red/blotchy face whilst drinking alcohol

Just wanted to say thanks for the advice. This just happened to me at a party. It's happened previously - I've noticed before in relation to red wine in particular. But just normal old cider today. I'm a 23yr old slim and healthy white girl - so definitely not to do with ethnicity/alcoholism for me. I find it cripplingly embarrassing. Just been hiding in my room with the windows open in a tshirt in winter to try and cool my face down. Oh, and every five minutes smearing more foundation on my face...

It is a vasodilation problem, for all who suffer, regardless of the triggers...the main cause is heat.....extra emotions, exercise, alcohol, sex, dehydration, stimulants, etc..... Some people have overactive capillaries near the skin, typically European and asian descent (although Asians have a specific genetic liver enzyme issue that prevents them from metabolizing alcohol and resulting in an allergic-type reaction, which is a different issue, entirely). The flushing is partially genetic, but usually only one or a few family members will have issues with it. Benadryl should help, but a cardiac doc, dermatologist, or alternative health practitioner are your best bet if you want to try and control it. There is not much that can be done at home......drink a glass of water, take some deep breaths, and use ice packs if it gets really bad. Also, regular exposure to good-ol sunlight can help, 15-30 min a day or so. Exercising at least 30 min a day, cardio exercise, improves vessels and oxygen flow through the entire system and gets rid of toxins and excess heat. Also a good addition.

its a histamine problem, but if you do the following before you drink it can help allot
take diphenhydramine a sedating antihistamine dont fall alseep tho!! tolerance build quick (i take 100mg)
apsirin i take 1200 mg
aloe vera juice i drink a glass
n a cysteine and vit c i have before each drink .

I have horrible red face when I drink, it doesnt just turn red it gets almost puffy looking like a rash and 95% of the time my heart is racing too. The only way for me to get rid of it is to just stop for 10 mins,

get some cold air (or just refreshing air),
have a few sips of something like ice tea or some water anything refreshing to you.
and just relax for 10 or 20 mins. (literally)
and dont smoke (cause thats what i do cause i think oh fresh air go outside have a cig....thats a NO)

and within 10 mins my face clears up and i feel better LITERALLY.



Just do those steps. If its to actually clear up your face, do these steps and then put some cover up on, cause no matter what it wont COMPLETELY go away, but like 98% you will look better and have maybe light light pink cheeks.

But if you think its medical, I still dont know what it is, but if you do, please tell me, caus its not that im allergic to alc. ive been drinking since 14 and im 21 now and just got all of these symptons when I was like 18.

Kellys response makes sense to me. I've gotten this red splotchy thing twice. Once after drinking a couple of days in a row due to a friends destination wedding, and once after three days of drinking without much water. I think dehydration and alcohol may be the culprit. The blotches are very distinct and concentrated around my face, neck, chest and upper back

it's just an alllergy or you have lost the ability to produce the enzyme that metabolizes alcohol. a few years ago i lost a lot of blood and grew back new blood. ever since red and blotchy when i drink certain alcohols. unfortunately, scotch is one of them. just get over it, used to it.

Another issue that seems to be pretty unfamiliar to most people is the presence of too much candida (yeast) which can build up, causing similar issues. I personally, one random day, was sitting at my desk and all of a sudden felt faint and dizzy, and then my skin turned super blotchy just on my face, neck and shoulders. I had had coffee that morning so I just went and drank tons of water which helped temporarily. Then, day by day the symptoms got worse and worse, including migraines and intestinal "distress," if you know what I'm saying. Somehow I narrowed all my symptoms down and concluded that not only sugar, yeast and wheat were an issue, as well as caffeine and alcohol (which is also high in sugar and yeast) that I wanted to do a Candida Cleanse. So I went to Whole Foods and got one. It was a 2-week long cleanse, and I also had to adjust my diet a little bit to exclude sugar, yeast, most grains and alcohol. But seriously, it worked. I also started taking probiotics and more omegas, as suggested by the cleanse. My energy was better, I felt less groggy, and had absolutely no hot-flash/rash/dizziness symptoms. That was almost 3 years ago. I stayed on the diet for quite a while afterwards because I simply felt better. But only recently, having started consuming wine and other booze (no beer) regularly, and foods with yeast (although gluten and dairy free) am now having the symptoms again. And very randomly, not just when drinking or eating or even when I'm anxious, just in the middle of class or something. I have been checked for allergies, and I avoid those that came up positive, so at this point, I feel like there is a good chance that the candida is back in excessive amounts. All in all, I am obviously not a doctor, but my GI doctor told me that Candida overgrowth is an epidemic that is unknown by most, but there are actual tests if you see a doctor. Often times, pap tests for women can show similar results. This might be a completely unrelated topic, but I really think that these all tie in to one another. If our body system is out of whack, then secondary symptoms can occur, which I believe these are. Hope this help at least one person.

I am taking tetracycline(perscribed by my derm.).But I too have lessened my intake of dairy.This seems to have helped clear up my face consideerably.Now if we can just find a remedy for the hangover?

What about the amount of hops in alcohol? Ive heard people can be allergic to the Hops causing an allergic reaction in certain alcoholic drinks

Rosacea causes red blotchy spots on the face that are similar to acne. And Rosacea is common amomg people who drink alcohol.
To get rid of the blotches, quit drinking. XD

For years .. starting at age 17 to my age now, which is 34 I SOMETIMES get red blotches on my face and arms! and feel hot and sometime a pulse sensation, as if somone needs to turn the heating off.. I drink water as well . I don't drink alcohol everyday 'cos of my line of work .. I think I eat Healthy as well.. are these red blotches a warning sign?!.. but this mostly happens with only certain drinks like wine, vodka and cider.. it's embarrassing when socializing! ha ... please can I have some answers?... Thanks Scottie

I have only recently suffered from this red face thing, i have drank white wine for years and it never happened to me, i have read all these posts and one thing comes to mind for me, is sugar, if i drink a vodka and orange juice, my face flames, or any kind of licquor with a mixer containing sugar.... also lack of water, im wondering if its a mixture of both or just yje sugar, i shall start monitoring it

I too suffer from the blotchy red face/neck/chest/arms. I notice it starts at the face..then neck, shoulder, knuckles, etc. I only seem to get it after I drink in back to back nights, so the dehydration theory is probably correct. I am Irish/Scottish (you would think this wouldnt be an issue!) so the asian thing doesnt apply. I've noticed a white film on my tongue the nights I turn red (prob from dehydration), and I've found that if I brush my tongue with a toothbrush and spit it out regularly that I usually dont turn red. Unfortunately, at a bar, this becomes an issue. I too notice an increased heartbeat, heat on the red areas, and a different feeling on my breathe, sort of a feeling like pronouncing an 'H' for along period of time..

hope this helps. I am obviously looking for an answer too, and given my ancestry, I dont see myself giving it up. I will try the pepcid thing, and hopefully repost, if I can find this site..

Definitely get the sharp edges of red blotchiness too. Seems to appear where there are scars, pimples, and just general areas too.
I have noticed it is for sure worse on a full stomach, probably blotchy by my third drink.
Certain drinks dont seem to cause it to happen, usually (most) beers, vodka's, any fancy mixed drink with lots of sugar is pretty much a guarantee blotchy good time.
Breathing is also a little more difficult as well.

Definately gonna try the #1) Eradicane #2) Pepcid/Antacid and #3) vitamin B

I can speak from experience that eating while drinking or eating before drinking heavily is a bad combination.
So starve yourself all day, you should be good for at least 8 beer! :) hahahaha

This started a long time ago, but every time I am anxious or nervous or stressed, my neck comes out on blotchy red patches.  I remember my mother use to get it.  Now my daughter if she has to present an oral assignment the rash spreads from her neck to her face.  If I have a drink then I can feel it just spreading.  Now it has moved up my neck to my nose area.  What can I do to help prevent this.