Excessive blushing may not have a cause. It can also happen due to stress, embarrassment, or anxiety. Research is unclear whether it has any benefits, though you may find it to be a negative experience.

If you regularly experience extreme facial blushing, you may have idiopathic craniofacial erythema.

Idiopathic craniofacial erythema is a condition defined by excessive facial blushing. It may be difficult or impossible to manage.

Facial blushing can happen for no apparent reason and results from social or professional situations that make you feel stressed, embarrassed, nervous, or anxious. Many people don’t find facial blushing to be a negative experience, but if it happens too often, you may start to think differently about it.

Keep reading to learn more about this condition.

Facial blushing causes redness in your cheeks and can make your face feel warm. Some people may experience blushing in other places, including their ears, neck, and chest.

How does blushing differ from rosacea?

Rosacea is a chronic skin condition that is different from blushing.

Blushing may be a symptom of rosacea, but people with rosacea may also experience small, red bumps on their skin during a flare-up.

Rosacea flare-ups can last from a couple of weeks to a couple of months. By contrast, redness from blushing will go away as soon as or shortly after the trigger has been removed.

Blushing may happen as a result of an embarrassing, awkward, or distressing situation that attracts unwanted attention. It may also occur in situations where you think you should feel shame or embarrassment.

Embarrassing situations might trigger your sympathetic nervous system and set off what is referred to as the fight-or-flight response.

Your sympathetic nervous system includes the muscles that dilate or constrict blood vessels. These muscles can become activated when your sympathetic nervous system is triggered.

Your face has more capillaries (small blood vessels) per unit area than other parts of your body, and the blood vessels in your cheeks are wider and closer to the surface. This makes your face subject to rapid change, such as blushing.

Chronic blushing may be caused by emotional or psychological triggers, which can be any type of stress, anxiety, or fear.

When to seek medical care

Talk with your doctor if your blushing is affecting your quality of life or if you are concerned that you blush too much. Your doctor can help you manage your symptoms and develop a treatment plan if necessary.

Your doctor and healthcare team can help you determine the best course of treatment related to blushing and any possible underlying conditions that might be causing it.

If your healthcare team believes facial blushing is caused by psychological distress or a social anxiety disorder, they may recommend cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

CBT is done with a therapist. It can help you develop coping tools to shift the way you view situations or experiences. CBT may also help you feel more positive about social situations that typically trigger a blush response.

Through CBT, you can explore why you view blushing as an issue. You may also work with your therapist to improve your emotional response to social situations where you do not feel at ease.

This 2020 research also points to beta blockers as a potential treatment for facial blushing, particularly for people with rosacea. But that research isn’t conclusive, given its small sample size. More research is needed on this treatment possibility.

Some researchers have examined the positive side of blushing and suggest that it may be an adaptive tool for helping people function in society. It’s also important to remember that you may not be blushing as much as you think.

Treatment options may include lifestyle changes that reduce stress or help avoid anxiety and social situations that lead to blushing.

Other treatments might involve working with a CBT-trained therapist, who may help you think more positively about blushing and feel less embarrassed or anxious about certain social situations.

If CBT and lifestyle changes don’t help, other options include medication such as beta blockers.

Your healthcare team is always the best equipped to guide you on any concerns about blushing or related health conditions that might be causing that symptom.