Blushing comes on suddenly, and typically manifests itself in the face and neck, and sometimes the upper chest as well. It often results from extreme emotions, particularly anxiety, embarrassment, anger or excitement, notes the National Institutes of Health (NIH). However, in some people, including those with the excessive perspiration disorder hyperhidrosis, blushing can arise without these stimuli, according to the New Zealand Dermatological Society. Excessive blushing can be socially crippling, so much so that the fear of it has a name: erythrophobia.
Step 1
Consult a trained psychologist for help controlling excessive blushing. In particular, cognitive behavioral therapy can help, says the New Zealand Dermatological Society. This form of psychotherapy aims to give you more control over your reactions to stressful situations. It provides insight into how your responses lead to blushing. With this awareness, you learn to better cope with situations and avoid the patterns of thought that bring on excessive blushing.
Step 2
Ask your doctor about medications to stop your excessive blushing. Anxiety medications and beta-blockers can tame physical responses to stress and prevent blushing for some people, notes the New Zealand Dermatological Society, which points out that clonidine, a drug primarily used for the treatment of hypertension (high blood pressure), can hinder the dilation of blood vessels that causes blushing.
Step 3
Undergo an endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy. The sympathetic nerve chain, which runs parallel to the spine, is severed and cauterized in this procedure, explains the New York Presbyterian Hospital. The nerve signal that prompts sweating and blushing is permanently interrupted. This operation is mostly used for treating excessive sweating in people with hyperhidrosis. However, it has been found to be highly effective for the treatment of excessive facial blushing in patients with and without hyperhidrosis, as with the study "Endoscopic sympathectomy in the treatment of facial blushing." An endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy, performed under general anesthesia, is minimally invasive and typically takes about an hour.
Tips and Warnings
- Avoid your personal blushing triggers. Two common triggers are spicy foods and alcohol, according to the NIH.
- An endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy carries risks, reminds the New York Presbyterian Hospital, which include those associated with general anesthesia and chest surgery, such as bleeding, infection and collapsed lungs. Risks specific to this procedure include compensatory sweating, or perspiration in new places, and Horner's syndrome. The risk of Horner's syndrome is greater with sympathectomies performed for blushing than those performed for sweating because the procedure takes place higher on the nerve chain. Horner's syndrome can cause eyelid drooping, enlarged pupils and decreased facial sweating.
