Red face from exercising that lasts for hours!

My face turns red - and I mean red! - after any sort of intense exercise.  Even more annoying is that it takes a few hours for the red to fade enough so that I look normal. 

I know this is hereditary (mom and brother are this way, too) so I was wondering how many others out there have to deal with this. 

When I was young(er) it was just an annoyance - people would comment that I looked like I got too much sun.  Now I'm 50 and I get freakish looks.  One time I went to a drug store after an aerobics class and when the pharmacist saw me she grabbed the phone ready to call 911.  She thought I was having a stroke!

I guess this was a rant but if anyone else out there turns red like this - you are not alone!

I do that too; I have naturally fair skin, so I don't' know if that affects it.  I also sunburn easily.

 

I'm 26, so no one thinks I'm stoking though, that would annoy me.

Not only does my face turn red, but my whole head sweats!  I am taking a beginner Palates class at my community center and I am the only one who is all red and dripping with face sweat.  It is embracing.  The only thing I can say for us red facers is that it shows how hard we are working

I'm exactly the same way.. I have red hair and REALLY pale skin that turns very red during any activity.. especially outdoors or in the heat. I usually work out in the evenings so I can be red faced and sweaty at my house for the night.. I've also found that some time and a cold shower helps, too.

When I was little, I played on a traveling softball team and I always was a starter and was one of the better players, but the coaches would always take me out after the first few innings for no reason. When my parents and I finally confronted them, they said I looked like I was getting too stressed and angry and I needed a break.. because my face was so red!

I've been rosy skinned since my teens,which would always get worse if I so much as went outside... not just cheeks but nose and chin as well! So embarrassing! But usually eating certain foods was a trigger for it, so I finally got the courage to see my doc, and I apparently get a nervous system reaction instead of a salival reaction to food! Which means everytime I eat I go red... lovely, particularly reacting to onions, wheat and dairy. I got medication for it though, and it's taken a year for me to actually try myself with chocolate and I decided to eat lots of it today as an experiment.

On the other hand, I find that although I get red and very sweaty (yuck!) at the gym, it goes away quicker and I found that its actually helping the day to day redness be more stable, and reducing :) so all is good!

Plus I read on here about oil cleansing method, 1 part olive oil, 1/2 part castor oil, 1/4 part essential oil... and I found out that castor oil is really good for skin problems and thats helping to ease my skin better too yay!

Anyways... it's so good just to know I'm not the only one, and am part of the elite :)

Anyone know how to "get the red out"?  A cool shower doesn't work - it just makes my face shiny and red!

rufus_k, I have the same thing. I don't know how to get rid of it. I've had it my entire life, and I think it's gotten worse as I've gotten older. I've always had rosy cheeks and sort of a ruddy complexion. I get red after any sort of physical activity, even just light activity, if it's more than 5 mins or so. When I really exercise, I get some weird looks from people (like they think I am about to die or have a heart attack). Also it doesn't matter how fit I am (or am not) the red happens.

I haven't figured out a way to get rid of it. It's fairly embarrassing at times. If you do find a way, let us know! Good luck.

     I've tried to exercise in the evening so I can go home after exercising, but I'm usually too tired by then.  I definately won't work out if I have something important to do within a few hours.

What I did was to make a list over the course of a month of all my triggers that made the redness worse... rosiness I can handle but it was the constant flushing and staying flushed for hours ater that was the problem which in turn made the redness worse. I presented my 'report' (I'm a physicist, and it's easier to explain that way rather than verbally coz I go red at that too!) and he put me on beta blockers... not an ideal solution, but it's stopped the flushing and blushing! So now I can use less make up :) Still wary of them onions tho lol and chocs still a no-no after yesterdays experiment (well I did eat far too much, I blame the snickers that were in the cupboard or being so yummy hehe)

I also use Clinique Redness solutions products for my skin, and it's really helped to sooth my skin.

amy_blue have you done any research into rosacea? There's loads of things that can be done to help :)

Hi guys---

 

I have rosacea, and what you have sounds like it. I went to see a dermatologist, and she gave me a couple of creams, which I haven't needed to use for years. I never exfoliate my face, use Cetaphil or unscented Dove, and rarely use makeup. Sometimes a soothing grape seed extract peel off mask helps soothe redness and bumps. Generally, my face looks normal all the time. Don't use moisturizer or makeup on your face when you work out. Hope this is helpful!

Rosacea = skin condition.

What the owner of the topic described is a little different. I tend to flush and "blush" during exercise too. It's just that some people have blood vessels closer to the skin surface than others and when the body heats up and the blood starts flowing it's reflected in their faces. I usually try to wear clothes that breathe easier and drink water to keep cool. That tends to help me alot.

Yes, when I mow I become Beet-girl, super-hero of yardwork.  I find that holding bags of frozen veggies against my cheeks helps.  No, really.

yup...red girl here too.....marching band in HS was fun:D

 

did yall see that Greys with the girl who blushed constantly..and whenever I think Shephard came in the room shed turn bright red?   poor girl...i hope im not mixing it up with House...

lol at Beet-Girl.  That describes it perfectly.  I might give the frozen veggies a try. 

I have this problem. In fact, I just did a run, and I have to report for my new job training in like 20 minutes! Now I'm going to be horribly embarrassed. I should have thought about that before I exercised. Ugh. Oh well, hopefully the new boss won't care so much. Any advice on how to get rid of it quickly anyone?

It sounds like you are'nt breathing properly when you exercise. Maybe you are breathing too fast or not enough. I get this problem if i don't concentrate on my breathing when at the gym. I wish i'd know this sooner as i looked like an idiot after any running at school!!!!!!!

I have this problem too.  I try to see it as a postivie, all the toxins getting out! yeah!  I hold a cold glass of ice water to my face, like the frozen veggies,  It feels good.  I'm using some herbs to help my liver and gall bladder (Yarrow and chapperal) and I'm hoping that as they clear out the sludge in my digestion that my skin will improve too.  Though there must be some part that is just the genetics of being fair skinned

I have this problem too.  I try to see it as a postivie, all the toxins getting out! yeah!  I hold a cold glass of ice water to my face, like the frozen veggies,  It feels good.  I'm using some herbs to help my liver and gall bladder (Yarrow and chapperal) and I'm hoping that as they clear out the sludge in my digestion that my skin will improve too.  Though there must be some part that is just the genetics of being fair skinned

It's not even for just you fair-skinned folks. I have medium skin, tan well, and I flush red all over! Especially my face, but also red blotches on my chest and often my legs. The hotter outside and harder I work the worse it is. Although it seems to be better when I drink lots of water and wear cool clothes to run in.  As a general rule I give myself a longer "cooldown" time to allow some fading to happen:)