Flushing on face, neck, chest

[BetteDavis01]

I keep coming out in big red blotches when I feel stressed, anxious and even when I feel excited! It even happens when Im talking to a friend, when I'm not feeling any strong emotion!

I hate it and I feel really self conscious. Is there anything I can do to help? Maybe it's just my skin type. TIA

[BetteDavis01]

Bump

[Squeegle]

I can't really help but just wanted to share that it happens to me too! Are you a red head or fair skinned?

It happens if I am angry, embarrassed, or just sometimes spontaneously. I have a feeling coffe doesn't help- and there is also some hormonal effect- worse at some times of the month and when I was pregnant.

I just try not to worry about it too much, but it is annoying. (I alway flush with alcohol too- very fetching!)

[BetteDavis01]

Thanks for your msg! I find it so embarrassing and I'm really self conscious now.

Yes I am fair skinned.

[freelancescientist]

Me too. I get a nice blotchy rash when I get a bit mithered, but it happens randomly too. My mum used to say 'ooh you've got your nervous rash' which helped ENORMOUSLY of course.
Alcohol makes it worse too.
I tend to wear high necked tops if I'm giving presentations or anything as worrying about it or being conscious of it makes it worse.

[Squeegle]

"ooh you've got your nervous rash". Love it when people do that!!

[whimsy]

I have the same thing, I'm really self conscious about it. It happens for the same reasons. Your not alone

[jellycat]

I get this too - I am fair-skinned and have reddish hair. It happens when I'm hot as well, I flush really bright red! My Mum (a proper redhead before she went white) also suffers from it. I find alcohol and coffee make it worse, and it's worse just before a period. I wondered if it was a perimenopausal symptom (I'm mid-40s and I think it started maybe 3 or 4 years ago). It's infuriating. You could try using a green primer which tones down the red a bit (Boots do one in their No. 7 range).

[BetteDavis01]

In photos of me as a toddler, I've always had pink cheeks. But as I got older it has gotten worse, the blotches creep down my neck, chest and arms. It's awful. I know in the grand scheme of problems it's minor but I hate it!

[amidaiwish]

I get it too. A few years ago I saw a homeopath for DD and happened to mention it. She gave me pulsatilla it definitely helped. I get it whenever slightly hot, even coming out of the shower, not just anxiety or emotion, SO annoying.

[Squeegle]

I am mid 40s too - so maybe it is quite a lot to do with hormones- its definitely getting worse! Eek

Agree it is highly annoying, but suspect we notice it more than anyone else notices it on us

[freelancescientist]

I've had it certainly since puberty so it isn't a perimenopausal thing for me. I'm fair skinned but dark haired.
Really pees me off that I can be pretending to be calm and professional but know I've got huge red blotches crawling up my neck.

[BetteDavis01]

We need to find a cure!

[tb]

Would rescue remedy work? Just a thought.

[tanfastic]

I used to suffer terribly from this and also really sweaty palms. I'd go bright red if anyone talked to me which would creep down my neck onto my chest in blotches. My sweaty palms were the worst problem though so I had keyhole surgery to sort that out and miraculously it cured my blushing and blotching too. Apparently it's the same nerve they sever during surgery which controls both things. So effectively I killed two birds with one stone. Rather drastic cure though!

[Sparklingbroomstick]

Me too. It's one of the reasons i have never been to a MN meet up. I would be blotchy from the waist up.

I find as well that sometimes I feel very red and blotchy, nip to the loo to look only to find I look fine even though my face is burning.

[SugariceAndScary]

I have this, isn't this all to do with rosacea?

OP , do you also flush when you overheat, drink booze and spicy food?

When I got married I was concerned that I would blotch up as I walked up the Aisle.
The GP prescribed a Beta Blocker beginning with A [can't remember it's fill name] and it worked a treat, completely calmed me down and I was blotch free all day!

You can get treatment for it if it is Rosacea, go see the GP..

[Sparklingbroomstick]

I have had Rosacea when I was a glowing beacon the whole time. Thankfully I just now flash on and off.

[SugariceAndScary]

It's awful isn't it.

It affects what I choose to wear and how I interact with people if I can feel the warmth starting in my cheeks [hblush].

We were out Friday and had curry and booze, by the time I was in the queue at the cinema I was glowing for England despite being very relaxed.

[SugariceAndScary]

I am actually blotchy chested now sat at the Computer, I will have to start stripping off!

[Sparklingbroomstick]

I went out with my closest friend for lunch the other day and it started. It stopped me enjoying my meal. I get like it if I have to be assertive on the phone too.

Once it starts and I am aware of it, it seems to get ten times worse. I wear a scarf keep trying to cover it all up.

Not too blotchy at the minute though....

[BetteDavis01]

The fact that it happens to me spontaneously makes me think it's not totally an anxiety issue, however, it has become an anxiety issue in social & work situations. I hate it so much!

Surgery seems too drastic for me at the moment, but I would not rule it out. I would LOVE to put a strapless dress on, but I just can't.

So, beta blockers or surgery seem to be the only cures

[BetteDavis01]

Yes I do flush when I overheat, drink alcohol and eat spicy food. I think for me, its partly physicial and partly psychological. I think I do suffer from anxiety, I've been told by a few people that I am 'highly strung'

[Sparklingbroomstick]

It was so bad one day my ears were burning too.