple, swollen, and so hot and itchy I could barely think straight."
Despite wanting to hide away all day she made it to the interview.
"I have never felt so self-conscious in my life and I couldn't stop wondering throughout the interview if they could see my skin and what they were thinking," she recalled.
"It was horrible, but thankfully I haven't had anything as bad since and my make-up skills have definitely improved so I would hope that I could now cover most issues."
Desperate for help she turned her attention to researching how to reduce her flare ups.
One doctor suggested alternative techniques, such as meditation to combat stress and running her wrists under cold water to cool her body temperature.
"I did my own research too and decided to cut out dairy and gluten from my diet and avoided anything that made me overly hot, and it worked," Lex said.
"I even stopped straightening my hair or drinking too much, but it worked, slowly my skin started to improve and the flare ups would be less frequent.
"I now only get flares up twice every month and I am finally comfortable with the way I look."
Lex now writes her blog, talontedlex.co.uk to give others with rosacea advise on how to live with the condition.
"I want people to know that you don't have to let it rule your life," she added.
MOST READ IN LIVING
