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 What is facial blushing?

Blushing results from an increase in superficial facial blood volume: blood vessels in the skin dilate, and red blood cells color the skin red. The area of skin that can blush is usually restricted to the face, ears, and neck, and in rare cases, the upper body. This dilation of the blood vessels is involuntary. Stress can increase the activity in the autonomic nervous system. People who have elevated levels of catecholamines tend to have anxiety, bouts of rapid heart beat, stage fright and panic attacks.

The blushing occurs because the brain releases chemicals which have receptors in the vessels in the face. When these vessels receive the chemicals, they dilate and the result is more blood rushing through them and a resulting red or flushed face.  Blushing appears to be an involuntary sympathetic nervous system response. Therefore it is not possible to control or stop it voluntarily. This makes facial blushing unpredictable. It can happen even when alone, watching TV or talking on the phone. However facial blushing is mostly associated with public interactions. Public speaking can especially induce facial blushing.

Unfortunately, others can misinterpret facial blushing as a sign of sickness or embarrassment. This in turn can cause the person to avoid social contacts and situations that would stimulate blushing. People who suffer from facial blushing are constantly aware of this problem and have difficulty concentrating.

Facial blushing has enormous social ramifications limiting ones ability to succeed in life. These people become self-conscious and develop a low self-esteem. This could affect every aspect of their lives including career goals, academic achievements and social life.

In severe cases, facial blushing may cause social anxiety syndrome (SAD), social phobias, and depression or drug dependency. This could severely affect one’s ability to deal with life’s daily stresses.

Blushing starts as early as three years of age. At that age we become aware that others can observe us. Most people, however, do not remember blushing before the age of five. Normally the intensity and frequency of blushing peaks in teenage years and decreases with age. However, even very old people can blush, and the amount of blushing varies greatly between individuals.

One ironic effect of the fear of blushing is that the fear itself can increase the activity of the autonomic nervous system, thus increasing the likelihood of blushing. The more you are afraid of blushing in front of someone important, the more likely it is that a compliment from that person will deeply color your face red. This may turn into a vicious circle.