Idiopathic craniofacial erythema
Encyclopedia
Idiopathic Craniofacial Erythema is a medical condition characterised by severe, uncontrollable, and frequently unprovoked, facial blushing
.
Blushing can occur at any time and is frequently triggered by even mundane events, such as, talking to friends, paying for goods in a shop or asking for directions. The redness can take several minutes to dissipate leaving the sufferer feeling exposed and embarrassed.
Sufferers will often seek careers which do not ordinarily bring them into contact with others, especially the general public, and may have problems with relationships.
A link is frequently described between idiopathic craniofacial erythema and social anxiety disorder
.
Other symptoms include excessive sweating
on the palms, feet and under-arm areas.
In extreme cases a surgical procedure known as Endoscopic Transthoracic Sympathicotomy (ETS) is available. Pioneered by surgeons in Sweden
, this procedure has recently become increasingly controversial due to its many potential adverse effects
. Patients who have undergone the procedure frequently complain of compensatory sweating and fatigue
, with around 5% reconsidering getting the treatment. ETS is now normally only considered in extreme cases where other treatments have been ineffective.
Blushing
Blushing refers to the involuntary reddening of a person's face due to embarrassment or emotional stress, though it has been known to come from being lovestruck, or from some kind of romantic stimulation. It is thought that blushing is the result of an overactive sympathetic nervous system...
.
Blushing can occur at any time and is frequently triggered by even mundane events, such as, talking to friends, paying for goods in a shop or asking for directions. The redness can take several minutes to dissipate leaving the sufferer feeling exposed and embarrassed.
Sufferers will often seek careers which do not ordinarily bring them into contact with others, especially the general public, and may have problems with relationships.
A link is frequently described between idiopathic craniofacial erythema and social anxiety disorder
Social anxiety disorder
Social anxiety disorder , also known as social phobia, is an anxiety disorder characterized by intense fear in social situations causing considerable distress and impaired ability to function in at least some parts of daily life...
.
Other symptoms include excessive sweating
Sweating
Perspiration is the production of a fluid consisting primarily of water as well as various dissolved solids , that is excreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals...
on the palms, feet and under-arm areas.
Treatment
A number of treatments are available. The most successful non-invasive procedure is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which attempts to alleviate the anxiety felt by sufferers.In extreme cases a surgical procedure known as Endoscopic Transthoracic Sympathicotomy (ETS) is available. Pioneered by surgeons in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, this procedure has recently become increasingly controversial due to its many potential adverse effects
Adverse effect (medicine)
In medicine, an adverse effect is a harmful and undesired effect resulting from a medication or other intervention such as surgery.An adverse effect may be termed a "side effect", when judged to be secondary to a main or therapeutic effect. If it results from an unsuitable or incorrect dosage or...
. Patients who have undergone the procedure frequently complain of compensatory sweating and fatigue
Fatigue (physical)
Fatigue is a state of awareness describing a range of afflictions, usually associated with physical and/or mental weakness, though varying from a general state of lethargy to a specific work-induced burning sensation within one's muscles...
, with around 5% reconsidering getting the treatment. ETS is now normally only considered in extreme cases where other treatments have been ineffective.
External links
- Social Anxiety UK
- The New Yorker - CRIMSON TIDE - What is blushing?, No one knows for sure, but it can ruin your life by Atul GawandeAtul GawandeAtul Gawande is an American physician and journalist. He serves as a general and endocrine surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts and associate director of their Center for Surgery and Public Health...
.