Red-faced runner
April 25, 2013 9:11 AM Subscribe
How can I prevent or shorten the time that my face is beet red after going for a jog?
I have been working on the Couch-to-5k program which, for those not in the know, is a jogging program that very slowly and gradually has you walking and running in increments until after many weeks, you're running and no longer walking. Each session is only 30 minutes, and you do it 3 times a week. It's simple and I like it, which is the first time in my life I can say I like any kind of exercise for exercise's sake.
Problem is, a normal person would have to carve out only an hour or so to run and them come home, shower, and be on their merry way. But no, not me. My face is unbelievably beet red, so much so that it looks like a sunburn. And it stays that way for over an hour after I'm done running and showering.
I'm not running strenuously.
I'm running in 45-65 degree weather, usually in the morning, so it's not too hot.
I'm running mostly in shaded areas.
I wear sunscreen.
I take a cool shower immediately upon returning.
I stay really well hydrated.
I run a fan when I get home.
I'm a white, but not pale, 30 year old woman.
I have a good diet and am in good health.
I don't feel over-exhausted or over-heated.
I currently take a birth control pill and Wellbutrin, but the red-face thing has always been the case throughout my life and before these medications.
Make-up won't cover it, and I wouldn't want to do that anyway.
I can't pay for a gym membership right now, and I probably wouldn't use it anyway.
This is only a problem because my schedule does not allow me 2-3 hours of consecutive time, three days a week, to stay out of public and 'cool down', and I'd really like to be able to give myself the time to stick with this program to the end.
What can I do to cool down my face quicker so that I can get on with my life after I run?
I have been working on the Couch-to-5k program which, for those not in the know, is a jogging program that very slowly and gradually has you walking and running in increments until after many weeks, you're running and no longer walking. Each session is only 30 minutes, and you do it 3 times a week. It's simple and I like it, which is the first time in my life I can say I like any kind of exercise for exercise's sake.
Problem is, a normal person would have to carve out only an hour or so to run and them come home, shower, and be on their merry way. But no, not me. My face is unbelievably beet red, so much so that it looks like a sunburn. And it stays that way for over an hour after I'm done running and showering.
I'm not running strenuously.
I'm running in 45-65 degree weather, usually in the morning, so it's not too hot.
I'm running mostly in shaded areas.
I wear sunscreen.
I take a cool shower immediately upon returning.
I stay really well hydrated.
I run a fan when I get home.
I'm a white, but not pale, 30 year old woman.
I have a good diet and am in good health.
I don't feel over-exhausted or over-heated.
I currently take a birth control pill and Wellbutrin, but the red-face thing has always been the case throughout my life and before these medications.
Make-up won't cover it, and I wouldn't want to do that anyway.
I can't pay for a gym membership right now, and I probably wouldn't use it anyway.
This is only a problem because my schedule does not allow me 2-3 hours of consecutive time, three days a week, to stay out of public and 'cool down', and I'd really like to be able to give myself the time to stick with this program to the end.
What can I do to cool down my face quicker so that I can get on with my life after I run?
As a fair-skinned person, this also happens to me. I've had people stop me while I'm exercising to check to make sure I'm ok.
I'm not sure you can do much to change the length of time your skin appears flushed. However, you may be able to minimize the appearance of redness by selecting clothing colors that cancel out the redness. I think green, blue, and purple tops would reflect those colors back onto you and minimize the redness. However, some online recommendations for minimizing sunburns suggest wearing orange, red, and pink to camouflage skin redness. Maybe test in natural light to see which color groups achieve the best effect?
Good luck!
posted by smuna at 9:34 AM on April 25, 2013
I'm not sure you can do much to change the length of time your skin appears flushed. However, you may be able to minimize the appearance of redness by selecting clothing colors that cancel out the redness. I think green, blue, and purple tops would reflect those colors back onto you and minimize the redness. However, some online recommendations for minimizing sunburns suggest wearing orange, red, and pink to camouflage skin redness. Maybe test in natural light to see which color groups achieve the best effect?
Good luck!
posted by smuna at 9:34 AM on April 25, 2013
Have you tried cold water? I'd start with cold water on a washcloth held on your face, and if that doesn't work, you could try basically dunking your face/head in ice water (say in the kitchen sink or something). The cold — and I mean cold, not just pleasantly cool, but cold-enough-to-make-you-shiver cold — ought to cause your capillaries to constrict.
Also, submerging your face in cold water also triggers the diving reflex which causes peripheral vasoconstriction, although I'm not really sure how powerful that is in adults and whether you'd see it in your face (it starts in the fingers/toes and goes in from there). Though now I'm tempted to try it next time I go running. For Science.
I'd imagine that a really cold shower / ice bath would do the job too, but I'm not sure if that particular 'cure' would be worse than the 'disease'. (It certainly would be to me.)
If that doesn't work, then it may just be something that's happening as a result of your heartrate being elevated after running, and your body taking a while to decrease your heartrate back to normal. That's something that will improve with training, though — in fact some people like to argue that HR recovery time is one of the best measures of fitness. So as you get more used to exercise it should go away.
posted by Kadin2048 at 9:37 AM on April 25, 2013 [1 favorite]
Also, submerging your face in cold water also triggers the diving reflex which causes peripheral vasoconstriction, although I'm not really sure how powerful that is in adults and whether you'd see it in your face (it starts in the fingers/toes and goes in from there). Though now I'm tempted to try it next time I go running. For Science.
I'd imagine that a really cold shower / ice bath would do the job too, but I'm not sure if that particular 'cure' would be worse than the 'disease'. (It certainly would be to me.)
If that doesn't work, then it may just be something that's happening as a result of your heartrate being elevated after running, and your body taking a while to decrease your heartrate back to normal. That's something that will improve with training, though — in fact some people like to argue that HR recovery time is one of the best measures of fitness. So as you get more used to exercise it should go away.
posted by Kadin2048 at 9:37 AM on April 25, 2013 [1 favorite]
I flush really easily, especially with exercise, but also when I'm tired, or upset, or for no reason at all, and I have been diagnosed with rosacea. I've been using Finacea for a while, and I think it has cut down on the face redness a bit.
However, if your face is only flushed after exercise and you are new to cardiovascular exercise, your body just needs to adjust. If you generally have blushing issues, like I do, a trip to a dermatologist might help.
posted by ablazingsaddle at 9:42 AM on April 25, 2013 [1 favorite]
However, if your face is only flushed after exercise and you are new to cardiovascular exercise, your body just needs to adjust. If you generally have blushing issues, like I do, a trip to a dermatologist might help.
posted by ablazingsaddle at 9:42 AM on April 25, 2013 [1 favorite]
This also happens to me - and has my whole life to a greater or lesser extent depending on how fit I am. The only two things I've found to help are, as others have mentioned above, being in better shape - that tends to decrease the recovery time. And a very cold shower. I've also tried laying down for 15 minutes with ice in a washcloth on my face. That sort of helped but it wasn't entirely pleasant.
posted by hapax_legomenon at 9:52 AM on April 25, 2013
posted by hapax_legomenon at 9:52 AM on April 25, 2013
I also have mild rosacea and tend to turn bright red when my heart rate goes up. (A fitness instructor almost kicked me out of her class because she thought I was going to faint.) Do other things -- like heat, cold, alcohol, or spicy foods -- also trigger redness? If so, you might want to look up rosacea and/or see a dermatologist.
Mine's mild enough that I don't get any medical treatment for it, but I do try to do things at home to avoid triggering it. No extreme water temperatures (including cold - for me, dunking my face in ice water would make it more awfully red), generally natural facial care products.
There's also something reasonably comforting to me in being able to say (or even just think) "It's a skin condition, I'm fine," rather than "Yes, I'm totally out of shape, thanks."
posted by jaguar at 9:55 AM on April 25, 2013
Mine's mild enough that I don't get any medical treatment for it, but I do try to do things at home to avoid triggering it. No extreme water temperatures (including cold - for me, dunking my face in ice water would make it more awfully red), generally natural facial care products.
There's also something reasonably comforting to me in being able to say (or even just think) "It's a skin condition, I'm fine," rather than "Yes, I'm totally out of shape, thanks."
posted by jaguar at 9:55 AM on April 25, 2013
What can I do to cool down my face quicker so that I can get on with my life after I run?
You can also consider getting on with your life even if your face is red. My face also turns red from exercising, and then I just go do whatever I was planning to do for the rest of the day.
posted by andoatnp at 10:09 AM on April 25, 2013 [5 favorites]
You can also consider getting on with your life even if your face is red. My face also turns red from exercising, and then I just go do whatever I was planning to do for the rest of the day.
posted by andoatnp at 10:09 AM on April 25, 2013 [5 favorites]
You may find that your face gets less red as you become more fit, but this may also be a sign that you are an over-reactive flusher who could see signs of rosacea within a few years.
DON'T PANIC. You have to live your life, and getting fit is an excellent overall choice for you. Don't stop activity because you're flushing.
For now:
1) I agree with jaguar that ice cold water is a bad choice. Extreme hot or cold temperatures make a flush worse. A prolonged cool to tepid shower, with the spray on top of your head rather than directly in your face, will help cool your whole body down. (You can get your face wet, of course, but just don't aggravate it with a strong, direct shower spray). I've come home flushed from long bike rides in the sun (with sunscreen), and a long, cool shower helped a lot.
2) This sounds weird (ONE WEIRD TRICK!), but it works for me: eat a large portion of something cold. I once downed a couple of bowls of diet Jello and got the shivers, but this also stopped a flush in its tracks.
So, in short: avoid applying extreme temperatures directly to your face, but either prolonged coolness throughout your body or a short, sharp cold shock to your core can help reduce a flush.
In addition, as you become more fit, you can try substituting intervals for 1-2 of your long, slow cardio workouts each week. You will still flush, but for a much shorter time.
posted by maudlin at 10:09 AM on April 25, 2013
DON'T PANIC. You have to live your life, and getting fit is an excellent overall choice for you. Don't stop activity because you're flushing.
For now:
1) I agree with jaguar that ice cold water is a bad choice. Extreme hot or cold temperatures make a flush worse. A prolonged cool to tepid shower, with the spray on top of your head rather than directly in your face, will help cool your whole body down. (You can get your face wet, of course, but just don't aggravate it with a strong, direct shower spray). I've come home flushed from long bike rides in the sun (with sunscreen), and a long, cool shower helped a lot.
2) This sounds weird (ONE WEIRD TRICK!), but it works for me: eat a large portion of something cold. I once downed a couple of bowls of diet Jello and got the shivers, but this also stopped a flush in its tracks.
So, in short: avoid applying extreme temperatures directly to your face, but either prolonged coolness throughout your body or a short, sharp cold shock to your core can help reduce a flush.
In addition, as you become more fit, you can try substituting intervals for 1-2 of your long, slow cardio workouts each week. You will still flush, but for a much shorter time.
posted by maudlin at 10:09 AM on April 25, 2013
I have been turning brilliant pink for years, as you may recall. The duration of the flush has lessened as I've gotten in better shape, though I caught a kid ogling me at the Y last week. I was like, "Lobster, right?" and he just nodded. I've also banished the bright fuschia/coral t-shirts to the less strenuous days.
posted by thivaia at 10:10 AM on April 25, 2013
posted by thivaia at 10:10 AM on April 25, 2013
How are your iron levels? Low levels can contribute to skin flushing.
posted by heyjude at 10:39 AM on April 25, 2013
posted by heyjude at 10:39 AM on April 25, 2013
My face has always turned red when I exercise. I'm in good shape and I have been for many years; I don't think it's going away. I don't have rosacea or any other skin issue, I just tend to get red in the face, that's all.
I just ignore it. When I catch people giving me funny looks I purposely keep conversation flowing and make it clear that I'm perfectly OK. If people ask, I just laugh and say that always happens and there's no reason for concern.
posted by Cygnet at 10:45 AM on April 25, 2013
I just ignore it. When I catch people giving me funny looks I purposely keep conversation flowing and make it clear that I'm perfectly OK. If people ask, I just laugh and say that always happens and there's no reason for concern.
posted by Cygnet at 10:45 AM on April 25, 2013
If you don't already, maybe using a little moisturizer and letting it soak in before running the the colder weather will avoid extra redness thath maybe coming from windburn and such.
posted by WeekendJen at 10:48 AM on April 25, 2013
posted by WeekendJen at 10:48 AM on April 25, 2013
I flush from my armpits up, any time I exercise or have an emotion or speak in front of more than 3 people or am exposed to temperatures over 74 degrees. I just snap 'it's a skin condition' at people who think they need to comment on my appearance to me.
Tepid water on my head works fastest but is impractical. Drinking ice water will help eventually, but it takes a while.
posted by Lyn Never at 11:10 AM on April 25, 2013
Tepid water on my head works fastest but is impractical. Drinking ice water will help eventually, but it takes a while.
posted by Lyn Never at 11:10 AM on April 25, 2013
Oh, duh, I forgot the thing I do at the gym: I wet the part of my towel that hangs around my neck. I've been considering getting one of these cooling towels.
posted by Lyn Never at 11:26 AM on April 25, 2013
posted by Lyn Never at 11:26 AM on April 25, 2013
Response by poster: I try to run in the morning because I work afternoons and evenings usually. It would not be acceptable to show up to my work place(s) with a red face. I'm expected to be presentable.
So this leaves me with a very limited window of time for the 2-3 hour run and recovery and I'd like to be able to be more flexible in my schedule so that I will be more motivated to run. If I were just hanging out in my neighborhood or going grocery shopping or whatever after running, I wouldn't care because I don't care what the general population thinks when I'm out and about. I do care what my employers think though.
This is the only time I flush so I'm sure it's not a skin issue and my iron levels are fine.
Seems the general consensus is to make myself colder and suck it up until I'm fitter.
posted by greta simone at 11:33 AM on April 25, 2013
So this leaves me with a very limited window of time for the 2-3 hour run and recovery and I'd like to be able to be more flexible in my schedule so that I will be more motivated to run. If I were just hanging out in my neighborhood or going grocery shopping or whatever after running, I wouldn't care because I don't care what the general population thinks when I'm out and about. I do care what my employers think though.
This is the only time I flush so I'm sure it's not a skin issue and my iron levels are fine.
Seems the general consensus is to make myself colder and suck it up until I'm fitter.
posted by greta simone at 11:33 AM on April 25, 2013
I flush easily and am a runner and have exactly the same problem (and am now waiting for rosacea to flare up in the next few years, great.)
There's nothing I've tried that makes it better. So I ignore it and go about my day. And my issue hasn't gotten better with increasing fitness, just to be depressing.
posted by gaspode at 11:43 AM on April 25, 2013
There's nothing I've tried that makes it better. So I ignore it and go about my day. And my issue hasn't gotten better with increasing fitness, just to be depressing.
posted by gaspode at 11:43 AM on April 25, 2013
Another beet-face here. Like jaguar, extreme cold or heat makes things worse but a fan can be very helpful.
This is the only time I flush so I'm sure it's not a skin issue
That's what I thought for a long time, until I went to a dermatologist for an unrelated issue. She took one look at me and said, Oh, you have Rosecea. (I don't even think I was flaring up at the time.) Over the last few years I've discovered other things can trigger it now, but until then I'd never had any skin problems at all. Even if there is no medical reason for the flushing it is still a skin condition in that it is simply the condition of your skin.
If I were just hanging out in my neighborhood or going grocery shopping or whatever after running, I wouldn't care because I don't care what the general population thinks when I'm out and about. I do care what my employers think though.
If your concern is what your employers may think about it superficially, or what they may assume it says it about you or your lifestyle, then I would go to a doctor and get a note letting them know that whatever it is it does not impact your ability to do your job.
posted by Room 641-A at 12:18 PM on April 25, 2013
This is the only time I flush so I'm sure it's not a skin issue
That's what I thought for a long time, until I went to a dermatologist for an unrelated issue. She took one look at me and said, Oh, you have Rosecea. (I don't even think I was flaring up at the time.) Over the last few years I've discovered other things can trigger it now, but until then I'd never had any skin problems at all. Even if there is no medical reason for the flushing it is still a skin condition in that it is simply the condition of your skin.
If I were just hanging out in my neighborhood or going grocery shopping or whatever after running, I wouldn't care because I don't care what the general population thinks when I'm out and about. I do care what my employers think though.
If your concern is what your employers may think about it superficially, or what they may assume it says it about you or your lifestyle, then I would go to a doctor and get a note letting them know that whatever it is it does not impact your ability to do your job.
posted by Room 641-A at 12:18 PM on April 25, 2013
This happens to me, people used to comment on it when I was at the gym too. Nothing seems to help.
Make-up won't cover it, and I wouldn't want to do that anyway.
Have you tried a high quality foundation? I never found the drugstore stuff to cover it up, but the Make Up Forever brand (which I got at Sephora) foundation really does work for me, and doesn't make me look like I'm wearing pancake makeup, if that's your objection to it.
posted by inertia at 12:28 PM on April 25, 2013
Make-up won't cover it, and I wouldn't want to do that anyway.
Have you tried a high quality foundation? I never found the drugstore stuff to cover it up, but the Make Up Forever brand (which I got at Sephora) foundation really does work for me, and doesn't make me look like I'm wearing pancake makeup, if that's your objection to it.
posted by inertia at 12:28 PM on April 25, 2013
Response by poster: My objection to foundation is that I really don't like foundation. I'd prefer a preventative method over a cover-up.
Again, it is not acceptable to appear that way in my work. It would affect my job. I don't sit in a cubicle, I am out front greeting 100 customers a day, whose judgement directly affects my position. So trust me when I say I cannot go to work this way.
posted by greta simone at 1:21 PM on April 25, 2013
Again, it is not acceptable to appear that way in my work. It would affect my job. I don't sit in a cubicle, I am out front greeting 100 customers a day, whose judgement directly affects my position. So trust me when I say I cannot go to work this way.
posted by greta simone at 1:21 PM on April 25, 2013
I am not alone! I have never seen anyone get as beet face as me when I exercise. I am now in my early 40s, it never got worse or better and for the record I do have rosacea. When I get fully beet people are alarmed and want to take me to the hospital. It takes a long long time to cool down and I don't think makeup would help. I would just explain to your employers how your body works. I haven't been able to find anything that would stop it. Big hugs to everyone here, getting that red in the face is no fun at all.
Shoot I see you just posted you Can Not go to work like that. Exercise after work.
posted by 58 at 1:24 PM on April 25, 2013
Shoot I see you just posted you Can Not go to work like that. Exercise after work.
posted by 58 at 1:24 PM on April 25, 2013
Oh that's rough, sorry. I think people are offering up alternatives because there doesn't seem to be an instant cure.
Except for some gloss and occasional mascara I don't really wear make-up, so I understand the aversion to foundation. The one thing I will use occasionally is this Physician's Formula Mineral Wear Talc-free Mineral Face Powder in Soft Green. I use a kabuki brush that I just touch to the compact, and after tapping off the excess I brush it on lightly. It may not have the coverage for full-alert redness but worth the try. I think you'd be able to find it somewhere that allows make-up returns, like Target or CVS.
posted by Room 641-A at 2:10 PM on April 25, 2013
Except for some gloss and occasional mascara I don't really wear make-up, so I understand the aversion to foundation. The one thing I will use occasionally is this Physician's Formula Mineral Wear Talc-free Mineral Face Powder in Soft Green. I use a kabuki brush that I just touch to the compact, and after tapping off the excess I brush it on lightly. It may not have the coverage for full-alert redness but worth the try. I think you'd be able to find it somewhere that allows make-up returns, like Target or CVS.
posted by Room 641-A at 2:10 PM on April 25, 2013
Response by poster: I work late nights so after work is not an option.
posted by greta simone at 2:27 PM on April 25, 2013
posted by greta simone at 2:27 PM on April 25, 2013
You say you are generally running in cold weather, but what are you wearing? I find my flushing is not nearly so bad (or even nonexistent) when I start out my run a bit cold - it is easy to overdress for a run since it feels chilly when you first step outside, but then be overheated once you have actually gotten going. Try dropping a layer next time and see if that helps?
posted by aiglet at 2:30 PM on April 25, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by aiglet at 2:30 PM on April 25, 2013 [1 favorite]
I wonder if this is genetic. I have always had this, even during very fit periods of my life, and both my parents have it, too. Sucks. I wonder if it is related to muscle tension in the neck/shoulders, as I also get light headed when I am very nervous and standing (when giving a presentation, etc.), almost as if the veins are constricted by the muscle tension, so the blood pools in my face and/or can't get to my brain! Haven't found a solution that works, except longish, cool (not cold) baths/showers.
posted by ravioli at 4:44 PM on April 25, 2013
posted by ravioli at 4:44 PM on April 25, 2013
As others have noted, might be worth seeing a dermatologist. I recently started using Finacea for rosacea (was using metro gel before that). I've noticed a few times how it manages to calm the redness from post exercise and shower relatively quickly, and then depending on what I'm planning on doing I can put on foundation or just some mineral powder makeup (eg bare minerals). My skin is far from flawless under regular circumstances, so that's why I use the makeup. But if the redness is the only issue for you, maybe a topical medication could help.
posted by Terriniski at 4:43 PM on April 27, 2013
posted by Terriniski at 4:43 PM on April 27, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by brainmouse at 9:23 AM on April 25, 2013