# Erythrophobia? Fear of blushing



## cblack

Basicually its a fear of blushing and going red (especially infront of other people) Its a secondary disorder that comes off from social and anxiety, and when you have it it can also turn in to SA. I have this disorder, and was just wondering if anyone else did? 
...


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## blc1

You too? I had this first, and it developed into SA. Participating in group discussions where everyone is sitting in a circle probably triggers it more than anything, and then interviews. When a blush comes, and it comes quickly and intensely, it is as if I am completely arrested, body and mind. I'm unemployed mostly because of this. How severe is it for you?


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## Organism

I hate blushing too. I always worry that people are going to think I'm embarrassed easily. I didn't realize that it was a real disorder though; I thought everyone hated blushing and the discomfort that comes with it.


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## cblack

My blushing is quite bad, and i didnt know it was an actuall disorder until yesterday, but im glad i finally know that its not just me, and im not actually crazy.
I blush freguently, when im with a load of people, or if someone comes up to me and starts talking, or an intiview, or if i know that i have to go and talk to people, or be around them, i start to panic about going red in front of all those people, which then makes me panic, and then i go red because im panicking, and then i panic about me being red, and so on...
Its like cycle that never ends. And now its turned into this phobia.


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## VagueResemblance

I apparently have erhtyrophobiaphobia. Now I'm worried I'll go out tonight and be so worried about blushing I'll turn a bright red.. damn it..


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## kleewyck

All these "disorder" labels are driving me crazy and making me sound crazy. 

Blushing is a serious issue. Someone says something, anything, and *blush*. Doesn't have to be verbal dialogue. Sometimes walking down the street *blush*. An unsuspecting touch *blush*. It doesn't matter what it's about or what it's related too and I don't know why it occurs. It's an awful feeling. People make inferences from the blush that are as likely to be correct as incorrect. It is not controllable. 

Emotions aren't easy for me to identify. Fear may or may not be something I experience in relation to blushing. Avoidance, on the other hand, is guaranteed. But the avoidance isn't related singularly to the occurrence of a blush, it is related to the plethora of things that may and do occur. 

Is there a fear of irrational and uncontrollable smiling?


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## littlemisshy

Maybe a 'light at the end of the tunnel' for you....
I blushed even if someone looked at me from about aged 10 (or as far back as I can remember) until about 30yrs old. 
It was so bad that kids at school would tease me and some people called me "Rosie".
It just stopped happening so frequently just out of the blue. I still have episodes now but it may only happen 10% of the time. 
I tried everything to 'cover it' foundation (which is pretty good actually) and beta blockers. It was horrible when it happened, so I know how you feel. 
I remember looking in the mirror sometimes when it happened, and I wasnt as flushed as I thought I was, it just 'feels that way'.
I think most people just 'grow out of it' eventually. Well, I think thats what happened to me.


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## mc1439

Hello there! I'm the same exact way and I didn't develop this until I was about 20! It is so embarrassing! and it doesn't make sense because I used to be outgoing and played sports in high school. Then my junior year of college it just happened more and more frequently. What makes me blush more is I think people might think I like them or that I have a crush on them or something. And just like you everything triggers it!


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## 4realguy

i have this too its a horrible feeling its like i can feel my face getting red and more red it feels like my face is on fire and then i get real hot and start sweating and if they mention it, its even worse, its uncontrollable i have had this as long as i can remember.


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## kleewyck

littlemisshy said:


> I remember looking in the mirror sometimes when it happened, and I wasnt as flushed as I thought I was, it just 'feels that way'.


Something to think about after a blush. Sometimes the blush is worsened with the knowledge that it has occurred. I always forget that other people can't know what's going on inside another persons head.


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## littlemisshy

kleewyck said:


> Something to think about after a blush. Sometimes the blush is worsened with the knowledge that it has occurred. I always forget that other people can't know what's going on inside another persons head.


 Very true!


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## PaFfanatic

I had no idea that this was a real disease! Yes, I too have erythrophobia and I hate it so much :/


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## OregonMommy

I have this. It seems to come and go. Lately it's reared its' ugly head.


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## Lets Beat Social Anxiety

The more you don't want to blush, the more intense your blushes will be. So that shows us that there's no way of out-thinking ourselves so that we don't blush anymore.

The secret is to accept your blushes, and don't resist them. Let them happen. Naturally, you care what other people think of you (everyone does, it's a survival mechanism) but despite caring what people think, you can still learn to accept blushes.

I do this by reasoning with myself that if I avoid situations that make me blush, then I'll be seriously restricting what I'm ever going to get out of life. When we restrict ourselves socially to avoid symptoms of SA, we get lonely, depressed...you know the story. So I made the decision that although I don't like blushing in front of people, I'm willing to let it happen *just because the alternative is to avoid socializing, which means getting lonely and depressed.*

So I decided that blushing in front of people was a better option than avoidance that leads to depression. I also reasoned with myself that msot people are way too wrapped up in their own little world to even notice my blushes, and the people who do notice are far too focused on their own lives to take notice for any longer than 2 seconds or so.

Once you accept blushing, realize that it won't kill you, and realize that whatever other people say about your blushes won't kill you either, you'll find that blushing stops - simply because you're not worried about it happening anymore.

I was supposed to save this for my upcoming website about overcoming SA, but ah well.


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## OregonMommy

Lets Beat Social Anxiety said:


> The more you don't want to blush, the more intense your blushes will be. So that shows us that there's no way of out-thinking ourselves so that we don't blush anymore.
> 
> _The secret is to accept your blushes, and don't resist them. Let them happen_. Naturally, you care what other people think of you (everyone does, it's a survival mechanism) but despite caring what people think, you can still learn to accept blushes.
> 
> I do this by reasoning with myself that if I avoid situations that make me blush, then I'll be seriously restricting what I'm ever going to get out of life. When we restrict ourselves socially to avoid symptoms of SA, we get lonely, depressed...you know the story. So I made the decision that although I don't like blushing in front of people, I'm willing to let it happen *just because the alternative is to avoid socializing, which means getting lonely and depressed.*
> 
> So I decided that blushing in front of people was a better option than avoidance that leads to depression. I also reasoned with myself that msot people are way too wrapped up in their own little world to even notice my blushes, and the people who do notice are far too focused on their own lives to take notice for any longer than 2 seconds or so.
> 
> Once you accept blushing, realize that it won't kill you, and realize that whatever other people say about your blushes won't kill you either, you'll find that blushing stops - simply because you're not worried about it happening anymore.
> 
> I was supposed to save this for my upcoming website about overcoming SA, but ah well.


I've tried making it not into a big deal, which so far has not worked, but it doesn't mean it will. It's true that most people don't notice it, in general. It's a lot more uncomfortable and painful for you than it is some one else because accompanied with it are other feelings, it seems, doesn't it?
I have been blushing in front of a particular person, however, and I think he has definitely noticed it, because when I blush, he walks by me and makes a point of saying 'hello' to me, I think knowing that I'm uncomfortable. Now I'm concerned that he may think I find him attractive, which is not the case. It has to do with the fact that he is an authority figure, which is intimidating for me. I've tended to blush around people in power, authority figures.
It's very, very true that it won't kill you! It seems that we do have a primitive programming that when there is a threat we think we are going to die, isn't there. Which isn't true, it's a lie.
Despite blushing, I am going to push right through it, try to go out there and blush anyway, because it is more isolating and painful to hide. Also, it makes some thing like blushing worse and worse.
Good luck with your SA site. Hope you keep us informed.


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## gymgrl93

im in high school and this has been controlling my life through all 4 years of it. every single day. im miserable but i feel so good having read through these posts, now i know im not even close to being alone. maybe we can all get through this together, with each other. theres finally hope after all this time.


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## icerainbow

Hi,

I DEFINITELY have this. I'm a massive blusher and really do fear it to the point it makes me not want to do things.

I didn't think people noticed until I was 16, when my teacher wrote in my leaving book 'I will always remember the way you go red with embarrassment,' - THANKS SIR! From then on I became acutely aware of it, although I could feel the physical sensations back in middle school, when teachers picked on me in class.

It takes alot to embarass me properly, but because I blush so much, it makes me look as if I'm embarrassed..which really annoys me! I feel hot, and start to sweat. It's horrid. People ALWAYS point it out too.

I have started avoiding situations where I think I am likely to blush, especially at work! Which is obviously bad, as I can't control everything at work and I need to do the actual work. I always blush around the more senior figures and I hate talking on the phone in front of others and so on.. 


Hopefully CBT will help.


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## Mr_nobody

I found out about Erythrophobia about 2 years ago through another SA Youtuber. My SA was made worse by this. I wasn't even aware that my face would turn red until my freshman year in high school. By that time I had already suffered from anxiety for a couple of years but that really kicked it into high gear. It's so bad that I don't like getting into conversations with people because I can feel it happening when I talk to people and I know they can see it. When I feel it happening I just want to get out of the conversation (or whatever the situation is) as quickly as possible. It's the main reason my life has come to almost a complete halt.


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## peacezone

*idiopathic cranio facial erythema*

Hi everyone,
I've had this condition for about 20 which is the same as erythrophobia. It's severe blotching of the skin, particularly beginning on the neck, chest, and moves up towards the face.

In my earlier days, I had it severely. But now it's more situational, especially if I have a meeting around a table. I haven't eatin with coworkers in 18 years because of it. It's not just a reddening face, but an severe blotchiness.

Somethings that have helped me is medication, particularly atenolol (beta-blocker) and ativan as needed. It's made my life much more manageable. Also, some of it I have outgrown, but those triggers are still out there. I'm looking for information on clonidine coupled with beta blockers. Anyone know about this? Thanks.


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## angus

I blush easily but it does not bother me at all, beacouse woman like it when they make you blush.


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## Mr_nobody

angus said:


> I blush easily but it does not bother me at all, beacouse woman like it when they make you blush.


Maybe so but it can work against you when talking to another guy. It may give the impression that you like someone to whom you aren't attracted at all. It happened to me a few times at my last job while talking to my supervisor. Although, he didn't see it as a sign of attraction (thank God)- He always thought it meant I was getting pissed off. It happens whenever I'm talking to anyone for more than a few seconds. It's mostly because no matter what the subject is I feel like an idiot and that I shouldn't be part of the conversation. Even though sometimes it's a subject I know relatively well.


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## Jessica1974

The solution is iodine!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can not tell you how this has changed my life. I was such a chronic blusher that I dropped out of uni, I have turned down promotions, avoided important events etc. Someone only had to look in my direction and RED RED RED. It has had such a huge impact on my life. I am not a shy person, I did not have any social issues until I started blushing. I lived with this for over 20 years. I have done so much research trying to find a cure, not nothing has helped...until iodine. I was once again searching for a cure when I read about iodine. I thought it can't hurt. It cost less than $13 for a bottle which will last a long time. My first experience was when a friend asked me to attend a seminar with her, and against my better judgement, I agreed. I had been taking the iodine for only three days. I thought it was going to be a large gathering of people with a presenter at the front - this I could handle. How wrong I could be! It turned out to be a very intimate discussion with 5 people (including the presenter) sitting at a round table, under bright lights - my absolute worst nightmare. I sat there thinking that this would be the end of my friendship with my very dear friend because after the chronic blushing that I was about to dispaly, I would never be able to face her again. I was holding my coffee cup up close to my face, waiting for the presenter to address me. The fear was almost too much to bear. I was trying to think of a way to get out of the room as quickly as possible. Finally the time came - the presenter asked me to tell the group about myself. My heart stopped, and I waited for the inevitable bright red face to appear.......but it didn't. Time and time again, in situations where I would always blush, my face remained calm!! I began to enjoy the discussion, I even offered my thoughts when I wasn't asked. I can not tell you how this made me feel. I felt NORMAL for the first time in many years. I have read so many articles about people claiming to be able to cure blushing - for quite a large fee. The real cure is really cheap - I use iodine drops, some people use salt with iodine in it - try which ever you want. It works.


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## UltraShy

This is one of the few SA syptoms I've never experienced. I don't think I ever blush. I've never had anyone mention that I blush nor have I ever been able to catch myself with a red face.


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## greenwood

Yes I know the feeling well. I had it all through high school up until bout age 30 as well. It is hell and I understand completely what you guys are going through. But you know what the truth is, other people could really give a rats butt if you turn red. Most people are just concerned with themselves and when you turn red you are kind of submitting to them. Don't submit to them. Get mad. get angry. Don't let other people get you all flustered. Like I said I've been through hell with it years ago . No more for me, thank you


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## Ryn

Hi guys,

It's really conforting to hear there are other people going through the same. I'm 25 and have had chronic blushing for as far back as I can rememeber; it's probably got worse in recent years. Sometimes I feel like it completely ruins my life and stops me doing things I shoukd be doing for fear of it happening. It happens all the time at work, I go red and get blotchy all over my neck and chest - it makes me feel s sad and frustrated.

Earlier this year I got up the courage to talk to my GP about it. He didn't really understand and kept saaying 'oh so you get panic attacks' but sometimes it happens when i don't even think i am feeling uncomfortable like around friends and family. The GP gave me beta blockers which helped a little bit but I was taking them several times a day everyday, andt hat's not how i want to live myh life.

I try controlling my breaths, distractions all that sort of stuff - sometimes it helps, sometimes not. I think maybe I should just ask for the beta blockers again but I'm hoping there's a better way where I don't have to be taking pills throughout the day. Anything to stop it though!

Sorry for the long message!


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## Mannii84

Hi everyone, 
I've had to deal with this problem since I was 14-15yrs while in secondary school and still now at 27. It's always on my mind in every situation and is a large part of my social anxiety. I think if I was told that from tomorrow on I would never blush again I would be the happiest man alive. I can't imagine what it must feel like to interact at ease with people and with self assurance. 
It's good to have a forum to visit while deal with it. We are not alone.


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## Freeman Lowell

I used to have a huge blushing problem. Whenever I was with a girl who I found attractive, I would turn several shades of purple. I could actually feel the heat pushing its way out of me. And I would stay like that for a long time.

It's not so bad anymore since I got used to a wider variety of situations and my conversational skill level increased.


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## Weird Fishes

Exposure to those situations can help if it goes well.


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## Ryn

I went out for a work lunch the other day. Inevitably I went bright red (i think it get's even worse when I'm eating a big meal too). Someone at the lunch told me I looked like I'd just done a 10K run, I just had to laugh it off what else can you do? People don't understand that it just make you feel even worse when they mention it. I'm trying not to let it bother me anymore but that's easier said than done. I worry it makes other people feel uncomfortable when they see me like that and they just won't want to be around me.


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## cblack

I have this. But i dont really like to label it though :/ Its gotten better, but hasn't gone away. The fear is still there. It sucks.. *sigh*


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## mojow

*re*

This is the main cause of my anxiety and depression.

BLUSHING rules my life.


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## Si Guy

Happy new year everybody! Really encouraging to see that other people suffer with this, but have made improvements of their own it seems like!
Question: Does anybody have any experience with doing CBT and/or EMDR for treatment of the blushing?
I saw that some people had mentioned breathing and taking beta blockers to inhibit the fight or flight reaction which are both good suggestions for countering the symptoms. Any suggestions on treating the underlying issues? Anybody here actually overcome this?
Thanks!


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## Si Guy

Everybody should check this out--> 



It's an interesting short film about a girl who blushes chronically. Its good I think because it calls to the attention of the viewer how irrational the blushing mindset really is. She's a healthy looking attractive woman who on the outside should only exude confidence. Instead she is so focused on the blushing that she forgets all else. I'd love to hear what other people's takes are on this!


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## havanaclub

Hi everyone,

I joined this forum because I have erythrophobia. In fact, I've had it for so many years that I sometimes forget I even have it.

But right now it's become an issue for me again.

I'm a medical student - it's crazy, I feel so disappointed that I have this problem. Today, I'm checking someone's blood pressure in front of the doctor - I'm bright red, my heart is pounding. I can't even hear the pulse through my stethoscope, all I can hear is my own heart beat. It was awful.

I've now got this horrible irrational fear I'm going to end up with Rosacea. On the one hand, I should go and see my GP but I feel I can't. I suppose I feel a bit helpless at the moment. And a bit lonely - I've never told anyone about this before, even my parents.

Any suggestions?


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## Lynne79

*solution?*

I just want it to go away!


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## dmpj

I have this all the time, i could just think about blushing and then start blushing. i hate ittt
!


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## Meta14

I just spontaneously began blushing at high anxiety situations last year. Now it happens all the time. ****ing ridiculous.


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## Rouge

Hi,

I get this too but have managed to take the edge off of it by taking better care of myself.

I recently had some tests done by a nutritionist and it turns out that my cortisol levels are very low but normal in the morning. 

I have been going to sleep at 9.30pm every night and sleeping in as much as possible at weekends and eating better and taking lots of B vitamins, vit D and antioxidants (I have IBS also). 

So just wondering if anyone thinks that their excessive blushing might be linked to something that is physiologically not right with them or if anyone else has low cortisol levels in combination with excessive blushing?

Rouge


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## Rouge

Hey Ryn,

The person whom mentioned your face probably wouldn't have mentioned it if they thought it was a symptom of social unease, alot of people get red in the face when they eat a meal anyway. 

Only a sadist or someone extremely stupid with the empathy of a brick would mention somebody's blush, as everybody knows mentioning it increases the blush and makes you feel silly. The rare occasions when someone is rude enough to mention it, I turn it back on to them and show them up for being rude. They never mention it again :no


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## mojow

Same here, I just posted in other bit of forum about ETS surgery to cut nerve that caused blushing.


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## anthony54321

The worst thing you can do is avoid a situation, what you avoid makes you more scared, you don't avoid the tiger because your scared of the tiger you scared of the tiger because you avoid it. It is the fear of blushing that causes excessive and unnatural blushing,you cannot stop blushing until you lose the fear of it.


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## anthony54321

I suffered with a fear of blushing for about ten years, You fear what you don't want to happen or what you dread happening, once you no longer care if you blush the fear will start to diminish. Because you don''t want to blush the mind perceives it as a problem that you must avoid. The old saying what you resist persists is very true.


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## fryklund

It's all about changing the way to think about and relate to blushing. If you would learn how to stop worrying about it, it will go away! This is really not that easy but when you know how to, it completely stops! And when it stops, you stop worrying, and the vicious cycle is gone  If you want to learn more a great site is

http://howdoistopblushing.org/


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## saxtino

*Solutions*

Blushing can be debilitating, especially when you get into that endless cycle of "Oh no, I'm beginning to blush, how embarrassing." so your brain makes you blush more and so on. I'll go over the common solutions.

1) Pills/creams to medicate the issue. The top sponsored link on Google for "cure blushing" is selling pills to stop this (http://www.eredicane.com/index.html...wtype=search&gclid=CPPK19Hy9LcCFQTHtAodFGcAPQ). It's debatable whether these work, and their money back guarantee doesn't apply to bottles you have opened (meaning if you buy one bottle of 30, you can't get anything back) and they can get pretty expensive if you have to continue taking them long term.

2) Surgery. For some people this has worked, but their methodology is scary, involving cutting the nerve chains responsible for blushing. This article details some of the side effects of it, and of some of the drugs used to treat blushing- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-107003/Surgery-cured-blushing.html.

3) Positive thinking. Trying to accept it and work on it yourself, as some other in this thread have suggested, can help some people. A quick Google will produce many results for self-therapy to help stop blushing. It can be difficult for some though, as it's very hard to train your brain to stop thinking the way it does about a particular subject. If I tell you not to think about pink elephants, the first thing that pops into your head is pink elephants.

4) Psychotherapy and hypnotherapy are also common treatments for the condition. See if there are any qualified therapists in your area, or to save some time and money, have a look online. There are many cheaper videos, tapes and e-books (such as the one mentioned above) that you can find, but as blushing can result from deep-seated anxiety issues, a more comprehensive treatment will probably result in greater success. They're more expensive, but try this one: http://www.stopblushingblueprint.com/ which includes heaps of content including worksheets, videos and audio. Type in your e-mail and you can try out a few videos for free.

If you have any questions or need any advice, feel free to reply or PM me.


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## dreamdreamer123

*omg! I have the sameee thingg!!!! THIS CAN HELP!*

OK so it it all started at the start of the school year in the 8th grade... i was reading out in class, and normally i dont have a problem with it. But then, something new and unexpected thing occurred. I felt my face starting to heat up and blush. I looked up and thought "oh i sure hope nobody's looking" yet i continued to read. Little did i know, that was the start of something much worse. Several days later i had to read again. For the second time i was put on the spot. Most people would find it normal and expected that i would blush as i was put on the spot, but this was not the case. As i began to read, i felt the same thing, although this time, the blushing increased. I immediately began to panic and think "oh no, i am blushing." The more i thought about this, the worse my blushing would get. As much as i tried to relax, nothing would help. Then, as if that was bad, it happened once again; this time while i was at my guitar lesson. IN the middle of the lesson, i felt it again. Just as i got over this whole fear, it came back. I thought "oh no i hope i dont blush, i hope i dont blush." And BOOM i began blushing. THe more i tried to make it go away, the worse it would get. And so in the middle the lesson, i just got up while i was playing and walked away. It was mortifying! Although, during the year, i found a few things that helped me a bit. First of all, makeup. This is just one of the things u can do to help yourself. If u put a little but of green conceler over where u blush the most, and put foundation over it, it would help a lot. There are also some mental things you can do too. Try to relax; and I know it seems pretty impossible at the time, but i foud that deep breathing seems to do the trick. I also carry around a cold bottle of water too where ever i go.U can also direct your blood flow to ur hands by imagining they are over a flame or something. At last result, there is always surgery and some thing called eridcane (a medicine) that i am thinking about getting. It helps with blushing. There are also beta blockers out there which should not be used unless last resort because it is serious and slows down ur heart rate to lessen the effects of blushing. As you can tell i've done my research, but since i have the same thing as you, ik you probably want the help as much as i did. Anway sorry that was long... but i hope it was worth the reading, and here is a youtube video that is VERY helpful. 



 good luck!!!


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## wma1

Never realised there was a name/diagnosis for this. When the attention is on me in a group situation I feel my face burning .same thing happens if somebody approaches me to ask me a question whilst I'm not expecting it.


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## Inconclusive

I feel exactly the same as you lot! Its so terrible and I reckon if I didn't have erythrophobia when I was at school I would have been a more outgoing person and would have achieved a lot more than I have. I'm currently seeing my therapist weekly for CBT - Hopefully it can help cure me or at least help me find ways to become more social


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## visualkeirockstar

I did but not as bad as before.


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## Jackson4

littlemisshy said:


> Maybe a 'light at the end of the tunnel' for you....
> I blushed even if someone looked at me from about aged 10 (or as far back as I can remember) until about 30yrs old.
> It was so bad that kids at school would tease me and some people called me "Rosie".
> It just stopped happening so frequently just out of the blue. I still have episodes now but it may only happen 10% of the time.
> I tried everything to 'cover it' foundation (which is pretty good actually) and beta blockers. It was horrible when it happened, so I know how you feel.
> *I remember looking in the mirror sometimes when it happened, and I wasnt as flushed as I thought I was, it just 'feels that way'.*
> I think most people just 'grow out of it' eventually. Well, I think thats what happened to me.


Fantastic point. At one point this blushing was the low point of my SA. And once I looked in the mirror and it was nowhere near as bad as I had imagined. A slight reddish tinge but not blatantly obvious as embarrassment.

My cheeks go very red when I drink also. But yeah, the worst are the ones where its like a wall of heat consumes your face and then a sweat breaks out. When the sweat arrives as well I feel even more uncomfortable.


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## M90

Ah, so there's a name for the condition...

Anyway, I've blushed for 10+ years. Had surgery done a year ago, but it didn't affect the blushing. And one of the side effects of the surgery is hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) which is now a major part of my daily life. I've also tried betablockers, but didn't help, at all. Tried laser 3 times (I think it was IPL-laser), but it was too expensive VS the effect. Going to try an other type of laser on wednesday (and it's even free, yay!)

Oh, and my therapist tells me the only way to get rid of the blushing is to just accept it, and don't give a f-ck about turning red. Because I am the only one who really cares about it, and have made it into a bigger problem than it really is. He also calls it a paper-tiger, which I think is pretty funny.


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## keyth

get some tan to hide whenever you blush


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## anxietyu

*TIPS To Stop Blushing*

Let me start off by saying I haven't completely stopped blushing or feeling anxious about it occasionally. However, I have really diminished the effect it has on me and can go months without even thinking about it and it is still getting better. I have never seen a doctor nor am I one, so you should probably listen to a doctor over what I have to say. *I'm going to start off with how my fear began then move to potential fixes for you.* Please note that the solutions are based around getting you to stop thinking about it, which is how you actually beat it. This post is filled with several inner thoughts and small tweaks in your thinking that will hopefully help you out.

*How it started for me:* I had always blushed occasionally and figured this out my senior year of high school when I looked in the mirror and saw how red I was. I didn't really think too much of it at the time though. Then, my freshman year of college, I was talking with my newfound friends when another kid blushed uncontrollably and could hardly speak out of anxiety. My friends and I left a few minutes later and they all said to each other "man that kid was so damn awkward." It really hit me hard and made me think too much about it I guess. I soon became the blusher and kids would ask me "why are you always so red?"

Keep in mind that a lot of the above will play into how I really came up with a solution.

*1.5 years later, my first solution:* (this isn't what I use now but you can certaintly use it) through all the ups and downs and people calling me awkward (when I used to be a normal, funny kid) I had a class with another kid that blushed way more than I did. It was interesting because I could now observe how others reacted to him without fear of the spotlight from being red. He must not have known about the issue because he didn't seem to be affected by it much. From observing others react to him it became obvious that no one really noticed or cared. From this I determined that "it doesn't ever matter. Ever." Why? Because if you blush and know it doesn't matter, others don't think it does, or at least don't notice it as much. Now, every time I would start to blush, I would think *"it doesn't ever matter ever"*. And within a week I seemed to forget about the blushing entirely. This lasted for two months until I started to get attention from two girls I liked and thought to myself "oh ****, it does matter if I blush and am a wreck now, doesn't it?" To make matters worse, an acquaintance of mine came up to me with a week of classes left and said, "I don't think you have any confidence at all. You know you can change that right?"

Let's just say those two girls ended up both completely blowing me off and I had the worst summer mentally I've ever had. I would dwell about how I had to go out and encounter people before it happened and how painful it would be. As most of you can familiarize yourselves with, it was just as painful as I thought it would be.

*Beginnings of 2nd solution:* Over the summer I started to think about how my acquaintance had told me I had no confidence. I realized I didn't even know what confidence even really was, so he was right; I had zero confidence. I then read an article about how you can really think about anything you want and view yourself how you want. You can think you are a complete failure or you are good just the way you are, it is entirely up to you. And it's true: you can sit there and force yourself to think "I'm really not that bad. I can be confident." The thing is, forcing yourself to overcome negative thoughts becomes easier as you try it more. So every time I would think something like "I have to go to the post office tomorrow. I can't do that because I'll blush." I would stop and say to myself "Stop. I can do it". This helped immensely and led me to realize that blushing is only bad because we think it is.

I read a post on a forum where a girl said she was talking with her teacher when someone came up to her and asked for simple directions. She blushed and barely mumbled some directions. After the person walked away confused, the girl looked at her teacher, said "I have problems", and walked away. From our outside perspective, she only has "problems" because she thinks what she has is a problem. If she didn't think her blushing was a "problem", she would have blushed, given good directions, and continued talking to her teacher. 99.9% of people don't realize erythrophobia exists, hell even Google Chrome is telling me "erythrophobia" is misspelled and suggests I use "hydrophobia" instead.  If you don't act like it's a problem, it won't be to others, even if they point it out.

Lastly, at the on campus gym I worked out at, there was some random jacked guy who you could tell just has all of the confidence in the world. He would look, walk, and act like he was the most confident person on the planet, and because of that, it seemed like he was. I thought, "if only I didn't blush, I could be that confident." I continued to think, "what if he blushed? how would this incredibly confident dude react?" I realized he wouldn't care. Because confidence is all about believing in who YOU are and what YOU can do. You could think he was confident because of his physical achievements, but I was in pretty decent shape and had no confidence at all.

*2nd and current solution*: From the above, I realized that blushing is ENTIRELY how you react to it. If when I blush I avoid eye contact, mumble, and avoid talking people will think I just have no confidence. If I hold eye contact, speak as clearly as I can, and don't avoid talking while I blush, people will think either you just blush a little or something else happened to you. I know this from experience. And after a week of painfully forcing myself to hold eye contact and stay when I wanted to walk away from a conversation due to blushing, I improved drastically and thought about it much less. When I took a shower, instead of thinking about blushing, I would think "just be as confident as possible." When I was driving to class and I would start to think about blushing, I would think "just be as confident as possible." (etc.)

Now over the past week I have regressed slightly as girls have finally started to notice me again, but with everything I have accomplished, my mind has become much stronger. I will blush here and there and feel anxious and fail at the "2nd solution" occasionally, but *I realize that I can always fight my way back to where I'm at.*

Keep thinking positively and that you can do it. Feel free to ask me any questions, I will try to come on here next week. Another thing, though, is stop coming to this website. Stop searching about blushing. Stop caring because that is why you are having this problem.

Now here is a my favorite motivational video (watch the ENTIRE thing as the last 1.5 minutes or so are the best part (but you have to watch the first 4.5 minutes too)):
Why Do We Fall


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## HanSolo

oh man my dreamgirl probably blushed a few times thanks to my weirdness, but I never even noticed once

way too much the dopey newbie off in my broke head when interacting with her


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## Dovakhiin

I have an extreme fear of blushing, I'll panic days before an event (walking into my class) i'll feel sick, shake, blank facial expressions and feel very stiff as I am extremely scared of blushing! I am so scarred of doing something wrong I can't even pick up my pen without shaking, feeling sick just thinking about walking to my next class. I only just realized I spent the whole day at school and only said one word! People will just randomly say things to me whilst walking around school, they'll take the crap out of me! For no reason!

Anyone else feel like this? I always sit by myself, and have no friends ;(


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## Dovakhiin

kleewyck said:


> All these "disorder" labels are driving me crazy and making me sound crazy.
> 
> Blushing is a serious issue. Someone says something, anything, and *blush*. Doesn't have to be verbal dialogue. Sometimes walking down the street *blush*. An unsuspecting touch *blush*. It doesn't matter what it's about or what it's related too and I don't know why it occurs. It's an awful feeling. People make inferences from the blush that are as likely to be correct as incorrect. It is not controllable.
> 
> Emotions aren't easy for me to identify. Fear may or may not be something I experience in relation to blushing. Avoidance, on the other hand, is guaranteed. But the avoidance isn't related singularly to the occurrence of a blush, it is related to the plethora of things that may and do occur.
> 
> Is there a fear of irrational and uncontrollable smiling?


Yeah the same happens to me, even when someone walks into the house I blush that I'm not comfortable with. I also laugh uncontrollably, I might just walk towards someone and laugh.


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## Lauren10409

A CURE : It's called Proranolol!!!!! NO more blushing. If you have erythrophobia you NEED NEED NEED this medication. It's a beta blocker. It literally prevents you from blushing by lowering your blood pressure. It actually does work. It's a miracle for those who suffer from this horrible phobia. I suggest you discuss it with your doctor ASAP!!!!!!!!!!


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## anxietyu

I posted above some solutions that I had discovered to help me with the problem. The #2 point I made still applies, but I really found out the life changing solution:

Exercise. I'm sure you've heard this before, but the difference is night and day. 20-40 minutes a day of heart-pounding exercise will give instant results. You'll feel better right away. The thing is, after 2 weeks of exercise the anxiety almost completely goes away.

I have always lifted weights, but making sure I give myself an extra 30 minutes for exercise after working out has made me completely different. I don't think about blushing at all. At times I have thought about the blushing problems I have had and that they might come back, but unlike before, these thoughts are easy to dismiss and don't impact my day.

It's interesting because earlier I posted a solution where I would think a phrase over and over to calm myself. This seemed to work, but looking back, I participated in aerobic activity for about 15 minutes a day for two months at the same time I began the phrase repetition. Within two weeks of ending my cardio routine, my problems began to come back.

If you exercise consistently, your problems will fall away. If I go several days without cardio, I begin to feel anxious and worry my problems might be back. But after 3 consecutive days of cardio, I realize how incredible the difference is. My life has changed forever.


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## dany lann

I always thought I just had asian red face.


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## visualkeirockstar

Only if i think about it. I stop thinking about it.


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## SeekingBalance

ugh, the blushing is the worst part! i swear i wouldn't have SA if i could just get the blushing to stop. 
i'm determined to find out why we blush so much more than other people...why our "flight or flight" response revs up so easily. I've tried EVERYTHING! acupuncture, hypnosis, reiki, EFT, healing crystals, meditations, medicine, etc. the meds help but i tend to build a tolerance to them pretty quickly.

i noticed during a trip to europe recently that i was totally fine. i hardly blushed even when standing in front of a large group. i think it has something to do with our food vs their food. i also noticed once while in the library, i felt totally fine, calm, focused. i took a break and ate a candy bar and afterwards i became flushed, sweaty, was nervous some one i knew might show up, etc. etc. anyone else notice this?

i'm trying to eat a low glycemic diet and to stay away from High Fructose Corn Syrup to try and level out my blood sugar, which in turn should help my body not release so much adrenaline. i'll post any findings i have. I'm DETERMINED to help us.


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## chaosinfyrno

I have that problem...


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## Andre

Everyone loves when you blush though, there is nothing bad about blushing at all. It's a werid thing to be afraid of.


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## KoolKat

Hmm I guess I have this problem...


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## Eklectic

I've had uncontrollable blushing since I was 16. I'm now 33. It's dominated much of my life but it's also become much more bearable over the years (overall). Now when it happens, as much as I hate it at the time, I'm also more accepting of it afterwards. I still often feel like running away from the situation or hoping the world swallows me up, but nowadays I'm much less harsh on myself for blushing and this really helps with my general mood about life and how to cope with it.

I have also found many things that have helped over the years so hopefully some of these can help some of you who are teens or maybe just starting to experience this?

Propanolol - it's not a cure, but it can _*really*_ help, in particular for important scenarios which you know you need to attend ie public speaking, job interviews etc. It can especially help if you get nervous tremors and excessive sweating along with the blushing. I've taken it on and off for many, many years now and the side effects are minimal. It can give you low blood pressure though and you should not really take it if you have any history or family history of heart problems. Ask your doctor about Propanolol as a potential helper either way. A word of warning though; I do feel that I have become too reliant on this over the years and I still blush like a beet from time to time, whether i've taken it or not. It seems to only work in scenarios which I am mentally prepared for such as public speaking. The 'surprise' blushes I sometimes get when someone walks into a room and suddenly looks at me are not well-controlled by propanolol. It's also cost a lot of money in prescriptions over the years and who wants to take tablets every work/school day either?

Hypnotherapy - Use this as *much* as you can. Again, it's not a cure but it can really help. When I first saw a hypnotherapist about my blushing, it was the first real stage in addressing my problem. Talking to him in depth about my problem helped just as much as the hypnotherapy at the time. There's plenty of free hypnotherapy sessions you can access too so don't fall for the money grabbers who seem to be everywhere on the net offering '3 simple step solutions'. Try this free one for example - 




Talk to people about your blushing. Most people won't understand, but they will be supportive. If you can tell your boyfriend or girlfriend it will make life so much more bearable for when you have a difficult time blushing. My current girlfriend is the only partner I've ever told about it and she has been such a good support for me as she doesn't judge nor brush it off, but also sees it from the eyes of a non-chronic blusher so she can put it into context. She'll give advice like "don't worry about it, nobody cares if you blush. And if you do...so what? You're there to do a job and that's all they care about, not the colour of your face" Good advice by the way! :yes

Creams - 'fade out' facial redness cream from boots has been a long term 'helper'. Not sure if Boots still sell it as I'm still going through my first bought cream as one tube lasts _years_. There's similar creams about though i'm sure.

Diet and good sleep. Make sure to drink plenty of cold water during the day. Avoid too much sugary food/drink and definitely avoid alcohol if you can. For YEARS I used alcohol and in excess, to 'help' make me overcome my blushing, thinking of it as a kind of dutch courage, but little did I know it was making my blushing much, much worse. Avoid alcohol too as it will add to the depression you might get from excessive and invasive blushing episodes. Avoid hot drinks especially coffee as cafeine doesn't help either. Try to avoid spicy food especially from capsicum peppers. I know I'm advising you to avoid all of lifes supposed joys, but then you and I know how miserable life can be as a chronic blusher right?! It's about weighing up how much it impacts on your daily life to want to have to make big life changes. Apparently gluten rich foods don't help either. Unsurprisingly, fresh fruit and veggies do help as they are not too acidic. You want a more alkaline diet as a blusher. A solid 7.5 or 9 hour nights' sleep tends to help as well.

Good advice I've also recently found online (including on here) is also to try to put yourself in the situations which make you blush and really try to make the blush worsen instead of try to make it stop. I know from many years of blushing, that the moment I try to stop it, it just gets worse and worse and then I become acutely aware that my body language; one of panic is then actually whats making any subtle blush now really obvious to observers. They most likely did not even notice the initial blush...and they definitely didn't care about it. But when I squirm in my seat or jump up to leave the room unnexpectedly and without explanation, it's then that they look at me oddly, which in turn makes the blush more and the cycle continues. I'm actually making the situation worse without realising. Does this sound familar? Try actually *MAKING* yourself blush instead. See what happens? I've tried it recently and I literally couldn't make myself blush no matter how hard I tried 

I'm currently doing a teaching course of all things, really throwing myself in the deep end in terms of blushing potential. I hope I can finally address my blushing issues head on with the new advice I found online and properly start to accept any blush. I had my first teaching lesson today and as an ice breaker for the students I even brought attention to a cartoon picture of a man who had a red face and I told the students that he looked like me. It got a little laugh and for the rest of the lesson, I'd completely forgotten about my potential for blushing and carried on with the task at hand. It was a scary thing to do but *SO* worth it. I will keep trying to push myself out of my comfort zone and I really think this is the best way to be with blushing.

...failing that then there's always...

...a new form of ETS out called ESB. This is a non-permanent medical procedure similar to ETS, except they block the nerve instead of cutting it, making it reversible in case of unwanted side effects post treatment. I am considering this down the line as most of my other remedies and 'cures' have been limited or temporary but we'll see how my teaching goes first. This procedure is very new and only offered in Finland and Italy. I'd not take this lightly though and only consider it as a very last resort if your problem has persisted for many, many years (if you are still in your teens or early 20's your blushing will very likely become much less of a problem over time...hang in there!). Still, for any of you chronic blushers out there who have thought about ETS check this out instead - http://www.sympatix.fi/?lang=en

I will also try iodine as someone else suggested in this thread. Thanks for that one.

Sorry about the long-winded nature of this message, but I hope at least someone can take some useful tips from me.

Just remember you are not alone, and...

..._they never notice your blush as much as you do_!


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## Ashlynnycoke

Omg I'm so glad I'm not the only on I have been "blushing" since I was in middle school an I'm about to graduate high school. From me blushing I'm so scared to talk to people in my class or anybody bc either way my face gets bloodshot red and everybodies like "your face is redder then your hair " ? yeah I get that a lot. I just wanna stop it my confidence level is at it's lowest I can't ever ask somebody a question with out it getting red I just want to make it stop ? it's so embarrassing. And everybody points it out and makes it worst that's when I start sweating getting really hot an nervous. Ughh I just want it to go away....


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## MexiBro

hey guys im new im 22 and doing ok now but just wanted to share my story i suffered from this since like the 7th grade of middle school It really came out of nowhere I was a social kid the class clown but i remember farting in class and blushing like crazy is where i felt how it started seeing all the girls laughing I tried to play it off and blame it on my friend next to me but nothing major that year but then 8th grade came a long is where it was REALLY bad, I guess I was one of the more "cute" kids a lot of girls would try to talk to me its where it felt like hell. I remember some girls would just randomly talk to me and i would start blushing and i remeber this really cute girl that would always try talk to me she would always tease me about it like omg why are you blushing? and it would make me blush even more and got me traumatized she ended stop talking to me after awhile, girls thought I was weird as hell so i would avoid talking to girls at all cost I started questioning myself on why it would happen but i never told anyone about it because i thought ppl would think im weird I started to get depressed because i felt like i was missing out on girls and not enjoying my life as much as i'd like. I remeber telling my neighborhood friends that summer and they were like wtf they were around my age didn't really understand me. I went from being a sociable funny kid from 7th grade to a really shy kid in 8th most girls stopped talking me and I remeber we had to get two classrooms togheter for some classwork and as we were about to recite the pledge of alliegance i goofed off with my friend and my teacher singled me out and as everyone was seated he told me to stand up and recite the whole thing i felt like running away it was so bad i wanted to die on the spot. I did it but i could feel everyone staring at me laughing at me I felt like such a total loser, that same year last day of school were i felt like i had a lot of friends as everyone was crying giving each other hugs because they were leaving middle school i didn't have one single person come up i got really sad so i just left i walked home by myself. The thing that helped was soccer it was my passion and escape from all my thoughts and worries I also made some really good friends I turned out to be good at it so i felt like as if it was away for an escape so that summer i spent most of my days playing soccer and then High school came along where i felt like things were gonna be a lot worse for me since theres so much more people and a lot of girls would wanna talk to me. and yup things went as i imagined I rarely knew anybody in my classes and most of them knew each other since they all came from the same middle school, i was really quite and shy girls would always ask why i never talked I would mumble idk or say i dont know anybody and they would tell me u can talk to me but i didn't want to for the fear of blushing when talking to them. couple months in I tried to break out of it I started talking to ppl cracking jokes it kind of worked but i would still blush for no reason, then soccer season came along that year is where i felt things get better I would concentrate my thoughts on making varsity or games or getting good grades and became more sociable i got a girlfriend didn't last long but felt like i was doing better i became more well known since i was of the freshmen on the JV team ppl thought i was good felt like it boosted my confidence made new friends. and 9th grade came to an end and that summer for some reason i was really curious about smoking weed i ended up doing it for the first time I got a girlfriend that summer too but didn't last long either i lost focus on the sport of soccer 10th grade came along i felt like i was back to square one I would blush for no reason I started smoking a lot of weed it would make me feel better i stopped doing good in school I was skipping a lot i started going out and drink with some friends i made back in 9th grade. I got my first "serious" girlfriend during that timeframe i actually felt like she was the "one" only because she was a lot more sexual than the rest I had she was more "experienced" we got in fights and a lot of BS for a few months my grades were horrible my parents wanted to switch schools they taught i was hanging with the wrong crowd so me n her officially broke up and I felt soooo devasted a new school and felt like i lost a real gf i got really depressed i was suicidal I met some cool ppl at that school a few girls would approach me and talk to me some girl got a big crush on me but i was sad cus of the brake up i did horrible in that school i literally would do nothing just show up. I couldn't play soccer that year since it was a different school and my new school didn't have a soccer program so it got me even MORE depressed i felt like total **** and my parents picked up on it and knew i was depressed took me to a doc but they referred me to a pyschologist or something like that where it didn't even help he would just ask me questions and i felt really awkward telling him felt like he didn't understand me so i stopped going. so 11th grade came along our city had built a new high school it was now finished i felt like i could change things around after all the weed and beer i felt like i put on a good amount of weight i was always a skinny kid. I got a new gf that year where i felt like she was total nice sweet girl who would do me no harm she went to my old highschool where i first started I would not see her much since my parents thought i was out doing bad, she ended up "cheating" she went to a dance with some other guy i got pissed and broke up i got so depressed i felt worthless i wouldnt even wake up for school i got in a fight with my dad cus he got mad after i woke up late he punched me in the face i ran away they were looking for me so i came back that night and didn't talk to him for like a week. I was rarely even playing soccer anymore i was out partying more drinking and smoking during school hours i got sent to court for truancy but promised to start going so i started going, but i never had the grades, 12th grade comes a long my senior year but i had freshmen credits there was no way i was gonna graduate anytime soon. I put on a good amount of weight i was like 115lbs my freshmen and senior year i was like 160lbs. i was really depressed i would never go to school my parents just dropped me out of school. my depression hit the hardest my friends stopped talking me i saw them graduate i felt worthless like a total loser i felt like i could've gone pro at soccer it all went to **** i started doing cocaine and binge drinking up until i was 19 I went into monk mode i starting going to the gym and reflect back on my bad decisions i felt like it was big learning process for me i lost a lot of weight i felt healthy i started playing soccer more seriously again. this phobia seem to have left the same way it started but i still get really depressed at times but i dont have much of a problem approaching girls anymore well sometimes not gonna lie but better progress I had a job where there was this really hot girl working there i was the only who build up the guts and got her number  we stopped talking but i felt proud of making a move on such a hot girl my advice to everyone is to train your brain and yourself slowly take babysteps you can do it guys i took pills for like few months but it never did anything for me so i discontinued them.


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## slimjanders

*my hypothesis to solve the blushing "problem".*

Like many of you, I get red in the face very easily. Just thinking about it will cause it to go red. I think that it gets red because our mind gets stuck in a positive feedback loop of anxiety about redness, which causes more redness, which causes more anxiety, which causes things to spiral out of control. I'm going to try a new technique to slowly get rid of the redness/anxiety problem.

First, for this to work, you have to accept the fact that this problem can be solved. One way the redness/anxiety loop can be broken is to have good experiences with blushing rather than anxious experiences.

I've decided to tell my self "bring it on face. Become as red as possible." I've convinced myself that I want to become red so that I can challenge myself in situations where I'd usually become anxious. I'm going to stay in a situation with a red face until I can lower my anxiety with breathing techniques.

After the anxiety is gone, I will see each situation of redness as a success rather than a failure. Then I will no longer fear becoming red.

This, however, is gonna take some practice so wish me luck!


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## anxious87

Interesting, is it only fear of yourself blushing or fear of others blushing. I think some people have the latter
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Odes

I have had this since I was 17, now 37. I have tried so many different things to help. Drugs, therapists, hypnotherapy etc etc. I was prescribed propananol a month ago and this is the first drug that has helped with the anxiety in my chest and stomach that comes with the blushing so things are more bearable in that regard. Trying klonopin now too but might get doc to change that as makes me feel too tired and not much change to the mental anxiety side of things. Will keep you posted if I can get the mix right. Best of luck to all


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## I am ok

I am 26 years old and this is the biggest problem in my life also it has been for More than 10 years. When I first realized I was just 16 or something. I never understand why it was happening at unexpected times and happening. Now it has been killing my life especially since last 2 years during working. It does not allowing me to express my skills, abilities, projects etc. Now it is more and more serious problem in my life and I have to beat it. Starting with this forum should be nice. Than medicine and If won't help maybe surgery. I was thinking that I have social phobia but recently realized that it is just a result of fear of blushing. I can do everything but after thinking my red face everyting is ending in seconds. Please give me some advice while I am searching for other ways to get better. Meanwhile I am from Turkey. Sorry for the lack of English.


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## dontwaitupforme

Luckily make up and a tan prevents this. My chest goes red when I blush..

Weird thing is before I blush, my stomach churns before I see someone or il think something obscene! I hate my body sometimes.


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## Ellazona

It's actually quite common and one of the worse effects for me regarding my social anxiety. Therapy and ssri might work to some extent, you really need to stop avoiding the situation and learn to take control of it


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## mmik

Im 16 years old and when I started my severe blushing I was a sophomore in high school. My severe blushing started about a year and a half ago due to taking Accutane. Before I took Accutane, my face rarely ever got severely red when I blushed. After about 9 months of taking it for my acne, my face would turn tomato red within a quick second of me just thinking about it. It would happen in school, talking to a teacher, getting called on, and even talking to my closest of friends. Before I knew it I was obsessing over the fact that my face would start blushing very easily and I would constantly wait for it to happen next. This is the worst start to it all. I started refusing to go to certain classes and I missed a lot of school. It started effecting my grades tremendously because I couldn't focus in class I would just think about the next time a teacher would call on me or how red my face would get next time someone would come up to talk to me. The anxiety got so bad I would sit in class having major panick attacks with my face turning bright red, heart pounding, hands sweating, and also turning very cold. I visited a psychologist and they prescribed me Xanax and Lexapro. The Xanax helped me stay calm in class and the Lexapro kicked in within a month or so. Xanax really would only work about ten minutes after I took it and it would only last for a couple hours. Lexapro is an antidepressant which means it takes awhile to work and kick in, but it basically just makes you happier and less negative. These medicines did not stop the blushing but it did ease it by a lot. I started seeing a psychologist to help change the way I think. Basically she told me that I really needed to keep my mind off of it much as I could and not beat myself up every time I blushed. I would go to school and the blushing would still happen. I felt completely hopeless and I wanted to die because people would always look at me like I had a problem and I thought that blushing would never go away. It was very exhausting with it happening multiple times a day. I ended the school year with decent grades and I really pushed through the blushing and tried my hardest not to beat myself up every time it happened. Summer came and it was quite relaxing and less stressful not being in a classroom with bright lights on me everyday for 8 hours. I eased off the Lexapro because I was no longer experiencing much anxiety unless I was grocery shopping by myself. I became a lifeguard and later got the manager job at my local community pool. As school was coming back, I would sweat just thinking about it. My psychologist started me back on Lexapro and it made me really calm. I was no longer constantly thinking about the blushing. Once you really could care less about it, your set. The more you care about it, the more it will effect you and take a toll on you. I still get really anxious when it comes to presenting in class but other than that I feel pretty normal and rarely blush anymore. Thank God!!! Seriously please do not beat yourself whenever it happens you really just have to accept it and not dwell on it. Also breathing in and out through my nose very deeply multiple times helps me relax alot. I really hope my story can give someone some hope and I really am praying for the ones out there struggling with it because it really is a tiring and stressful experience. Best of luck.


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## RetroAesthetic

I've blushed regularly, for as long as I can cast my mind back. I started with SA as I started primary school, and since then whenever anyone started a conversation with me, or even look directly at me, my face would go bright red instantly. 

It's interesting though as after thinking about it, I've noticed it happening less and less frequently as I'm getting older. I'm 27 now and I can usually get through a brief social encounter without it happening. I hope it starts fading away for you, too.


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## Trancequillity

Odes said:


> I have had this since I was 17, now 37. I have tried so many different things to help. Drugs, therapists, hypnotherapy etc etc. I was prescribed propananol a month ago and this is the first drug that has helped with the anxiety in my chest and stomach that comes with the blushing so things are more bearable in that regard. Trying klonopin now too but might get doc to change that as makes me feel too tired and not much change to the mental anxiety side of things. Will keep you posted if I can get the mix right. Best of luck to all


Please keep us posted. Do you take propanol on a regimen or when only meeting people?


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## stan66

*Possible solution to blushing?*

I have always suffered from blushing since I can remember. I hate to hear comments from people: why are you so red?..what is the problem with you? Are you ok?..etc...
few weeks ago I went to the Dr for a routine exam. He prescribed Compensial 300mg twice a day for a mild increase in liver enzymes...my God...since I am taking these capsules (dont know why) I am more self confident, I feel I am not blushing anymore. Probably my blushing has disappeared in a 80%..
:smile2:


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## Millsey

Hi All, I have reduced my blushing too a level that it doesn't worry me anymore. IT really helps to be in control of your emotions and this site helped me to work out how to stop blushing 

I never liked the idea of going for surgery. Seems a bit extreme :0


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