Flushed Skin

Skin flushing or blushing, is nothing but occasional reddening of the face or entire body, due to some emotions or health ailment. Embarrassment, anxiety and anger are some of the emotional conditions that lead to skin flushing. Flushed skin is basically caused due to dilation of the blood vessels present in the skin. Sometimes it is also caused due to some activity of the nerves and at such times it is associated with sweating. Other than emotional states, there are various medical conditions that may cause flushing of the skin and given below are some of its causes, along with its symptoms and treatment.

Causes

Given below are some of the major causes of flushed skin.

Rosacea: It is a chronic health ailment that inflames the skin on the nose, chin, forehead, cheeks and eyelids. Thus, this skin ailment affects the skin of the face. The skin of such patients is very red in color and they have a tendency to blush or flush easily. The skin is also affected by swelling and skin eruptions, similar to acne. Watery eyes, bloodshot, bulbous nose, etc., are some other symptoms of rosacea.

Carcinoid Syndrome: Carcinoid syndrome is basically a group of symptoms that includes carcinoid tumors of colon, appendix, bronchial tubes and small intestine. Though there are no major symptoms of carcinoid tumors, bright red flushing of the face is one of the signs of having carcinoid tumors.

Niacin Overdose: Flushing is one of the major symptoms of too much niacin (vitamin B3) in the body. Niacin overdose symptoms are observed in people who take medications for lowering cholesterol and lipid fats in the body. Flushing caused due to niacin overdose can last for few minutes to several hours and depends on the amount of niacin saturated in the body.

Menopause: Almost 80% of women experience flushing during the menopause period. Hot flashes that last for a few seconds to an hour may be experienced by women going through menopause phase. The flushing experienced during menopause is called vasomotor flush, since the flushing starts from the chest, then to the neck and further to the entire face.

Alcohol: Flushing after drinking alcohol can be observed in almost 50% of the population who drinks. This phenomenon can be prominently observed in Asian descendants. When a person drinks alcohol, dehydrogenase enzyme is produced in the body. This enzyme converts the ethanol in the alcohol into acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is the chemical that causes all the hangover symptoms after drinking alcohol. These include, drowsiness, nausea and headaches. But in some people this chemical can also cause dilation of the blood capillaries and that further lead to flushing.

Other causes include the following:

• Medications
• Fever
• Sexual arousal
• Inflammation
• Caffeine consumption
• Histamines
• Recreational drugs
• Spicy food

Treatment

The treatment varies according to the cause that lead to the redness of the skin. Before going for any treatment, one should find out the reason for skin flushing. Bright sunlight, extreme temperatures, spicy food, alcohol, etc., are some of the triggering factors. So, avoid consumption of such foods and drinks. If you are having persistent skin flushing, then make an appointment with the doctor and get the problem diagnosed. Flushed skin due to emotional conditions can be treated with hypnosis and meditation.

It is recommended that since there are so many possible reasons of skin flushing, one should first find out the reason for flushing and then take appropriate treatment. I hope this article will prove useful to you.