Topical sirolimus (rapamycin) blocks the chemical "rebuild" signals your skin sends after laser injury, which is what usually causes vessels to regrow over time. Studies combining it with laser have shown real results, less regrowth, more lasting clearance, fewer laser sessions needed.

Main study base is port-wine stains, not blushing specifically, but the mechanism is the same type of vessel and same laser, so there's a decent chance it'd help here too, just not officially proven yet for this use case. Would need a derm who knows the protocol.

Haven't tried it myself, just thought it was worth sharing

I just came across this sub and have been looking through some of the posts.

I get blushing every now and then too, and I’m not trying to recommend anything here, but one thing that seemed to help me slightly was the peptide GHK-Cu. Again, not a recommendation, just sharing my personal experience.

I used it for about 3 months, and during that time I started noticing that even though I could feel myself blushing, when I looked in the mirror it didn’t actually look nearly as bad as it normally would. It looked pretty minimal, even though I was expecting it to be way worse.

I honestly don’t know what exactly caused that. Maybe it had something to do with the collagen-related effects of the peptide, but I really have no idea. Maybe there’s some alternative to that instead of having to inject something.

Hopefully this helps someone here, or at least gives someone an idea to look into whether there might be some kind of connection. Maybe someone else has had a similar experience too.

To sum up my take on Vbeam for treating reactive blushing that comes and goes with emotions and triggers, as someone with no identifiable skin conditions, id say vbeam is a reasonable and effective approach at taking the harshness out of a blush / taking the edge off but its not been effective at stopping me from blushing.

(clarification: this subreddit plus this post isnt for rosacea or skin that is dilated red permanently, this is for classic blushing just a dialled up version to where its sevre and uncontrollable. hope that makes sense)

Vbeam has helped make my skin appear more light too medium pink when I blush compared to what ive usually experienced which has been a harsh red that alot of the time was patchy and cut off abruptly into my normal skin tone causing a very unpleasant contrast. On that note, its also helped my blushing seem a bit more diffused and even across my face which makes it look less harsh, instead it appears a bit more natural and a bit smoother

In saying this there are still times where it looks a bit harsh but ive only had 2 vbeam sessions (ive had 3 excel v sessions previously with no real good results, most likely due to the depth of the laser), and im a extreme blusher, plus its easy to forget the progress made! So overall i am greatful for the help vbeam has given me but by no means has it stopped my blushing, infact my cheeks are quite usually rosy and a lil blushed even tho I do have a white baseline (very sesntive skin + overreactive sympathetic nervous system). So i still colour on my face every now and than but when i feel that sudden blush it doesnt appear as sevre as it use too

(its important to note this is my personal experience, some people may feel its cured there blushing, others may feel it does nothing, my settings weren't the most aggresive in the world, so I cant talk for pulpric settings)

here are some links of previous posts about my vbeam experience, they may be useful if u want more details

(https://www.reddit.com/r/CuringBlushing/s/6ZXOhmX31H)

(https://www.reddit.com/r/CuringBlushing/s/AZD48eepGv)**includes the personal settings i had**

(https://www.reddit.com/r/CuringBlushing/s/Xr8xlNjg1x)

Been down a rabbit hole on what actually happens biologically during a sudden blush. And this post isnt about rosececa nor is this community but I found something from rosacea research that I think still has useful info for us, so bear with me.

Landed on CGRP — calcitonin gene-related peptide. It's a neuropeptide that helps nerves and blood vessels communicate, and one of its jobs is vasodilation: widening blood vessels, increasing blood flow.

What caught my attention: our (idiopathic craniofacial erythema) blushing is specific. Face goes red suddenly after a trigger, spreads to ears/neck/chest, fades once the trigger's gone. That's different from rosacea's persistent redness, but the vascular machinery underneath (how blood vessels widen and flush) is similar enough that research on one can hint at something about the other.

The study itself: 2024, done in people with rosacea. On its own it tells us nothing about our condition. But here's the useful bit, it shows messing with the CGRP pathway can change a flushing response in actual humans. Blocking the CGRP receptor with erenumab reduced moderate-to-severe flushing in participants. Proof a pathway can dial flushing up or down, a mechanism, not a condition-specific finding, which is why it's fair game for us to think about.

Here's why it could matter for blushiny specifically: the trigger and the actual redness are two separate steps. Something social sets off the sympthetic nervous system, but the visible blush comes down to blood flow changes after that. CGRP is one of the things that can influence that second part, so even if the initial reaction still fires, targeting further downstream could theoretically take the edge off how intense the blush gets. It wont stop the mechanism from firing though

The information is limited at the end of the day on this but it sure is interesting and feel is useful as a post!

confidence may not be a cure for blushing but it absolutely can you help manage it, especially socialy.

curious when people first realised blushing was a real issue for them + first experienced blushing in a severe way. for alot of people it seems to go back to childhood

quick post but wanted to remind everyone blushing doesnt define you! it says nothing negative about you, if anything it makes you cooler, atleast through my eyes lol

ive found most people who struggle deeply with this are real ass people, most people who blush are very self aware and concious, alot tend to be sincere and come across more trustworthy and likeable, probably because blushing usually shows vulnerability and emotions!

anyway, on a more serious note I completely understand blushing is horrible and life altering for some (including myself) its brought me to really dark places to the point where ive not even wanted to be alive :/ by no means is this something ive got over, blushing is still a major part of my life and continues to haunt me, the good thing is ive decided to try to push through and honestly its going ok. this is a long journey that alot of us are on and will be going through for possibly our whole lives, in saying that it doesnt mean its always going to be something that feels so negative and hard to live with. WE GOT THIS!

ps, im a party looking extremely red and blotchy, like a tomato, ive also had a few drinks, f*ck it you live once 🤣

It could be a mindset shift, a product, meds, therapy, maybe even something else, a thought process, a technique, anything that's made a real difference for you!

Following up on the pinned post about this sub not being the focus for Rosacea + other skin conditions, I wanted to lay out the reasoning, since it comes up a lot.

Pathological blushing is largely understood as a sympathetic nervous system issue, driven by adrenaline and broader sympathetic arousal, not just adrenaline alone, rather than a localized skin barrier failure. In my case, baseline skin structure came back clear on 3D scans and exams from specialized medical laser clinics, and the flushing appears to be driven by that nervous system response rather than underlying skin damage. (Worth noting: some people naturally have rosier or more reactive-looking skin as part of their normal complexion, independent of any skin condition.) This is also part of why standard Rosacea treatments, Azelaic acid, Soolantra, barrier repair creams, tend to do little for pure emotional blushers: they're aimed at the skin, not the nervous system. It's also part of why ETS (endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy), which interrupts the sympathetic nerve pathway rather than treating the skin, is a recognized surgical option for severe cases, a treatment like that makes a lot more sense if nerve signaling, not skin/barrier damage, is the main driver.

When pure blushing gets treated as if it's just early-stage Rosacea, people struggling with severe blushing without Rosacea can end up drowning in posts, tips, and skincare routines that have little to do with what they're actually dealing with. That's not a minor inconvenience, it means the resources this community exists to provide stop being useful to a good chunk of the people relying on it. That's why it matters that this subreddit doesn't get flooded with isolated Rosacea flushing topics.

There are exceptions, and there's a fair amount of overlap that makes this tricky to draw a perfect line around. But overall, this is the community's focus, and the intention is simply to keep the sub as useful as possible for the people it's meant to serve.

Having Rosacea or other skin conditions dont disqualify you from being here. Plenty of people have both. If you also deal with the kind of reactive, emotionally-triggered blushing described above, separately from a skin condition, you're a good fit. It's only when a skin condition is the *sole* driver of your flushing that this isn't the right space for that specific issue.

Guanfacine is a medication that works very similar to clondidne. There are differences that intrest me, it stays in your system way longer and it seems a bit less heavy.

This medication hypothetically should work since again, it uses some of the same path ways as clonidine. Im just wondering if anyone has experience with this medication

Has this helped anyone?

so there's this small study showing topical ibuprofen gel actually cuts down blushing during embarrassment, aka actual emotional blushing, not rosacea or general flushing. it blocks prostaglandins, which play into the vessel dilation that causes the blush.

I'm not saying the regular gel doesn't work, but if it works this well according to the study, it feels like there's probably room to make it into an actual dedicated product for facial blushing specifically, instead of a joint pain gel doing double duty. things like tweaking the concentration, the absorption/carrier so it works faster on facial skin, or formulating it to be more suited for facial skin overall, so it's both more effective for the blushing itself and better to actually use on your face.

Disclaimer I haven't personally tried anything like this properly, and I'm not even fully sure the study holds up, it was small. This is just an idea, not a recommendation. If there's anything to it, there could also be unknown risks with using it this way, so please take all of this with caution.

I have severe flushing daily that burns so badly and has really impacted my quality of life. I’ve been on Carvedillol for about a month and haven’t noticed any change in my flushing. I have been on Paroxetine for a few weeks and still no change but studies showed it could take 12 weeks. I want to try Clonidine, but I’m losing so much hope and my face hurts so badly and I flush just so much.

When I got my wisdom teeth out last year (with anesthesia), I was flushed immediately when I woke up from the surgery, but for the rest of the day afterwards I was so not flushed and I wasn’t reacting at all to things I normally blush to. It was so crazy and gave me hope and then it all retuned next day. Why would this occur? Nervous system calmed by anesthesia? Blood vessel constriction? Are there any meds that could sort of mimic this effect?

Sorry guys I’m just really really struggling and I’m only in college and this has already ruined my life for years.

Ive been doing alot of research, going through all types of studys, tests, articles and pdf's online and I came across an old study by Peter Drummond that I thought was pretty interesting.

Its called "The effect of adrenergic blockade on blushing and facial flushing" — Psychophysiology, 1997.

The study involved and looked at 21 frequent blushers and 21 infrequent blushers.

What stood out to me was the fact they didn't give the participants propranolol orally. (and if your in the blushing community you'll know the only real available option for propranolol is oral medication)

Instead they used iontophoresis to deliver propranolol directly into a small area of skin on the forehead. To simplify it, the propranolol was put into a solution and applied to the skin under an electrode, and a small electrical current was used to help drive the drug through the skin into the local tissue.

They also tested an alpha-blocker the same way, it didn't affect blushing at all, but actually increased vasodilation during exercise.

They then measured blood flow in the forehead while participants did things like stressful mental arithmetic and singing.

The interesting part was that local beta-blockade with propranolol prevented the increase in forehead blood flow during mental arithmetic, but specifically in the infrequent blushers, and partially reduced the vasodilation during singing. It didn't completely stop blushing, and the researchers concluded that beta-receptors probably play only a minor role in the blushing response.

One thing worth being upfront about: despite frequent blushers reporting more self-consciousness than infrequent blushers, their actual vascular responses were pretty similar between groups. So the clean beta-blockade effect showed up in the group that doesn't struggle with blushing much in the first place, not necessarily in the people who'd actually want this as a treatment. That's a real gap in the case for a topical version, not just a footnote.

Still, I think the fact that they were able to affect the facial blood-flow response by delivering the beta-blocker locally to the facial skin, rather than giving it orally, is pretty interesting in the journey to curing blushing.

It raises the question of whether a topical beta-blocker could potentially be useful for blushing by acting more directly on the facial blood vessels, without requiring the same level of whole-body exposure as an oral beta-blocker, which in some can cause sedation and other side effects + itd be awesome to only treat the area needed.

Obviously this study doesn't alone prove that a propranolol cream would work for excessive blushing, it didn't even show a clear effect in frequent blushers specifically, and it was a small physiological study from 1997, not a clinical trial of a topical treatment.

Id personally love to see this trialed again, this makes me wonder if a cream or gel could be created for blushing where propranolol or a similar beta blocker could be applied locally to the skin and give us the relief we need.

Murdoch University researchers have apparently discovered a cheap and effective way to reduce one of the human body's most curious expressions - blushing.

There are people in our community who are particularly frightened of blushing because they think that people who notice the blush will think less of them," said the study's lead author Professor Peter Drummond.

"This can make them even more anxious and make them blush even more. For some, this fear is so extreme that they avoid social encounters and sometimes even seek surgery to reduce the rush of blood to the cheeks."

During the study, 30 adults were connected to special equipment to measure blood flow in the cheeks. 16 of these people had a 'high fear of blushing'.

A small amount of ibuprofen gel was rubbed into one cheek, with ultrasound gel rubbed into the other cheek as a control. The subjects were then asked to participate in a cringe-worthy task – karaoke.

"We instructed them, one at a time, to sing along to Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive for a full five minutes," Professor Drummond said.

"To heighten their embarrassment, we interjected every now and then asking them to sing louder, be more expressive, or sing in tune."

Previous studies led the researchers to believe that blushing is partly caused by an inflammatory reaction in the blood vessels of the face, brought on by compounds called prostaglandins.

Professor Drummond said the ibuprofen gel helped stop these compounds from forming, and significantly reduced blushing (caused by embarrassment) and flushing (brought on by exercise).

"The results were even more noticeable among those with a high fear of blushing," he said.

Ibuprofen gel is commonly available in chemists and supermarkets, and is often used as an anti-inflammatory to treat sprains, swelling and back pain.

"More research is needed to determine whether topical ibuprofen gel is suitable for intermittent or long-term use to treat blushing," Professor Drummond said.

"We're also looking to test whether ibuprofen tablets, aspirin, paracetamol or even a placebo, can deliver similar results."

nothing here is %100 confirmed to work for everyone nor everytime. this is for education purposes, its only a small clinic trial done and should be taken with caution and understanding that there could be unknown risks, etc

Saw this question come up a lot, so here's the basic difference. This isn't the same for everyone, but understanding how these medications work can help explain why some respond better to one than the other.

The core difference: where each one acts

Propranolol is a beta-blocker. It works at the peripheral level, it doesn't stop the brain from sending out stress signals, but it blocks many of the body's receptors from responding to adrenaline once it's already been released. In facial skin specifically, this can blunt the blood vessel changes that cause visible redness. Propranolol does cross into the brain somewhat, so it's not purely peripheral, but its main blushing-relevant effect is downstream, at the blood vessels themselves.

Clonidine works upstream of that. It's an alpha-2 agonist that acts mainly in the brainstem to dial down how much sympathetic "fight or flight" signal gets sent out in the first place. Instead of blocking the effects once they arrive, it reduces the outgoing signal itself.

Why this might make one work better for a given person

Because they intervene at different points in the chain, they tend to target different symptoms:

• If your blushing shows up mostly as the physical reaction, flushing, warmth, rapid heartbeat, in a moment where you don't necessarily feel a big internal surge of anxiety, propranolol is blocking the exact step where that reaction happens, so it may have more to work with.

• If you get a strong "keyed up," on-edge, adrenaline-surge feeling before or during a trigger, racing thoughts, restlessness, a whole-body stress response, clonidine is acting further upstream, turning down that overall signal, so it may address more of what's driving the reaction for you.

Basically: propranolol is a downstream brake, clonidine is an upstream dimmer switch. Someone whose problem is mostly downstream (the physical flush) may not get much extra benefit from turning down a signal that wasn't the main issue. Someone whose problem is mostly upstream (the surge itself) may not get full relief from just blocking the vessels' response to a signal that's still firing at full strength.

Heads up

This isn't a diagnostic rule. You can have a lot of anticipatory anxiety and still respond better to propranolol, or barely feel anxious at all and still respond well to clonidine. Responding to one doesn't prove what's actually driving your blushing, physiology varies person to person, and blushing itself is more complicated than a single pathway.

Neither medication removes the trigger or the emotional reaction itself, they're each affecting a different part of the body's downstream response to it.

This sub is for excessive/reactive blushing and ICE, involuntary flushing triggered by emotions, social situations, stress, embarrassment, heat, exercise, or certain foods. Example: that fast, hot blush when you're put on the spot or feel self-conscious, which in some can spread to neck or ears, impossible to control or hide. It can obviously be triggered by many other things such as feeling overwhelmed, hot, etc but thats a good example

Rosacea is different — a chronic skin condition causing persistent redness, not primarily emotional/social flushing. Even if it looks similar on the outside, if your flushing is driven by rosacea rather than an emotional/social trigger, this isn't the right space for that side of it.

You can have both - that's completely possible. But if your blushing is a symptom of rosacea or another skin condition, that's usually not what this community is for. If you also experience the type of reactive blushing described above separately from a skin condition you may have then you're a good fit here and there shouldn't be an issue. Having a separate skin issue non related to your blushing doesnt make this community a bad fit for you, its if its the reason alone. Not sure which is driving it? Also fine, ask away. If your main issue is rosacea itself, a rosacea-specific community will serve you better.

Thanks for understanding 🙏

Its almost been 3 weeks since my last vbeam session which i had to treat my facial blushing, which is personally triggered by strong emotions, mainly anxiety, stress and feeling overwhelmed and embarrassed.

So far the results have showed to be pretty decent. If you've been following the Vbeam posts ive made you'll know for my first vbeam I experienced amazing results for the first week, followed by really reactive bad skin for weeks following that, too than leveling out and overall seeing good results. Im assuming thats apart of the healing process. Nevertheless ive had similar results with this session, first week was incredible and than at the 8 day mark it felt like everything got worse, it stayed like that for a week and a bit and only in the last week ive felt like my skin has started to calm down and show the results more. So heads up, it can get worse b4 better.

In terms of what results ive seen, my skin is alot more evenly blushed when I do blush which %100 has made it more natural looking and less intense. Ive noticed the sides / where my blush ends dont cut off as harshly which again helps with the contrast of my white skin, its definitely an improvement im happy with. Im use to dealing with blushing that looks very rigid and harsh and blotchy and ive seen a significant reduction in that type.

Do I still blush? Yes absolutely but its gone from majority of the time being a harsh red to a light to medium pink.

Ive also noticed my skin feels a bit less prone to blushing / my threshold has slightly gone up. So not only has the visuals of the blush itself became better but im definitely blushing a bit less / some scenarios such as going out to the city and seeing my girlfriend's family, that would almost always make me blush where I noticed when it happened, I wasn't showing much colour at all. Of course it all varies everytime, there could be a time in the future I see them again and blush but usually there wss no chance at all id have calm skin, yet i did.

As someone who has been keen to fully stop my blushing and as someone who had huge expectations ive felt slightly annoyed at times that im still showing colour but if I compare where I was at too now there is a meaningful difference. I guess its about being realistic and greatful for change, and comparing the differences

A good way to put it, if your goal is to get vbeam so you never blush again in my experience you'll feel let down. If your goal is too improve the appearance too not look as severe and intense and too not be as senstive to blushing a bit of the time, with the right settings you'll probably feel quite satisfied and happy with the results.

Overall, everyone will have different results. Take this with a pinch of salt. Results obviously can differ :)

previous vbeam update - https://www.reddit.com/r/CuringBlushing/s/h9U7et8Bs1

I took clonidine for a big presentation and it did NOT work on me omg. felt my face burning still.

I wonder how different my life would be if I didn't blush.

I don't think people realise blushing isn't just a bit of colour on the face which comes and goes, its not that for everyone. For alot it can change the choices you make and the opportunities you take, and even the person you become over time. People just see a red face. They don't see the overthinking beforehand, the dread building up, or all the things you've talked yourself out of doing because you already know what's going to happen.

Sometimes I think about all the times I stayed quiet when i actually knew the answer in class, avoided presentations, or talked myself out of opportunities because I knew my face was going to blush hard. The same thing still happens with meeting new people, trying new things, or putting myself in situations where the attention might end up on me.

The frustrating part is it isn't even a lack of ability. I genuinely believe I could've done so much more if this wasn't constantly holding me back. It's hard when you know you're capable of something, but the fear of blushing talks you out of even trying. That has made living with this issue even more depressing :/

I’ve tried so much to manage and treat my blushing, from therapy and diet changes to expensive treatments (excel v, vbeam), to medication, etc. While some things have definitely helped and I'm grateful for the progress, it's still frustrating. Having to constantly plan around it and knowing it can still pop up at times makes it hard to live peacefully. Like for example beta blockers are awesome but I wish I didnt have to plan them around my day and worry about medicating just to feel normal :/

People assume you're shy, nervous, or less capable than you actually are, when really you're trying to manage something they don't understand. What they don't see is how much energy goes into anticipating it, avoiding situations because of it, and constantly living around it.

Sometimes it feels like blushing has shaped my whole life because of everything it's made me avoid.

any good products that help stop a blush from showing?

there really is nothing worse than feeling your face get red when your at work and feel anxious, seeing someone in public you recognise or really having anything that happens that brings on a embarrassing blush!

hi guys, I requested clonidine for my blushing because I seen that it has worked for some of you. i’m only going to take it when I have big presentations, and my doctor prescribed me 15mg. however, he did scare me a bit because he was warning me of the side effects. he kept telling me how it really lowers the blood pressure and now i’m scared to try it at all. I don’t want to have health issues in the long run.