I only very recently discovered these types of discussion forums re. the asian blush and nearly hatched eggs (!) when I read that a little ol indigestion tablet could do the trick!!
Anyway, without wishing to ramble on, I thought I would share my experiences too as I've found the more detailed posts v.useful.
Perhaps at this point, i should also mention that i am korean born but raised mostly in the UK, oh and 25 yr old female
After resigning myself to a lifetime of drinking in dark bars (highly recommend istanbul, the drinking places there are practically pitch black and you don't even have to leave the safe haven of the dark to go to the bar, as they have waiter service as the norm......italy on the other hand favours the unforgiving spotlight type decor which is not helpful to our cause at all!......i digress) I then discovered that having a vodka and coke roughly 2 hours before going out would rid me of any serious flushing later. I would still go v.pink (temperature of room, depending) but being a girl, this wasn't too hard to deal with.
Then, whilst chatting to a friend about it, she suggested trying beta blockers, propanolol 40mg to be precise, and lent me a few to try out.
I thought it would be too good to be true to expect that I wouldn't go red at all but i then discovered that as long as i had my 'preparation' drink beforehand as usual and then took one of these 30-60mins before having another drink (normally the amount of time it takes to reach the drinking location anyway) i didn't have a second redness at all! woohoo!
So this is generally what i've been doing for the last 3 years or so and it works for me as i usually only drink at the weekends on BIG nights out. As a rule, i tend not to have a big meal before a drinking session, just a generous starchy lunch.
Of course, this doesn't solve the more spontaneous, drink-after-work type problem so that, i guess, is where PEPCID comes in.....
And, most probably like most asian-flushees, i immediately sought out some pepcid ac max strength and found some through ebay (arrived within a matter of days) and gave it a whirl.
I've only tried it a few times now, having a few drinks after work and (gasp) food too and found that it does reduce the redness quite well. I'm still pink in the cheeks but, crucially, not red and therefore not really all that noticeable.
And for any girls out there, i also use a brilliant make up which covers the more flushed parts of my face and therefore leaves you feeling much less conscious. It's actually a stage make up called CHARLES FOX: www.charlesfox.co.uk . Just a tip, though, don't slather it on, as i have done in the past, the geisha look can be just as scary!! a little dab does the job nicely.
OK, enough of the make up stuff - it's not fair on the blokes!! But if any of you would like some other make up tips that i've used, then let me know, i'd be more than happy to share :)
Well, think it's time to round up this essay and conclude by saying watch this space.
I'll be trying out the pepcid ac max strength this saturday and keep track of the effects/results.