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December 17, 2024 4:31 PM Subscribe
For the first time, my nose got red after drinking alcohol. Neat! Why? Before blindly linking to the wikipedia page for alcohol flush reaction, please read on.
I've only been drinking alcohol in the last couple years (I'm nearly 40). Before that, only a sip of something here and there to taste new things. But I've moved to a place in my life where I feel safe being sloppy, and so I've been trying stuff. I still don't drink much. Long story short, there's not a depth of experience here, just a few years of data points.
Usually, one drink makes my cheeks flush. JUST my cheeks. They get super red and hot. Physiology is funny, no big deal.
Tonight, I had a martini (just lemon, no olive) for the first time. Cheeks? Cold, pale. MY NOSE THOUGH? Hot and bright pink. This is fascinating! Why is it different?
It's not my first time having either gin or vermouth, and yet my face is reacting in a totally different way. My cheeks are, like, comically cold. Like my nose is pulling all my facial blood. Any theories? I'm not worried or anything I'm just curious.
I've only been drinking alcohol in the last couple years (I'm nearly 40). Before that, only a sip of something here and there to taste new things. But I've moved to a place in my life where I feel safe being sloppy, and so I've been trying stuff. I still don't drink much. Long story short, there's not a depth of experience here, just a few years of data points.
Usually, one drink makes my cheeks flush. JUST my cheeks. They get super red and hot. Physiology is funny, no big deal.
Tonight, I had a martini (just lemon, no olive) for the first time. Cheeks? Cold, pale. MY NOSE THOUGH? Hot and bright pink. This is fascinating! Why is it different?
It's not my first time having either gin or vermouth, and yet my face is reacting in a totally different way. My cheeks are, like, comically cold. Like my nose is pulling all my facial blood. Any theories? I'm not worried or anything I'm just curious.
Response by poster: I experience zero symptoms of rosacea and my cheeks flush exclusively in the limited and temporary occasion of drinking an alcoholic drink. I would be very surprised to have suddenly developed rosacea localized entirely within one martini.
posted by phunniemee at 5:38 PM on December 17 [1 favorite]
posted by phunniemee at 5:38 PM on December 17 [1 favorite]
Everyone has different rosacea triggers, but alcohol is a typical one. I’d keep an eye on it and if it gets worse see a dermatologist or search here for some rosacea products (treatments, no cures sadly).
posted by Bunglegirl at 5:53 PM on December 17 [1 favorite]
posted by Bunglegirl at 5:53 PM on December 17 [1 favorite]
Alcohol causes your blood vessels to dilate and you have more blood vessels close to the surface of the skin on your nose. So this is not a totally uncommon thing. Having pale skin might make the increased blood flow more visible.
But it's also possible you're having a slight allergic reaction to booze.
posted by ponie at 5:59 PM on December 17 [1 favorite]
But it's also possible you're having a slight allergic reaction to booze.
posted by ponie at 5:59 PM on December 17 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: lol goodnight, folks
posted by phunniemee at 6:51 PM on December 17 [9 favorites]
posted by phunniemee at 6:51 PM on December 17 [9 favorites]
Your nose has erectile tissue in it that can become engorged with blood, for reasons best known to itself. Maybe that's what was different tonight?
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:57 PM on December 17 [1 favorite]
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:57 PM on December 17 [1 favorite]
Gin has herbs and spices and fruits in it, not just grain, and what exactly there is varies brand to brand (though it always includes juniper.) There's one (nice! not cheap!) brand that I've found reliably makes me sick as a dog off of a single drink. It's possible that's what you're reacting to and not the alcohol. Drink the same gin again and see if it happens again?
(I've got nothing for why it would be in the nose instead of the cheeks or all over, though, that's fascinating)
posted by Why Is The World In Love Again? at 6:59 PM on December 17 [5 favorites]
(I've got nothing for why it would be in the nose instead of the cheeks or all over, though, that's fascinating)
posted by Why Is The World In Love Again? at 6:59 PM on December 17 [5 favorites]
A more uncomfortable suggestion than rosacea is perimenopause. Rhinophyma is a condition most pronounced on the nose, and things like spicy foods and alcohol can trigger it.
posted by bluedaisy at 10:08 PM on December 17
posted by bluedaisy at 10:08 PM on December 17
(Alcohol and spicy foods and caffeine and heat can trigger facial flushing from a range of conditions, and sometimes it’s localized to the nose.)
posted by bluedaisy at 10:10 PM on December 17
posted by bluedaisy at 10:10 PM on December 17
My unscientific guess is going to be that its something to do with the martini glass having an effect where when you sip from it, your nose inhales more than if you sip from a cocktail straw or a pint glass or throwing back a shot or beer bottle, so you are having some kind of localized nose response to inhaling more alcohol vapors than has been typical for your other drinking experiences.
posted by WeekendJen at 3:16 AM on December 18 [2 favorites]
posted by WeekendJen at 3:16 AM on December 18 [2 favorites]
Best answer: maybe if you tried sleeping on a heated mattress pad this condition would diminish
posted by glonous keming at 7:53 AM on December 18 [7 favorites]
posted by glonous keming at 7:53 AM on December 18 [7 favorites]
Response by poster: Drink the same gin again and see if it happens again?
I have had both this exact gin and this exact vermouth several times in not-a-martini and it didn't turn my nose red. Mystery!!
A more uncomfortable suggestion than rosacea is perimenopause.
I don't know why this would be uncomfortable, perimenopause comes for us all. Rosacea isn't an uncomfortable suggestion, either, it's just inaccurate and I'm not trying to borrow hardship from people who actually do struggle with rosacea. Sure is possible I could be getting peri symptoms but again, in this specific single martini, localized entirely within my nose, this one and only time precisely? Mystery!!
Your nose has erectile tissue in it
We could theorize that my nose is horny for folding laundry (which is what I was doing at the time), except that it's nowhere near the first time I've had alcohol while folding laundry and it's the first time it's been my nose. Maybe it's the special one-two combo of folding laundry and specifically a martini? Mystery!!
maybe if you tried sleeping on a heated mattress pad this condition would diminish
flagged as hate speech
its something to do with the martini glass having an effect
Finally an actual speculation that would center on why this unique experience now this one time! Unfortunately, I drink all of my "fancy beverages," inclusive of not just alcohol but also the occasional soda and chocolate milk, out of these Aldi brand stemless wine glasses because they're cute and the police haven't come for me yet. So it's not the cup. Mystery!!
I guess the puzzle continues. So weird!
posted by phunniemee at 9:47 AM on December 18 [5 favorites]
I have had both this exact gin and this exact vermouth several times in not-a-martini and it didn't turn my nose red. Mystery!!
A more uncomfortable suggestion than rosacea is perimenopause.
I don't know why this would be uncomfortable, perimenopause comes for us all. Rosacea isn't an uncomfortable suggestion, either, it's just inaccurate and I'm not trying to borrow hardship from people who actually do struggle with rosacea. Sure is possible I could be getting peri symptoms but again, in this specific single martini, localized entirely within my nose, this one and only time precisely? Mystery!!
Your nose has erectile tissue in it
We could theorize that my nose is horny for folding laundry (which is what I was doing at the time), except that it's nowhere near the first time I've had alcohol while folding laundry and it's the first time it's been my nose. Maybe it's the special one-two combo of folding laundry and specifically a martini? Mystery!!
maybe if you tried sleeping on a heated mattress pad this condition would diminish
flagged as hate speech
its something to do with the martini glass having an effect
Finally an actual speculation that would center on why this unique experience now this one time! Unfortunately, I drink all of my "fancy beverages," inclusive of not just alcohol but also the occasional soda and chocolate milk, out of these Aldi brand stemless wine glasses because they're cute and the police haven't come for me yet. So it's not the cup. Mystery!!
I guess the puzzle continues. So weird!
posted by phunniemee at 9:47 AM on December 18 [5 favorites]
Okay, well, if you're open to this: you said you didn't have any symptoms of rosacea, but the cheek flushing you have when drinking alcohol sometimes is, in fact, a symptom! Other symptoms can include getting a super red face when exercising. Rosacea isn't necessarily the overall splotchy red face you might have in mind. Like, it can start out as just a lot of facial flushing that goes away quickly, and it doesn't mean it happens all the time either.
I don't have full-blown rosacea, but it was super helpful for me to realize that any one of the symptoms (mine is also that I *sometimes* flush when having alcohol and *sometimes* get a bright red face when exercising on super hot days) means I am more prone to the other symptoms, and it might always remain mild, especially if I am aware of it and manage it.
All of this is to say, it's incredibly common for this to be the first sign of it. You shared a video of your face to tell us you don't have something, and I get that it hasn't been diagnosed, but then you are also saying, why does this thing that is often an early sign of rosacea happening to me if it's not rosacea? And folks are saying, maybe it's an early sign of rosacea.
Feel free to flag or be annoyed. Or, you know, maybe be open to the fact that rosacea might be something different than you have previously thought. Rosacea can, in fact, be cheek flushing and nose flushing when drinking alcohol and nothing else! Sometimes the simplest answer is the one, and it's not a mystery at all.
posted by bluedaisy at 11:03 AM on December 18 [2 favorites]
I don't have full-blown rosacea, but it was super helpful for me to realize that any one of the symptoms (mine is also that I *sometimes* flush when having alcohol and *sometimes* get a bright red face when exercising on super hot days) means I am more prone to the other symptoms, and it might always remain mild, especially if I am aware of it and manage it.
All of this is to say, it's incredibly common for this to be the first sign of it. You shared a video of your face to tell us you don't have something, and I get that it hasn't been diagnosed, but then you are also saying, why does this thing that is often an early sign of rosacea happening to me if it's not rosacea? And folks are saying, maybe it's an early sign of rosacea.
Feel free to flag or be annoyed. Or, you know, maybe be open to the fact that rosacea might be something different than you have previously thought. Rosacea can, in fact, be cheek flushing and nose flushing when drinking alcohol and nothing else! Sometimes the simplest answer is the one, and it's not a mystery at all.
posted by bluedaisy at 11:03 AM on December 18 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: My sister in christ this question is about my nose.
posted by phunniemee at 11:08 AM on December 18 [1 favorite]
posted by phunniemee at 11:08 AM on December 18 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Exclusively when drinking a martini?
posted by phunniemee at 11:24 AM on December 18
posted by phunniemee at 11:24 AM on December 18
Since you are clearly not allergic to alcohol (that is, it's extremely unlikely you'll have a sudden catastrophic reaction), I'd be tempted to try the exact same drink again and monitor the results.
You say you are relatively new to drinking more than a small amount - it is perhaps possible (quite likely, in fact) that you have (and have always had) a relatively mild intolerance to alcohol that is slowly manifesting now that you are drinking more. That would certainly explain the usual flushing - and an occasional different adverse reaction might be expected. With an emergent intolerance, you might get a range of different and inconsistent reactions over time (even from the same specific drinks) but these would, eventually "stabilise" in a typical reaction to specific drinks/alcohol in general.
Or you may have an emergent intolerance to one of the gin or vermouth (especially the gin). Again, with an emergent intolerance, you might not experience the exact same symptoms every time you drink it, especially early on.
IANYD but I think trying another martini (you're doing it right with a twist, btw) would be fine and, also, you get to drink another martini.
posted by deeker at 11:51 AM on December 18
You say you are relatively new to drinking more than a small amount - it is perhaps possible (quite likely, in fact) that you have (and have always had) a relatively mild intolerance to alcohol that is slowly manifesting now that you are drinking more. That would certainly explain the usual flushing - and an occasional different adverse reaction might be expected. With an emergent intolerance, you might get a range of different and inconsistent reactions over time (even from the same specific drinks) but these would, eventually "stabilise" in a typical reaction to specific drinks/alcohol in general.
Or you may have an emergent intolerance to one of the gin or vermouth (especially the gin). Again, with an emergent intolerance, you might not experience the exact same symptoms every time you drink it, especially early on.
IANYD but I think trying another martini (you're doing it right with a twist, btw) would be fine and, also, you get to drink another martini.
posted by deeker at 11:51 AM on December 18
Oh yeah I dunno, my rosacea is erratic and inconsistent! I've always flushed easily; it was when my nose started doing its own act that I thought maybe I'd ask my doctor. But clearly the answer is more martinis--I mean, data--from a different source.
posted by wintersweet at 2:45 PM on December 18
posted by wintersweet at 2:45 PM on December 18
Mod note: One comment removed at the author's request.
posted by loup (staff) at 3:42 PM on December 18
posted by loup (staff) at 3:42 PM on December 18
Ok I'm going to take a different direction here.... Is there any chance the martini is just a coincidence and SOMETHING ELSE triggered the redness? Like, while drinking, your hand brushed something on the table and then you rubbed your nose and had a allergic reaction to that? Or you, I dont know, pulled your shirt over your head while changing and a button scratched your nose so slightly you didnt even notice but it was enough to cause a reaction? Is there a scent in the room you're in (a candle you're burning that you never used before etc) that you might be getting an allergic reaction to? I know this all sounds silly, but I'm just trying to think of what it could possibly be besides the booze. You said you were folding laundry. Did you use a new laundry soap/fabric softener/whatever?
posted by silverstatue at 6:23 PM on December 18 [3 favorites]
posted by silverstatue at 6:23 PM on December 18 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: Nothing else in my life or home or face area was new except that I had a martini.
I have just remembered I was also listening to an audiobook at the time. (I was somewhere around hour 13 of the audiobook so it wasn't new, either.) Do you think it was the audiobook?
posted by phunniemee at 4:53 AM on December 19 [1 favorite]
I have just remembered I was also listening to an audiobook at the time. (I was somewhere around hour 13 of the audiobook so it wasn't new, either.) Do you think it was the audiobook?
posted by phunniemee at 4:53 AM on December 19 [1 favorite]
Best answer: what did you eat for dinner? was it meaty?
sometimes I (who DOES have an alcohol intolerance but who drinks regardless) will react with flushing to strong drinks like a martini or old fashioned after eating meat in a different way than if I have a meal that isn't as heavy on meat. I think it could have something to do with niacin, due to the fact that when I tried supplementing niacin I felt exactly like I'd had a steak and a martini!
I normally get a bit pink cheeked when drinking, but meat and martinis make my chest and nose (and butt cheeks!) red and hot!
weird
posted by euphoria066 at 12:00 PM on December 19 [1 favorite]
sometimes I (who DOES have an alcohol intolerance but who drinks regardless) will react with flushing to strong drinks like a martini or old fashioned after eating meat in a different way than if I have a meal that isn't as heavy on meat. I think it could have something to do with niacin, due to the fact that when I tried supplementing niacin I felt exactly like I'd had a steak and a martini!
I normally get a bit pink cheeked when drinking, but meat and martinis make my chest and nose (and butt cheeks!) red and hot!
weird
posted by euphoria066 at 12:00 PM on December 19 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: !!!!!
I had indeed had heavy (heavy) meat recently. I had a ton of ribs for dinner the night before and the remainder leftovers at lunch, and I don't eat much non seafood/bird meat anymore or often. I had an all veggie salad for dinner but before that was a LOT more meat than I ever really eat these days. Incredible.
posted by phunniemee at 12:05 PM on December 19 [1 favorite]
I had indeed had heavy (heavy) meat recently. I had a ton of ribs for dinner the night before and the remainder leftovers at lunch, and I don't eat much non seafood/bird meat anymore or often. I had an all veggie salad for dinner but before that was a LOT more meat than I ever really eat these days. Incredible.
posted by phunniemee at 12:05 PM on December 19 [1 favorite]
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posted by wintersweet at 5:26 PM on December 17 [2 favorites]