What is excessive blushing?
Experiencing excessive or uncontrollable blushing can be embarrassing, especially in social settings. Some amount of blushing is normal and it is a common involuntary reaction to emotional stress.
Excessive blushing from embarrassment is often due to social anxiety or a heightened sensitivity to social judgement. It can create a cycle where your anxiety triggers more blushing. Blushing or facial flushing can also be caused by the menopause, certain food or drink, as well as some medications and medical conditions.
If blushing is significantly impacting your daily life, you should seek professional guidance, such as hypnotherapy for blushing. Depending on the cause, treatments can involve a combination of psychological and pharmaceutical methods tailored to your needs.
Blushing mainly arises from psychological causes
Around 5% to 7% of people experience chronic excessive blushing as a daily concern
Up to 50% of social anxiety disorder patients say they blush frequently
What causes it?
Blushing usually comes from the ‘fight or flight’ response in your body, which triggers an increased blood flow. Your facial blood vessels widen to allow for greater blood circulation and this results in red cheeks. This reaction is activated by threats or embarrassing situations. It can be accompanied by heightened senses and a faster heart rate.a
While blushing may intensify feelings of embarrassment, it plays a crucial role as part of our natural response system. It helps to alert us to threats or emotions like stress, shame, or embarrassment.
Excessive blushing is linked to conditions such as social phobia, generalised anxiety disorder, and erythrophobia (fear of blushing).
Blushing can also have various other triggers:
- Alcohol or hot drinks
- Hot or spicy foods
- A fever
- Medical conditions like rosacea, hyperhidrosis and mastocytosis
- Medications including calcium-channel blockers, calcitonin and certain cancer treatment drugs
- The menopause
- Sudden changes in temperature
- Vigorous exercise
Reducing your overall stressors is key to helping to reduce symptoms.
What are the symptoms & effects?
Other symptoms can accompany your skin flushing. Some of these are more manageable, while others are possible signs of serious health problems.
You may notice skin discolouration, warmth, sweating and a sudden onset of redness, mostly on your face. The sensation might be sporadic, frequent, or persistent. The intensity might vary and change over time.
Often linked to anxiety, blushing can lead to emotional distress, and others may misinterpret it. It’s essential to be aware of the difference between normal shyness and social anxiety disorder.
You may experience persistent fear, avoidance, and intense anxiety in social situations. Physical symptoms can include trembling and an upset stomach. Your symptoms can evolve and stressful life changes can exacerbate them. Seeking treatment is crucial for effective long-term management and well being.
How Can It Be Managed?
Treatment options for blushing will vary depending on the causes. Different medications and therapies can help reduce the psychological effects of chronic blushing.
It can be useful to focus on handling anxiety, boosting your self-confidence and developing coping mechanisms for social situations. This can include psychological therapies, practising relaxation techniques, or prescribed medication.
Although these methods may reduce blushing for some people, they may not offer enough relief for everyone.
To make blushing more manageable, you can:
- Practise deep breathing – take slow, deep breaths to ease stress and make blushing gentler
- Smile – even in challenging moments, a smile can positively affect your heart rate and overall well being
- Stay hydrated – sip on cool water to keep blushing at bay, and avoid alcohol if it tends to affect your blushing
- Acknowledge blushing – embrace blushing as a natural response. Acknowledging it can make dealing with it more compassionate
- Consider long-term solutions – make lifestyle changes, like cutting back on alcohol or spicy foods
If your blushing persists, seek professional support from someone like a therapist. They can work with you to understand and manage your thoughts and feelings in a supportive manner.
How can hypnotherapy help?
If your blushing is related to anxiety and stress, hypnotherapy can help by exploring your subconscious. This enables you to uncover the root cause.
Hypnotherapy for blushing promotes a composed response. We help you to reframe negative thoughts so you are more comfortable in situations that normally induce blushing.
We find ways to grow your self-confidence and reduce your sensitivity to triggers. This enables you to effectively manage your blushing long-term.
Hypnotherapy for blushing sessions enables relaxation through techniques like guided visualisations. These help induce a deep calm, an intensified focus and a fading awareness of your surroundings. These brief clinical hypnosis sessions ease your symptoms. Typically, people achieve better control over their blushing after a few sessions with a hypnotherapist.
Our Blushing Specialists
Benn Baker-Pollard
Sittingbourne
Carmen Harrington
Market Harborough
Caroline Prout
Thrapston
Chris Johannes
Spalding
Claire Noyelle
Maidstone East
Dawn Ibbetson
Chelmsford
Gary Johannes
Peterborough
Jill Whitehouse
Newcastle upon Tyne
Keeley Smith
Southend-on-Sea
Kerry Seymour
Weston-super-Mare
Peter Ely
Islington
Victoria Anderson
Sunderland
Why Choose Inspired To Change
Our solution focused hypnotherapists empower you to better understand your brain, helping to guide you towards solutions and achieve the outcomes you want. We have a team of fully trained hypnotherapists, giving you the choice of who to work with and how you want to work with them. Solution focused hypnotherapy is just as effective in-person or online in the comfort of your own home, so you can find the ideal therapist to help you reach your goals.
Every one of our hypnotherapists is recognised by governing bodies like the National Council for Hypnotherapy, the UK’s leading not-for-profit hypnotherapy professional association. They have all trained with Clifton Practice Hypnotherapy Training, one of the leading hypnotherapy schools in the UK.
