A healthy blush? When to see a doctor

A healthy blush? When it’s worth seeing a doctor

It’s one thing if your cheeks turn red in the cold, and quite another if it happens for no apparent reason.

Many people consider frost blush a sign of health and wellness. However, sometimes redness on the face can indicate serious health problems. How to distinguish a normal reaction of the body from a sign of disease, we understand together with dermatologist Maria Vasilieva.

Why does a healthy blush appear?

Facial skin is supplied with blood and oxygen by small blood vessels – capillaries. They are located quite close to the surface of the skin. In the cold, capillaries begin to shrink and the face becomes pale. When a person enters a warm room from the frost, the vessels expand again and give the skin that healthy blush.

In addition, the face may become red:

• during exercise – due to active heat exchange;
• in stuffy rooms – the body seeks to maintain oxygen exchange in the skin;
• when drinking alcoholic beverages, as well as hot and spicy dishes.

In all these cases, the appearance of blush indicates normal physiological processes in the skin. They maintain the necessary heat and gas exchange.

How to distinguish pathological blush and what does it mean?

Reddened cheeks are not always a sign of health. In some situations, such a reaction of the body can speak of hidden problems. Among the causes of unhealthy blush, the dermatologist distinguishes the following:

• high body temperature – to cool the body, the vessels dilate, thereby increasing heat exchange;
• infectious diseases (e.g. scarlatina);
• allergic reactions;
• endocrine pathologies – Icenko-Cushing’s syndrome (adrenal gland disease);
• Thyroid problems, e.g. hypothyroidism;

• arterial hypertension, or hypertension – a persistent increase in blood pressure;
• autonomic nervous system dysfunction – stress-induced skin redness;
• systemic lupus erythematosus;
• rosacea – the most common condition in which there is persistent dilation of the capillary network.

Healthy blush disappears on its own after a person enters skin-friendly conditions or stops physical activity. The time interval is different for everyone, but in general, such a blush does not last long. And pathological blush does not go away regardless of the surrounding factors and can remain for quite a long time.