Flushed Face? 11 Reasons Your Face Gets Red

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Have you ever suddenly felt your face flush or cheeks turn red, but didn't know why?

A flushed face can be common with embarrassment, stress, or overheating. But there are many other causes, like drinking too much alcohol, medications, and even menopause. Persistent face redness can be a sign of an underlying medical condition, like lupus, Cushing's syndrome, or mast cell activation syndrome, an unusual type of hypersensitivity.

Skin flushing happens when tiny blood vessels in your skin widen and fill with blood. In lighter skin tones, flushing appears pink or red and feels warm. People with darker skin tones may not notice a change in skin color. They may just feel flushed and warm. No matter who you are, frequent facial flushing can feel uncomfortable and embarrassing, and knowing the underlying cause can help.

Here are 11 common reasons for a red face.

1. Strong emotions

Most people have experienced the blushing that happens with embarrassment. It's not entirely clear why it happens, but it's likely related to the body's fight-or-flight response to stressful situations.

Embarrassment isn't the only emotion that can cause facial redness. Anxiety, stress, and anger can, too.

2. Alcohol

Drinking alcohol can cause a flushed face in some people. It's known as an "alcohol flush reaction." Why this happens in some people and not others boils down to genetics. More specifically, it has to do with how effectively a person's enzymes can process the alcohol that they drink.

For people who are slow at processing alcohol, a byproduct of alcohol - acetaldehyde - builds up in the blood. This causes blood vessels to widen, making you feel and look flushed, hot, and uncomfortable. It's like a small allergic reaction.

Some people may experience additional symptoms, like a racing heart, headache, or nausea.

3. Being hot or overly heated

Heat - like from hot weather or exercise - can also cause facial flushing. When your body is hot, one way it cools off is to dilate (widen) blood vessels. This lets more blood get near the skin surface to release heat and cool the body. Because more blood is near the skin surface, it makes the skin look flushed.

4. Spicy foods

For some people, spicy foods like hot sauce and chili peppers cause flushing after eating them. This is caused by capsaicin, the chemical compound that gives peppers their spicy flavor and heat. If you have rosacea, spicy foods can also trigger flushing.

5. Menopause

Menopause is when a woman stops menstruating. It usually happens gradually between the ages of 40 and 58. During menopause, and the time leading up to it (perimenopause), ovaries slowly stop producing hormones.

These hormonal changes can lead to hot flashes and flushing, commonly to the face, neck, and chest. Flashes typically last for a few minutes. They may occur along with sweating or chills afterward.

6. Medication reactions

Sometimes, facial flushing can be caused by the medications or supplements you take. Somecommon medications that cause flushing are:

• Calcium channel blockers (like amlodipine)

• Vasodilators (like lisinopril)

• Niacin (vitamin B3), present in many daily supplements

• Tamoxifen

• Vancomycin

But this isn't the whole list. So if you recently started a new medication or supplement and notice facial flushing, check in with a healthcare professional.

Then there are medications that can cause photosensitivity - a sunburn-like reaction when you spend time in the sun without sunscreen. Here are some examples of medications that cause photosensitivity:

• Certain antibiotics like doxycycline

• Isotretinoin

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like naproxen

• Thiazide diuretics like hydrochlorothiazide

7. Sunburn

Sometimes people don't realize how much unprotected sun exposure they may have. Sunburn looks red on lighter skin, and darker skin gets darker with a sunburn. And the skin typically feels warm, sensitive, painful, and even itchy. Sunburn starts a few hours after exposure, and it can last for days depending on how severe it is.

And, though this may seem obvious, it's worth highlighting: With sunburn, only those parts of your skin that were exposed to the sun will be red. In other words, areas that aren't exposed to sun (like the undersurface of your chin, for example) won't be red.

8. Sun damage (photodamage)

Even without sunburn, unprotected sun exposure can cause the skin on your face to turn red or darker over time. Long-term ultraviolet (UV) light exposure causes the small blood vessels in your skin to get bigger. Too much UV exposure also causes stretchy elastin fibers in the skin to break down.

The combination of these things means that the blood vessels in the skin become more visible. As these effects build up, the sun damage can make your face (and other areas, like your chest) look redder.

9. Skin rash

Sometimes, an underlying skin condition can be the cause of a red face. It can be hard to tell the difference between different skin conditions, so it's important to see your dermatologist or primary care provider to get the right diagnosis and treatment.

Here are some common rashes that make your face turn red, along with other symptoms you may experience.

10. Infections

Certain infections can cause a skin rash that may be red, violet, or brown. Depending on the infection, you may experience other symptoms, like a fever, skin swelling, or pain.

Contact a healthcare professional if you think you have any of these infections:

• Shingles is a painful rash caused by the chickenpox virus. It typically has blisters and involves a specific location, like the side of the face.

• Impetigo is a bacterial skin infection that's common in children. The skin redness typically has some yellow crusting to it.

• Cellulitis is a bacterial skin infection that causes tissue swelling under the skin. The skin looks red or violet (depending on your skin tone). It may also feel warm and tender. A fever can be common with cellulitis, too.

• Fifth disease (also called parvovirus B19) is a viral infection that's common in children. It causes a red or violet rash on the cheeks, along with a fever and other symptoms like headache or runny nose.

11. Medical conditions

Sometimes, facial flushing can be a sign of a more serious underlying health problem. Here are some less common medical conditions that can cause facial flushing:

• Cushing's syndrome happens when there are high levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the body. It can be caused by long-term use of prednisone or when the body makes too much of the hormone. In addition to a red, puffy face, people experience weight loss and easy bruising.

• Carcinoid syndrome is a rare condition caused by hormone-producing tumors. Carcinoid tumors are typically in the gut or the lungs. They make too much of the hormone serotonin. This can cause flushing, diarrhea, and difficulty breathing.

• Mast cell activation syndrome is a condition that causes someone to have episodes of allergic symptoms, like hives, flushing, a racing heart rate, and diarrhea. This happens when mast cells (a type of immune cell) release too many chemicals into the bloodstream at once.

• Medullary thyroid cancer is a rare type of cancer that can cause flushing and loose bowel movements. Symptoms are caused when cancer cells make high levels of a hormone called calcitonin.

When to see a healthcare professional

When you know what's making your face red, you can often treat it at home. For example, there are simple ways to soothe a sunburn.

But if you don't know the cause of your red face, it may be time to get professional help. That's because using the wrong treatment may actually make things worse.

Here are some situations where it's time to make an appointment to see a healthcare professional:

• Your red face isn't related to common things like sunburn, emotions, or heat.

• The redness began after you started a new medication.

• You also have dry skin, flaking, or blisters.

• You notice a rash on other parts of your body.

• Your face is a purplish color, or it's swollen.

• You have other symptoms, like a fast heartbeat, shortness of breath, or nausea.

• The redness is causing you significant stress, anxiety, or embarrassment.

Frequently asked questions

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