red blotches when anxious, nervous, or cry

I have the same exact same thing. It happens all through out day on my thighs and chest, but whenever I'm really upset it happens on my face and arms as well. It started when i was 15 and I've had it for over a year :(

I get it when I go to the hairdressers etc. I forget how it looks to other people sometimes. The only time it really bothers me now is if I'm interviewing or something similar. Then I take a beta blocker, which stops it happening.

I have the same issue. I believe it is Hyperhydrosis

Is that not excessive sweating or are there variations to it?

Alright I am going to save all of the newcomers from reading through the other 8 pages here and paraphrase all the useful info. It seems like everyone is getting the same red blotches when they are stressed, anxious, drinking, generally feeling any emotion or for no reason at all. This may be a result of histamine intolerance or possibly there is a connection to having 0 negative blood type. One person said it very cute that 'my skin is sensitive to my feels' lol.

So what can be done???

ACUPUNCTURE seems to be the winning result, touted as a 'CURE' and confirmed by quite a few that it was extremely helpful in overall reduction of episodes in the long-run. The person that posted said that her acupuncturist was trained in the NAET method, and called the blotchiness a result of her sympathetic nervous system being out of whack and that the adrenal glands are fatigued. It's like your system gets revved up and keeps going and going and not being able to reign itself back in.

ANTIHISTAMINES are great at reducing the visible signs while you are experiencing a breakout. Antihistamines are generally found in allergy pills and will get rid of the red and other side effects allergies have on the body (although it doesn't seem like the red blotchy phenomenon is an allergy, the antihistamines work great regardless). One poster said she takes Piriton tablets and that tablet forms of antihistamines can be used in conjunction with alcohol but I have not researched that.

BETA BLOCKERS reduce blood pressure which makes sense why this would work because it feels like the blood is rushing to your chest, or whatever area is being affected most times. Beta blockers work by blocking hormone epinephrine aka adrenaline and someone suggested googling 'Proponal for nervous rash' in order to get a better understanding.

EATING/LIVING HEALTHY sounds generic I know but I found the information about this one very interesting. The poster claimed that the reason we are breaking out is from a histamine intolerance and that by sticking to low histamine foods, they experienced a drastic drop in occurrences of breaking out in red rashes.

ANXIETY PILLS/ NATROL 5 HTP pills seem like they work in theory but not practice for me at least since breaking out is not always a result of just feeling nervous/anxious. Xanax and the like calm me down mentally but not so much with the physical red blotchy ugliness. The Natrol 5 HTP pills are a (natural?) mood enhancer that reduces stress/anxiety which is never a bad option to at least try out.

TANNING is a great cover-up to the problem since it is not very noticeable when your skin is darker but unfortunately is not a great long term solution or necessarily useful when it isn't summertime.

COLD COMPRESS can help alleviate the 'hot' feeling you get when your skin breaks out this way. I've never found it to be extremely helpful at reducing the red marks but that's why it is listed last on my list.

Hopefully this helps!! I have not found a name for the problem unless it is a histamine intolerance but it is nice to know we aren't alone in this frustrating problem.

How often do you go get acupuncture?

I know you wrote this over a year ago, but if you do still see this message I would love any other information on your experience or if anything has changed since you posted this? Everything you said was EXACTLY what I am going through and I am at my wits end. I've been to doctors had blood tests drawn and multiple dermatologists and nothing is making a difference. Thank you!!!!

Thank you so much for this reply!!!!

yes im 16 and ive had them on my face,chest,legs,and arms its horrible but i get so itchy its horrible

I get one and only one area of about 1 square inch on only one of my cheekbones that turns very red when ever I cry. It seems to take quite a while to fade/calm down, maybe 40 to 50 mins. Cool water helps it a bit.
Sure wish I knew what causes this one area to turn so red.

How often do you have to go? and is it a long time cure or do you have to continually go to acupuncture?

Hi there, I just wanted to let you know that because of your post I made an appointment to see an acupuncturist. I am so desperate to find a cure for myself especially since I will be walking down the aisle in just over a year. I'm just wondering if you still feel it's working for you and if you had any other advise. Its gotten so bad for me that I can barely hold any conversation with my entire neck and chest breaking out (so embarassing). Did you get your treatment in the US or Canada?

Thank you!!! I’m going to try this

I am curious how often you go and get this done? Do they perform it on your chest area? Has it continued to work and do you get red at all?

YEP, I tanned before my wedding for this very reason. I knew I would be splotchy and tanning was the only fix!