Blushing and flushing

If your face is too red most of the time, look at the section on red face.

Flushing of the cheeks and nose (and sometimes the forehead and chin) is a normal emotional response. This is why it is annoying and can be embarrassing. Without our permission, our body is giving away emotions which we may prefer to keep secret – we may not want the world to know that we feel anxious, excited or ashamed.

 

In an experiment, people watched a video of shoppers who, by mistake, toppled a display of toilet rolls. The shoppers who looked embarrassed and tried to replace the rolls were rated more highly by the viewers. So psychologists think that blushing acts as a sort of unconscious public apology when we do something wrong, showing that we are upset and making people more likely to forgive us.
 

Written by: Dr Margaret Stearn
Edited by: Dr Margaret Stearn
Last updated: Friday, February 26th 2010

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Comments on this article

Posted by chrissy on 26/02/2010 at 10:55:32 am

Hi, I have had this problem for ages,but i guess its got worse since i left my husband and applied for a divorce that was in 2006!!I have a good job where i have to be confident every day.I can go for days without it happening but all of a sudden without any warning my face can go so red,can just be having a normal conversation with someone,and as you know i can feel myself getting hotter and hotter and my face would go or feel my face go really red.I suffer from anxiety but I really try not to let it rule my life.I guess i'll give the green cream a try,but really its just excepting that it happens there is nothing wrong with it and it's good to know that you're not the only person suffering from it.Good luck to everyone trying to overcome it.

Posted by kirsty on 23/02/2010 at 09:44:19 am

hi everybody. I am the same. If I am drunk it tends to not be noticed as much and that is why I drink so much which is the wrong idea. My face always goes red whether I am embarressed or not. Even sometimes in the street if somebody I know says hi I will blush an awful lot. It has stopped me from being myself and feeling confident yet when I am with people I feel comfortable around, I don't blush. When I do blush people will say to me look you're going red and that will make me go red even more. I think to get over this problem you have to accept it and to do that it means you have to admit to it. For example lately I am at college and people have been saying look you're going red and my answer to that is yes I am but it's not because I am embarressed it happens all the time. I just try to explain to them the way it is and they seem to listen although they may not understand properly. Just everytime somebody says it to you jut say yes I know but it's not because I am embarressed and try to explain the way you are feeling at the time. Hopefully this will help and also if you are having a good day and feeling good about yourself, the more cxomfidence you will have.

Posted by Chrissie on 10/01/2010 at 03:38:00 pm

My night sweats restarted after I came off HRT. I have tried natural Progesterine cream and lots of herbal remedies. My GP says my problem is no longer hormonal. I am so tired as I wake up several times a night and a few seconds after waking I start to sweat, all over my head and chest mainly. I am wondering whether this has become a nervous response. Has anyone got any advice ? I would be so grateful. Thank you.

Posted by sam on 27/10/2009 at 03:55:00 pm

Flushing and blushing are NOT two words for the same thing! Blushing is facial. Flushing can be systemic.

Posted by Geraldine on 14/10/2009 at 11:32:00 am

Having read Anne's letter, I am almost the same as her. When I wake I immediately become overheated and sweat. Throughout the day I burn up mostly 30 minutes apart, sometimes up to 2 hours apart if I'm outside. I have a sort of panic attack with it as I'm so hot and take my cardigan off, only to freeze and put it back on again. It is so stressful and there's no peace in my life. I get into the car and have to wait until I cool down before I can drive and have to drive in just a t-shirt to avoid the sweats and my husband has to be with me to open and close the windows and adjust the air vent. There seems to be no help. As a child I used to blush all the time and I used green face powder when I grew up, but as I gained confidence this went. I was persuaded to take up smoking to give myself confidence, but it was GIVING UP SMOKING that gave me confidence and made me realise I was as good as anyone. I smoked from age 18 to 28 and I'm now 66. Passed my driving test in Sept 2009!

Posted by Anonynmous on 10/06/2009 at 01:37:00 am

I dont get red or hot flushes throughout the day but when i try to talk to people that maybe i bump into on the street that i know or even friends i tend to get flushes then like embarrassiment. I have had it for a while, but seems to be getting worse. Sometimes I can feel comfy in front of people but mostly like this, I am not really shy, or unconfident or dont experience the problem when it is darker or i am drunk, what is the problem does anyone know?

Posted by Anonymous on 10/04/2009 at 06:36:00 pm

I have the same problem as Anne. The moment I wake up I have a hot flash that last 1-2 minutes. I will have them sometimes throughout the day. Has anyone had a 24hr. urine test for carcinoids? How about thyroid? If so, what did they find?

Posted by Lissa on 10/04/2009 at 06:03:00 pm

I have the exact same problem as Anne posted below. As soon as I wake up and move, I have a hot flash and will sometimes continue to have them throughout the day. Like Anne my hormone level is fine. I want to have a 24hr. urine to check for what might be the problem. This should show something. Hopefully, not a tumour as it checks for carcinoids. Also, thyroid is being ruled out. Would like to know if Anne has discovered anything.

Posted by reddner on 06/04/2009 at 06:43:00 pm

So good to ask someone about this. Thank you. I am, believe it or not, a confident person. But at work, when someone I know is of strong character, usually male and testosterone fuelled, and says or asks a personal question, I blushed beyond acceptable reason. everyone at the table will comment or blatantly point. I am at the stage where I say, "I know I am scarlet but blah blah". I would love to not be red and I think it will add to my credibility when responding. One friend advised, curl your toes, you feel slight pain so its a mild distraction without delineating from the subject. I have yet to fully try it but I think its a trier. Any other suggestions, I would be most grateful.

Posted by annom on 05/04/2009 at 12:21:00 am

i had this problem aswell.i started buying this miosturiser,its green,and its in a small green tube,rimmel make it.its to stop the redness in your face.rub it in to your face(when you rub it in its not green anymore,you wouldnt notice it) apparantly the green stop the red from showing up,i dont know how it works,but it worked for me and gave me back my confidence,i still feel myself go red but nobody can tell... hope this helps

Posted by Anonymous on 30/03/2009 at 05:41:00 pm

im 14 and i have a problem. i always go bright red, when im embarresed or even when im not embarresed. when people say 'your going red' it makes me go even more red. i hate it because i feel all hot and sweaty. people always make fun of me. its getting me down,and i dont feel convident anymore. i want to be a fashion model and its stopping me to go to model agencies. i dont want to go to the doctors but what can i do to stop it. please help!

Posted by Anne on 11/03/2009 at 09:47:00 am

I have been having horrendous episodes of sweating for the last 18 months. I wake up in the morning and as soon as I start moving this sweating starts. My body is bright red and I feel as if I am about to blow up I am so hot. These are not hot flushes my oestrogen level is OK. (on HRT) these flushes can last up to 4 hours and then I will cool down and then shiver with the cold for a further 3-4 hours. No doctors can help me. They havent a clue what is wrong. Does anybody else have anything like this.

Posted by Anonymous on 28/02/2009 at 08:03:00 pm

why is my face always red

Posted by Anonymous on 31/01/2009 at 11:18:00 pm

my son is male and 33. he was brought up to be polite etc., However when at work his colleagues criticise him for being too nice to customers ( they obviously dont know the difference between too nice or polite he blushes...... this in turn causes him to sweat slightly... to the point he wanted to leave his job. i talked to him and told him not to let these stupid people change him...... everyone has polite words to say about him. he lives far away now and is married yet his confidence is suffering due to his workmates. hence causing him to be paranoid about body odour.... washing his clothes more. i feel this is now an anxiety problem and he should see his gp. am i right to suggest same. thank you.