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Why Does Your Face Turn Red When You Exercise? · So That's Why

• 0:04
  Jenny Oliver: Welcome to the, so that's why podcast where we unpack
• 0:07
  the science behind everyday questions.
• 0:09
  I'm Jen.
• 0:10
  Chris Smith: I'm Chris.
• 0:11
  Matt Edmundson: And I'm Matt.
• 0:12
  Jenny Oliver: Alright, here's something that I've never known the answer to.
• 0:16
  Why do some people turn tomato red when they exercise, while
• 0:20
  others barely break a sweat?
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  I'm talking about that person, and let's be honest, it is often me who
• 0:27
  looks like they've been dunked in beet root juice after a park run
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  while the person next to me finishes looking ready for a photo shoot.
• 0:35
  Matt Edmundson: Oh, you mean the difference between someone.
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  You know who looks like you should probably go check on them.
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  Mm. Uh, maybe call the doctor, uh, and the other person, which
• 0:43
  is like, did you even run?
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  Uh, I'm like, you, Jen.
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  I, I look radioactive like this kind of color, uh, after a workout.
• 0:51
  Jenny Oliver: Exactly.
• 0:52
  But here's what annoys me.
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  Everyone says it's about fitness novel.
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  You know, you're stuck going round when you get fitter.
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  But my fitness has improved loads over the past five years especially,
• 1:01
  and I still turn bright red.
• 1:03
  Chris Smith: So you'll be delighted to know the real reasoning involves genetics,
• 1:08
  which are determining how your blood vessels respond to heat and exertion.
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  So it's got virtually nothing to do with fitness.
• 1:14
  Jenny Oliver: Brilliant.
• 1:15
  Matt Edmundson: So my tomato face then is genetic.
• 1:19
  Is this what we're saying?
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  Chris Smith: Exactly.
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  So by the end of this episode, hopefully you'll understand why your face's response
• 1:27
  to exercise is programmed into your DNA and why some people might actually
• 1:31
  have an advantage with their lobster.
• 1:33
  Look, let's call it, in fact, I could feel myself getting Ridder,
• 1:35
  just talking about getting rid.
• 1:37
  Um, so exercise induced facial flushing, it affects about
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  70% of people to some degree.
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  So for some, it's enough to like ruin their confidence
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  and motivation completely.
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  Jenny Oliver: Guilty of that.
• 1:48
  I mean, there's nothing more humbling than catching your reflection
• 1:51
  in a car window and wondering if you need medical attention.
• 1:55
  Chris Smith: No, it's true.
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  It, it is a problem.
• 1:56
  Uh, like yeah, it is a social problem.
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  'cause you know, research has shown that people with pronounced exercise
• 2:01
  flushing are like 40% more likely to avoid like group fitness classes
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  and more likely to exercise alone and like in quiet times in the gym,
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  Matt Edmundson: which is a little bit sad, isn't it really?
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  Mm-hmm.
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  If you change your health routines.
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  Um, because of something you can't actually control.
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  Mm,
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  Chris Smith: exactly.
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  But as well as like usually being out of our control, like flushing intensity
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  actually has virtually no correlation with cardiovascular fitness effort
• 2:30
  level, or how outta shape you are.
• 2:33
  Matt Edmundson: So all those years then I guess of thinking, I'll stop going red
• 2:37
  when I get fitter weren't actually true.
• 2:39
  Is this what we're saying?
• 2:40
  Chris Smith: It turns out that's the case.
• 2:42
  It just means your body is doing its own thing and that's totally okay.
• 2:47
  Jenny Oliver: Okay.
• 2:47
  So if it's not fitness, what's actually causing the differential response?
• 2:52
  I'm assuming thinking about it, it's got something to do with the blood
• 2:55
  vessels opening up in your skin, but why is the such variation between people?
• 3:01
  Chris Smith: Yeah, so you're spot on with the.
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  Blood vessel link.
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  So this is about blood vessel density and reactivity.
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  So the densities of blood vessels in facial skin.
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  It varies greatly from person to person, which is one of the drivers
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  why there is this variation.
• 3:15
  Matt Edmundson: So some of us looked out and look good while exercising and the
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  rest of us, me, maybe you Jen as well.
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  Yeah, me.
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  We got the sort of the human traffic light package
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  Chris Smith: pretty much, and I can put myself in that category too.
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  Go red running.
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  Uh, but there is more to it.
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  So research conducted in Australia, um, showed it's, it's also about
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  reactivity, so it's how quickly your blood vessels are responding to triggers
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  like heat and core temperature changes.
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  Jenny Oliver: So we're talking about the temperature at which the
• 3:44
  blood vessels start to open up.
• 3:47
  Chris Smith: Exactly.
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  Yeah.
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  So some people's facial blood vessels react immediately even to very small
• 3:53
  increases in core body temperature.
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  So in some people it could be responses that kick in when your
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  body temperature increases by just a third of a degree Celsius.
• 4:01
  Jenny Oliver: Yeah, that's me.
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  Matt Edmundson: Which feels like a third of a degree.
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  Feels like a bit of an overreaction by my body, isn't it?
• 4:07
  Chris Smith: Yeah.
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  Well, you think so, but like people with high, like this high facial
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  vascular reactivity, they tend to have better overall or more efficient.
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  Overall thermal regulation.
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  Uh, so their bodies get ahead of this heat problem before it becomes too serious,
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  which means better core temperature maintenance and overall overheating risk
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  during prolonged activity is reduced.
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  Jenny Oliver: Wait, so people like me actually might be better?
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  Uh, temperature regulation
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  Chris Smith: in many cases?
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  Yeah.
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  Yeah.
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  So research shows this kind of pronounced facial flushing often correlates with
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  better performance in hot temperatures.
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  Oh, brilliant.
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  Matt Edmundson: So that means actually becoming red faced is my superpower.
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  Like I'm red face man.
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  You know, stand back.
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  Is it a bird?
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  Is it a plane?
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  It's red.
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  No, it's red face man.
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  It face.
• 4:58
  Chris Smith: Yeah.
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  I'm not sure quite where to go with that, but, but yeah, why not?
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  Uh, but yeah, some people have what is, what is known as
• 5:05
  distributed thermo regulation.
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  You could be distributed thermo regulation, man.
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  Jenny Oliver: Yeah.
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  By face, man.
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  Matt Edmundson: I'm, I'm thinking about the cape.
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  Yeah.
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  No capes.
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  Chris Smith: It's, it's a lot of wording.
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  Spot on the boat.
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  Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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  But these people with distributed thermo regulation, they spread heat.
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  Dissipation evenly.
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  So that's why flushing doesn't happen to everyone.
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  'cause those people have this kind of different genetic programming and it,
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  but it ultimately achieves the same goal, whether you flush a lot or not, it's
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  either localized or more spread out.
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  Jenny Oliver: But presumably the concentrated facial response
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  must have some trade offs.
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  Chris Smith: But no, interestingly not because the facial flushing
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  response is just more visible.
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  So it might create kind of social discomfort, but from a physiological
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  perspective, it's working perfectly and exactly the same as someone who
• 5:51
  has not got this visual flushing.
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  Matt Edmundson: That's really interesting, isn't it?
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  Mm-hmm.
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  I, I'm curious though, right?
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  How does this work across different people groups?
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  Like are there predictable patterns?
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  Maybe?
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  Chris Smith: There are.
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  So if we start with like, um, I think it's not like Northern Europeans.
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  So people of Northern European descent, they're about 60% more likely to
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  experience pronounced facial flushing than people from East Asia or you
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  know, the Sub-Saharan African descent.
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  But within any age group or demographic, there's still huge individual variation.
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  Jenny Oliver: I mean, what about the gender, like
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  differences between the genders?
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  Because I definitely notice more women at like the park run
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  looking redder than the men.
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  Chris Smith: That might actually just be like a perception, to be honest,
• 6:38
  in reality, because like most studies or data will, they'll show that men
• 6:41
  and women have almost identical rates of exercise induced facial flushing.
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  Although, you know, you've clearly never run near me if, if you, let's see, women,
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  I'm read as a beater after about one K.
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  Jenny Oliver: And what about the effect of age?
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  Does, you know, do the vessels change?
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  Does the elasticity of the vessels change over time?
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  Chris Smith: Yeah, it's, that's such a great question
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  because like facial flushing.
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  In intensity decreases slightly with age, but not from fitness changes
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  because that blood vessel elasticity does naturally decrease too.
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  So people in their sixties typically experience about a third less dramatic
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  flushing than they did in the twenties.
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  Matt Edmundson: So what you're saying, Chris, is for me, there
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  is light at the end of the tunnel.
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  I just have to wait another 10 years to get to the light.
• 7:27
  Chris Smith: 10 years.
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  Sorry about that.
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  Um, but yeah, there's also recovery factor to consider.
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  So fit individuals, like they return their normal skin color about
• 7:39
  50% faster after exercise stops.
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  Jenny Oliver: I mean, that makes sense.
• 7:43
  Improve cardiovascular efficiency, which means that the heat
• 7:46
  leaves your body more easily.
• 7:48
  Chris Smith: Yep, exactly.
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  And something I read that.
• 7:51
  Was interesting.
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  What I found interesting was that athletes with this, the higher kind of facial
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  vascular reactivity appear to maintain better performance in higher temperatures.
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  So this red flushing effect might actually be a performance advantage in hot weather.
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  So hot weather training.
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  Why not?
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  Jenny Oliver: So what can people actually do about it if it bothers
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  them given that it's genetic?
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  Matt Edmundson: Yeah.
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  Because knowing it's genetic doesn't really help when you're trying to,
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  you know, look like you're not having a medical emergency at the gym.
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  Chris Smith: So this one is, is gonna sound like an obvious, but
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  not many people actually do it.
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  And this is pre-cooling.
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  So pre-cooling is one of the most useful measures here, and you can apply cool damp
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  cloths to your wrists and to your temples.
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  For two to three minutes before exercise and that can reduce facial
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  flushing intensity by about a quarter.
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  Matt Edmundson: And do you just put that like on your, on your
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  wrists and on your temples?
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  Just there?
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  Chris Smith: Yeah.
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  So it's basically any of the pressure points, they're the,
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  the main pressure points.
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  So they're the areas that have blood vessels close to the surface and they
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  connect directly to facial capillaries.
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  So you're basically calling the main supply lines.
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  Jenny Oliver: I can see it now.
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  Me at the park run start line with ice packs strapped around my wrists.
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  Matt Edmundson: It's a Kodak moment.
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  Right.
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  Uh, maybe put a bag of frozen peas in the temples as well.
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  Right.
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  But if it works, you know, I, who cares.
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  Right.
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  Um, is, is there anything else maybe that's gonna help us again?
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  Chris Smith: I might sound like an obvious, but it's a really important one.
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  It's hydration.
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  Hydration definitely matters.
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  So having a glass of cool water about 20 minutes before exercise, it really
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  helps maintain better temperature regulation during that exercise.
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  So, but your body needs that time to distribute that fluid before the,
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  the kind of heat stress begins, so there's no point drinking it literally
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  as you're going over that start line.
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  Jenny Oliver: And what about what we wear the our clothing choices?
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  Presumably if you wear a more breathable fabric around your neck, that might help.
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  Chris Smith: Yeah, absolutely.
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  And you mentioned the neck.
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  So your neck contains major blood vessels that supply the face.
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  So keeping that area cool can have a dramatic effect.
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  So light colored moisture, wicking fabrics reduce overall heat load too.
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  Matt Edmundson: So, okay.
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  So we have to pre-call, which I think is one of the greatest
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  phrases I've heard for a while.
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  We have to hydrate, we have to wear the right clothes.
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  So that's what we have to do.
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  What should we not do?
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  What should we avoid?
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  Chris Smith: You always ask me what we've gotta avoid.
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  I'm honestly like, you know, captain Sensible, Mr.
• 10:15
  Boy.
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  I use the same one as always.
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  Matt Edmundson: Yeah, you're the dad Chris.
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  Chris Smith: You should try and avoid alcohol within 24 hours of intense
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  exercise because alcohol dilates blood vessels and it makes flushing much more
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  pronounced, but also hot showers or very hot showers immediately after exercise
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  can again prolong the flushing response.
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  Matt Edmundson: So basically everything that feels good after
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  a run, like we did tough mud.
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  And you know, as you cross the line, they give you a, a a is a pint
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  of cider or something like that.
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  So that celebratory drink, that scolding hot shower, they're what we shouldn't do.
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  Chris Smith: Now you all notice I mentioned don't drink before the run.
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  Um.
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  I can't really comment on after the run, but I think, you know,
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  you've earned it by that point.
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  So all, I think all bets are off, but yet pretty much in terms of,
• 11:02
  you know, avoiding, avoiding heat, the hot shower thing straight after.
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  But it's also, it's just so important to remember that for most people, the
• 11:10
  flushy thing is completely harmless and it indicates your, your thermo
• 11:13
  regulation system, your body's heat management is working properly.
• 11:17
  Jenny Oliver: But is there a time when we should actually be concerned
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  about a red face and exercise?
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  Chris Smith: So I think if that flushing is accompanied by other symptoms, so
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  maybe dizziness, nausea, confusion, or it doesn't resolve itself to go
• 11:30
  back to normal within like 30 minutes, that's the time to maybe just check.
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  You haven't got heat exhaustion.
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  'cause if you have, you might need medical attention.
• 11:41
  Jenny Oliver: So the genetic factors we've mentioned before that are controlling
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  the facial flushing, do they influence other physiological responses too?
• 11:48
  Chris Smith: Yeah, great question.
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  So people with high vascular reactivity, they often have
• 11:52
  similar responses in other areas.
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  So those people tend to blush more easily during emotional responses.
• 11:58
  I feel myself blushing now.
• 11:59
  Jenny Oliver: I know.
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  Yeah, me too.
• 12:00
  Chris Smith: Um, but they're also more sensitive to, you know, hot foods
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  like, you know, spicy foods and just temperature change more generally.
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  Matt Edmundson: Okay, so those of us who do turn red during exercise,
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  basically we're also human mood rings.
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  Jenny Oliver: Yeah, that's not far off the mark.
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  I think that's my experience.
• 12:17
  Chris Smith: That's it.
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  But, but again, interestingly, people with this responsive vascular systems,
• 12:22
  they've often got better cardiovascular adaptation to exercise over time.
• 12:27
  Matt Edmundson: What do you mean better?
• 12:28
  Chris Smith: I know that sounded quite technical, didn't it?
• 12:30
  It did.
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  Um, so what it means is their hearts become more efficient
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  more quickly with training.
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  So they often see their heart rate and blood pressure, um, sorry,
• 12:39
  their resting heart rate and blood pressure reductions faster than
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  people with less responsive systems.
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  Jenny Oliver: So the same genetic programming that's making us look
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  like tomatoes is actually supporting.
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  The long-term cardiovascular adaptation.
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  Chris Smith: Exactly, yeah.
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  Your face of flushing is just one visible sign of a complex system
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  that's working well, even if it feels a bit embarrassing at the moment.
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  Jenny Oliver: Right.
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  So when.
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  So some people turn red during exercise while others barely break a sweat because
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  Chris Smith: it's because of genetic differences in facial blood,
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  vessel density, and reactivity.
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  And it's so, it's got virtually nothing to do with fitness level
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  and everything to do with how your cooling system is programmed.
• 13:24
  Matt Edmundson: Great.
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  So the next time someone comes up to me and tells me that I'll stop going red
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  when I actually get fitter, I can tell them scientifically to naff off, uh,
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  because it's just a bit of nonsense.
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  It's maybe just my superior thermo regulation system in action.
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  Jenny Oliver: So that's why your face turns red or an exercise.
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  It's not a sign of being outta shape view.
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  It's a sign that your temperature control system is working exactly as designed.
• 13:52
  Chris Smith: Yeah, absolutely.
• 13:53
  So hopefully this explanation helps.
• 13:56
  Jenny Oliver: So that's it for this week.
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  Make sure you hit that subscribe button as we are gonna be unpacking the science
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  behind everyday questions each week.
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  And tell us in the comments what questions you'd like us to explore.
• 14:08
  Thanks for geeking out with us, but for now, that's it from me.
• 14:12
  Matt Edmundson: That's it from me,
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  Chris Smith: and that's it from me.
• 14:14
  Jenny Oliver: Bye.