Moon Face: What can I do about a puffy face?

There is really nothing you can do except be grateful you are (hopefully) out of pain. Maybe inquire about a diuretic? It sucks having moon face, I am sorry you are suffering from it. I did for a long time....

You were started on an extremely high dose of prednisone and a moon face is a common side effect of steroids. I suspect it is one of many side-effects you struggle with, it just happens to be obvious to so many. Continue to come down based on the advise of your doctor.

Being self-conscious is normal, however try to understand there is nothing you can do. If you feel comfortable you might mention it - like "sorry about my moon face, however the steroids are really helping my autoimmune problems so I'm thinking it is the least of my problems."

Mentioning PMR by name will get you into a conversation of "What is PMR? " Very few people have ever heard of it and rather than moving past your moon face you will find that the conversation is stuck on it. I wish you success on your journey, PMR has taught me so much about myself. Learn to have a sense of humor, it will help you thru the rough spots. Enjoy what you can and forget the rest.

@nothatkaren, There is another discussion on the moon face side effect of prednisone that you might want to read through to learn what others have shared.
-- Facial puffiness? PMR/GCA on Prednisone/Actemra
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/facial-puffiness-pmrgca-on-prednisoneactemra/

Unfortunately that will last until you get down to a much smaller dosage. Think of the alternative.
Better a moon face with no pain than the other way around.

Go on youtube and you will find Danielle Collins, the Face Yoga expert. She has lots of free videos on improving fascial tone. Worked for me, you can easily do the exercises a few times a day. Don't believe those that say nothing can be done.

@nothatkaren,

The moon face will gradually go away as you taper to a lower dose of prednisone, usually less then about 20 mg. Unfortunately comes with the territory with such a high dose. Tell your friends and relatives about your condition and that it is temporary. Best wishes on your health journey!

This is very interesting. Hope nothatkaren tries it and reports back to us on success.

It is also important to reduce food intake as we are are not able to exercise as much as usual. I am not a believer in the low/zero carb diet in that respect. Much better to just reduce what you already eat by a small percentage. Carbs are needed for brain function, something many don't realise, hence the brain fog often reported. These are only my personal research assumptions.

I didn't have a huge moon face but I had a slight one that didn't concern me too much. I somewhat wish that I would have had a bigger moon face when I was on high doses of prednisone. When I didn't seem to have very many "noticeable side effects" from prednisone, I was lulled into thinking I wasn't having any "serious side effects" from prednisone.

This is just my take on side effects from prednisone. I think there are more serious side effects that aren't as noticeable! Learn everything you can about exogenous Cushing syndrome to better understand what too much Prednisone does to people.
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000410.htm
------------------
I'm not saying to stop taking Prednisone because pain and chronic inflammation is just as bad if not worse than prednisone side effects. I just take issue with classifying Prednisone as a "miracle medication." There are many downsides to taking Prednisone. I only wish there were better treatment options available for PMR/GCA .

A moon face should decrease and is reversible as your prednisone dose decreases. Some prednisone side effects aren't as easy to reverse. Don't decrease or increase prednisone without medical supervision.

I agree ... whatever works for people! I tried some yoga too but not for my moon face.
Namaste