Redee Patch for alcohol flushing
Product Reviews

Redee Patch Alcohol Flush Support Review | Redee Solutions

After reviewing a different alcohol flush support product called Sunset, I thought I’d give Redee Patch a try! I’ve never tried any sort of patch before. Does Redee Patch really stop Asian Flush? Did it really help reduce my alcohol flush reaction? Or am I stuck with a red face from alcohol forever?Check out my review below!

What is a Redee Patch?

Redee Patches are just that – patches! These are used to combat alcohol flushing symptoms, or Asian flush (or even Asian Glow, it’s got lots of names!) I’ve dealt with Asian flush my whole life as it’s usually passed down through family members. Unfortunately, this means it’s pretty hard to avoid developing.

Redee patch

For those who don’t know what alcohol flushing is, firstly: you’re so lucky. Secondly, it’s basically an issue with the way your body deals with alcohol. This gets a bit science-y so bare with me.

What is Asian Flush?

Now obviously I’m not an expert, or a doctor, but I’ve done some research on the subject since I’ve experienced it myself.

In a regular body, your system deals with alcohol in a pretty systematic way. A liver enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) first works to break down the alcohol into a toxic chemical called acetaldehyde (try saying that 5 times fast). Because it’s harmful, you really don’t want acetaldehyde to hang around in your system. That’s why the second enzyme, aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2), converts acetaldehyde in the liver into acetate, a harmless compound. Great! So we can enjoy a few drinks while our body deals with the internal-sciencey stuff and we are none the wiser. We may still experience a hangover the next day, but at least we’re able to enjoy drinks in the moment without getting a red face from alcohol.

What about those with Asian Flush?

For those of us that deal with Asian flush, our body doesn’t handle alcohol properly like everyone else. Most of us will get a bright red face very quickly. Once we drink, the alcohol is converted to acetaldehyde, however the next step doesn’t happen effectively enough. Our system can’t break down the toxic acetaldehyde into something harmless, so it ends up hanging around in our body and causing problems.

So those really embarrassing and uncomfortable symptoms are your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. Your body definitely doesn’t want acetaldehyde hanging around.

My usual alcohol flushing symptoms are things like red facial flushing, headaches, dizziness and sometimes even flushing on my neck and shoulders. As you can imagine, it’s really obvious when I start flushing and it’s not something you can easily hide. In addition to flushing, headaches and dizziness, other people with Asian flush may experience:

  • restricted breathing
  • red eyes
  • increased heart rate
  • nausea

What a fun condition to have! As you can imagine, I tend to just avoid alcohol because the experience of Asian flush is too annoying and uncomfortable. It’s better to just avoid the whole thing than deal with the symptoms (and the comments from people who don’t understand.)

Redee Patch for alcohol flushing

What’s Redee Patches like?

What’s interesting is that it’s in patch form, rather than having to take any type of pill or capsule. I would imagine this means that it should start working much faster since it doesn’t have to travel through your digestive system. It’s also helpful for those who physically struggle swallowing capsules.

The main worry when drinking with Asian Glow is the build up of acetaldehyde due to a lacking ALDH2 enzyme, but Redee says it was ” specifically formulated to include ingredients like NAC, l-theanine and milk thistle extract that support and activate the ALDH2 enzyme. Increased enzyme activity means less acetaldehyde causing damage and redness in your body.”

The patches themselves are individually sealed and you can can order either 6, 12 or 30 patches per pack. The instructions say to apply 1-2 patches to a dry, hairless portion of your upper body. It should be about 20-30 mins before you want to drink alcohol and should last about 12 hours.

But did Redee work? The sad answer is: No.

I decided to try Redee patches first at home, in case my symptoms still flared up, and I’m very glad I did! I applied two patches 30 minutes before my first drink as instructed, but my red facial flushing and headaches came through full-force. To be honest, I didn’t notice much of a difference in my symptoms between wearing the patches or not. I also tried it a second time on a different occasion (at home again) and experienced the same thing.

While it’s an inexpensive option (12 patches for $20 USD), it didn’t work at all for me.

What was a little bit confusing was that the below video has been passed around loads with the idea that Redee worked well! But if you actually watch the video (and stick around until the end) you’ll see that both girls trying Redee turned red when drinking.

What’s in a Redee Patch?

Redee patches alcohol flush support ingredients: Glutathione, N-Acetyl Cysteine, L-theanine, Vitamin C, B Vitamins (B1, B5, B6, B9), Alpha-Lipoic Acid, Holy Basil, Milk Thistle Extract and Cosmoperine.

Like with other supplements/medical stuff I’ve tried, I’m a bit more interested in the specific ingredients than I would be with some run-of-the-mill foundation or toner. Below are some details about the ingredients from Redee’s website:

Glutathione – binds to the carcinogenic acetaldehyde, turning it into harmless acetate. Your liver’s supply of glutathione quickly runs out when consuming alcohol, leading to a buildup of acetaldehyde in your body. Redee provides you with a constant supply of glutathione throughout your drinking to detoxify the acetaldehyde that triggers the flushing.

N-Acetyl Cysteine – a powerful antioxdiant which your body converts to glutathione  

L-theanine – an amino acid naturally found in green tea, used to help accelerate the breakdown of acetaldehyde. Theanine can also block toxic free radicals caused by alcohol and prevent the depletion of glutathione  

Alpha-Lipoic Acid – has been found to increase the activity of the ALDH2 enzyme in cells  

Holy Basil – an “anti-inflammatory and anti-histamine superstar”. People take Zantac and Pepcid because they’re H2 (histamine) blockers which restrict histamine release in your face. Holy basil, a sacred plant of India, offers a natural, safe alternative to Zantac

Milk Thistle Extract – a plant that works as a liver detoxifier and works to decrease and even reverse damage to the liver through regeneration of liver cells. Milk thistle also protects against depletion of glutathione in the body   Cosmoperine® – Developed by Sabinsa Corporation, Cosmoperine is a metabolite of black pepper which enhances the absorption of supplements through the skin

Vitamin Ingredients

Vitamin C – reduce alcohol-induced oxidative stress, maintain blood-levels of glutathione and improve the antioxidant protection ability of the blood  

B Vitamins (B1, B5, B6, B9) – The enzyme responsible for removing acetaldehyde from the body is completely B1 dependent. Vitamin B1 is depleted when you drink alcohol, leaving your enzyme without a major nutrient it needs to work. Supplementing with B1 along with other B-complex vitamins has been shown to reduce the harmful effects of acetaldehyde

Redee patches

What Does a Redee Patch Feel Like?

Like I said, the patches really didn’t work for me. My annoying Asian flush symptoms flared up massively after drinking which made for an uncomfortable night.

I’ve never wore a patch product before, either, so that was a first. I put mine on my shoulder which ended up feeling a bit weird. Although swallowing pills can be annoying, at least it’s over with immediately and you don’t feel it for the rest of the night. I wore a shirt that would cover the patch but I could see it peek through as I moved. You would need to find a good placement on your back, perhaps, to keep the patch hidden. Or wear long-sleeves. Otherwise, you’ll be spending your evening out explaining to everyone why you’re wearing a patch. A weird conversation to have with strangers at a bar!

Dr Kenny also has a Youtube video that I watched. It looks like it’s about Redee Patch but he actually never gives his opinion on it. He talks in-depth about why you should avoid using medicines like Pepcid AC for Asian Flush (which is super important) but doesn’t share his experiences with Redee Patches. Instead, he simply says to check out their website for yourself.

Maybe Redee sent him patches to try and when they didn’t work for him, they asked him not to share his opinion in the video? Who knows.

Final Verdict on Redee Patch for Asian Flush

Unfortunately, the Redee patch for alcohol flush support didn’t work for me. What a shame! Even after multiple tries, my Asian flush symptoms came through strong and proud – headaches, red facial flushing and some dizziness. This makes drinking alcohol an overall uncomfortable and embarrassing experience (as it usually is). While it’s an inexpensive product, it wasn’t worth the money. I’m just really disappointed that it didn’t work.

Emma x

4 Comments

  • Jimmy

    I’ve tried the patch and it didn’t work. Flush, congestion, accelerated heart rate. All the same symptoms after using the patch. Yes, I used it 30-45 mins before. And yes, not on an empty stomach.

    • Emma

      Hey Jimmy – I feel you. Out of the Asian Flush stuff I’ve tried so far, I think the patch was the least effective. I still find Sunset the best so far – I did a review on them, too.

    • Emma

      Hey Jen – I don’t really like using Pepcid because it’s not meant for Asian Flush, hence why I was trying out different products specifically for this condition. So far Sunset has been the best one for reducing symptoms. Plus it’s made for Asian Flush so it makes me feel better about using it, if that makes sense!

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