Staring at one side of the face increases blood flow on that side of the face

Journal of Psychosomatic Research

2012

Self Cite

Objective. Rosacea is characterized by extremely sensitive skin and persistent facial flushing, perhaps initiated or exacerbated by frequent or intense blushing. To investigate this, blushing was assessed in rosacea sufferers and controls during embarrassing laboratory tasks.Methods. Changes in forehead blood flow were monitored with laser Doppler fluxmetry in 31 rosacea sufferers (12 with severe symptoms and 19 with mild symptoms) and 86 controls while singing, giving an impromptu speech, and listening to recordings of these activities.Results. Changes in forehead blood flow were similar in rosacea sufferers and controls, and were similar in subgroups with mild and severe rosacea. Even so, rosacea sufferers thought that that they blushed more intensely and were more embarrassed than controls during most of the tasks. Likewise, changes in forehead blood flow were similar in participants with mild and severe rosacea. Nevertheless, ratings of embarrassment and blushing were greater in those with severe than mild symptoms. Within the rosacea group, increases in blood flow while singing were greatest in participants with the highest blushing ratings, whereas increases in blood flow while listening to the speech were greatest in the most embarrassed participants.Conclusions. These findings do not support the hypothesis that blushing is abnormal in rosacea but, nevertheless, suggest that rosacea sufferers are more aware of and embarrassed by blushing than controls. This might contribute to social anxiety in rosacea sufferers.

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blushing in rosacea sufferers

Journal of Psychosomatic Research

2012

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“…Rhythmic changes in congestion and decongestion of opposing nostrils may reflect alternating lateralized autonomic influences on the nasal microcirculation; furthermore, lateralized influences on sweating and skin colour have been described in relation to posture, asymmetry of cerebral hemisphere activity, and psychological state (Shannahoff-Khalsa, 1991;Hugdahl, 1984). Merely staring at one side of the face increases blood flow on that side of the face, even when staring through a glass window from an adjacent room (Drummond and Mirco, 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Immersion of the hand in ice water releases adrenergic vasoconstrictor tone in the ipsilateral temple

2006

Autonomic Neuroscience

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Immersion of the hand in painfully-cold water induces cutaneous vasodilatation in the temples, more so ipsilaterally than contralaterally. To investigate the mechanism of this response, guanethidine or saline was administered by transcutaneous iontophoresis to a recording site in the temple of ten participants before they immersed one of their hands in ice water. Guanethidine displaces noradrenaline from sympathetic nerve terminals and inhibits sympathetic noradrenergic neurotransmission. Therefore, it was hypothesized that guanethidine pretreatment would block vasodilatation mediated by release of sympathetic vasoconstrictor tone in cutaneous vessels in the temple. During hand immersion, increases in the amplitude of the pulse waveform detected by laser Doppler flowmetry were greater in the ipsilateral than contralateral temple (86% versus 34% above baseline, p<0.05), and pretreatment with guanethidine prevented this asymmetric response (ipsilateral response 21% above baseline and contralateral response 32%, difference not significant). Guanethidine also inhibited ipsilateral increases in cutaneous blood flow during hand immersion in responsive participants. These findings suggest that limb pain inhibited ipsilateral adrenergic vasoconstrictor outflow in the temple. Thus, the findings challenge the concept of the sympathetic nervous system as a "mass action" system that discharges in unison to meet environmental demands. Instead, they suggest that the sympathetic nervous system is highly differentiated, with separate control of discrete reflex pathways on each side of the body.

“…In support of this possibility, gazing at one side of the face was found to provoke greater increases in blood flow and facial temperature on that side than on the other, hidden side of the face (Drummond and Mirco 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Eye Contact Evokes Blushing Independently of Negative Affect

Bailey

2013

J Nonverbal Behav

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To determine whether eye contact elicits blushing due to anxiety, forehead blood flow was measured during a stressful quiz and self-disclosure. The investigator maintained eye contact with 19 participants whereas, in another 40 cases, the investigator and/or participant wore sunglasses or the investigator left the room (the control group). Anxiety, embarrassment and forehead blood flow increased in both groups during the quiz, consistent with anxiety-evoked blushing. However, during self-disclosure, increases in forehead blood flow were greater in the eye contact than control group despite reductions in embarrassment and anxiety. These findings suggest that eye contact augments blushing over and above any influence of anxiety or general scrutiny during self-disclosure.