Your face becomes flushed when blood rushes to the blood vessels on the surface area of the face. Know its major causes and learn the best treatments to rid it.
Abrupt, unexplained reddening of the skin can be incredibly humiliating and worrying. This is referred to as blushing and is generally a standard action if ashamed, angered or experiencing distress or any other strong feelings. Flushing of the face may be accompanied by inflammation on the neck, arms, and chest. This occurs due to dilation of the capillary under the surface area of the skin.
Redness of the face, sweating, feeling hot, itchy skin and blisters on the face are common facial symptoms that accompany a flushed face. However, some other symptoms may hardly ever occur with flushing. These consist of stress and anxiety, lightheadedness, diarrhea, fatigue, and heart palpitations. If the flushing is not experienced only temporarily and if the flushing is accompanied by some of the rarer symptoms mentioned above, it might be a result of an underlying medical condition that needs medical treatment.
The Causes of a Flushing Face
Flushing in the face is induced by the blood hurrying through the capillary under the surface of the skin and can be the result of a wide range of causes. Below are some of the most probable causes of why you may get a flushed face.
- Emotion: Extreme happiness, enjoyment, anger, high levels of physical exertion or sexual arousal can cause the face to flush. These feelings raise the heartbeat, thereby increasing the blood pressure to the face. The redness seen in peoples’ faces when they experience any emotion is brought on by blood rushing to the brain that undoubtedly bypasses the face on its way up.
- Temperature level: Extreme cold and extreme winds can lead to a flushed, rosy face. This occurs when the body tries to control the temperature to keep the internal organs warm. Although severe cold resulting from hypothermia causes the face to end up being blue, direct exposure to cold winds will leave your face with a flushed appearance.
- Hypertension: Flushing of the face might be caused by high blood pressure or hypertension. This happens due to blocked or narrowed arteries that are not able to pump blood. A flushed face takes place because the heart pumps harder and raises blood pressure.
- Menopause: Facial flushing is incredibly typical in women going through menopause. Hot flashes frequently accompany this. This is since the hypothalamus fools the brain into believing that the body temperature level is too high. This causes the brain to increase blood circulation resulting in a flushing face and feeling of heat. The changes in temperature are intensified with the drop in estrogen production throughout menopause.
- Exercise: Flushing prevails when doing laborious exercises. This increases heart rate and blood pressure. The heart rate and blood pressure increase when the body adjusts the blood flow to carry excess oxygen and blood to the muscles. Flushing face arises from the quick flow of blood to carry out the demands of the body during a workout.
- Alcohol: Alcohol usage causes redness in the face. Although alcohol is not a stimulant, it causes the dilation of a capillary, hence resulting in a flushed face.
- Rosacea: is a typical skin disease. It often starts with a tendency to blush or flush more easily than other individuals.
More about Rosacea and Face Flushing
The soreness can slowly spread beyond the nose and cheeks to the forehead and chin. Even the ears, chest, and back can be red all the time.
Rosacea can trigger more than soreness. There are numerous symptoms and signs that rosacea has 4 subtypes:
- Erythematotelangiectatic rosacea: Redness, flushing, visible blood vessels.
- Papulopustular rosacea: Redness, swelling, and acne-like breakouts.
- Phymatous rosacea: Skin thickens and has a bumpy texture.
- Ocular rosacea: Eyes red and inflamed, eyelids can be swollen, and person may have what looks like a sty.
With time, people who have rosacea often see irreversible soreness in the center of their face.
Treatment and Prevention
Relief from facial flushing depends upon what is triggering the flushing. Some causes, like menopause and inflammation of the face when exercising, is beyond control. Likewise, any flushing due to feelings will be momentary. Nevertheless, as pointed out above, if a flushed face is due to the velocity of the heartbeat and pressure, then take steps to keep the heart rate down and the blood pressure at normal levels. Prevent exposure to cold windy too.
Medical recommendations may be required if the reason for the flushed face is unidentified. For example, carcinoid syndrome, a rare disease may trigger the inflammation of the face. This takes place due to a tumor in the lungs or gastrointestinal tract that triggers the dilation of the capillary. Typical problems with light skin that flushes quickly can be handled with a bronzer or a tan. Cooling down with a hand-held fan or iced water might also prevent extreme flushing of the face.
