| Flushing | |
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| Facial flushing in a 22-year-old man before (left) and after (right) drinking alcohol. | |
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| Specialty | Dermatology |
Flushing is to become markedlyred in theface and often other areas of the skin, from variousphysiological conditions.[1] Flushing is generally distinguished fromblushing, since blushing is psychosomatic, milder, generally restricted to the face, cheeks or ears, and generally assumed to reflect emotionalstress, such asembarrassment,anger, orromantic stimulation. Flushing is also a cardinal symptom ofcarcinoid syndrome—the syndrome that results fromhormones (oftenserotonin orhistamine) beingsecreted intosystemic circulation.
Commonly referred to as the sex flush,vasocongestion (increasedblood flow) of theskin can occur during all four phases of thehuman sexual response cycle. Studies show that the sex flush occurs in approximately 50–75% offemales and 25% ofmales, yet not consistently.[citation needed] The sex flush tends to occur more often under warmer conditions and may not appear at all under lowertemperatures.[citation needed]
During the female sex flush,pinkish spots develop under thebreasts, then spread to the breasts,torso,face,hands,soles of thefeet, and possibly over the entirebody. Vasocongestion is also responsible for the darkening of theclitoris and the walls of thevagina duringsexual arousal. During the male sex flush, thecoloration of the skin develops less consistently than in the female, but typically starts with theepigastrium (upperabdomen), spreads across thechest, then continues to theneck,face,forehead,back, and sometimes,shoulders andforearms.[citation needed]
The sex flush typically disappears soon after reachingorgasm, but in other cases, may take up to two hours or more, and sometimes intensesweating occurs simultaneously.[citation needed]
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