just to let you guys know, I had the rash for years, always thought it was lacohol related now realise it is purely a nerves thing, I recently broke down crying after having got it and knew I had to do something, I went to the doc and asked her, she agreed I should take betablockers if it was upsetting me so much, I have and havent got rash for a week, and been in loads of social situations with alcohol etc when I would normally get it, wouldnt believe how happy i am about it, life changed for the better, so scared it may come back though and then I would be gutted. but happy for the mo so all of you go get the betablockers!!!

Hello, Ive never thought to look on forums before but have found this quite helpful and as many of you have said, nice to know im not alone. Im 26 and have noticed the rash occurring over the past 5 years or so.

The rash appears on my neck and chest and feels very warm to the touch. It will occur when im out with friends, talking to colleagues on the phone or in person etc. It is always made worse when you notice that the person you are talking to keeps looking at your neck and makes it obvious that theyve noticed the rash. What are we to do... i guess just pretend you are oblivious to it (easy to do if you have alot of self esteem, not so easy if you havent)

I have found that taking deep breaths help and tend to calm it down after a few minutes. But i have to take myself out of the situation for it to calm down.

I havent been to the doctors about it but im sure if i did go then the rash would appear for her to see in person!! White Coat Syndrome and all....

Hi

I get this as well, im very fair so it comes up in seconds when ever i feel nervous /excited/ intimidated. I can't even date new guys because of it. It sucks!!! please help!

I posted last month and did more research and want to share what I found. I hope to post again after I've done more research and tried a few things.

What I think most of us have is Hypoglycemia and Anxiety. Hypoglycemia is the body's inability to properly regulate blood sugar levels, causing the level of sugar in the blood to be too low or to fall too rapidly.
Someone had mentioned on another blog that they have a Metobolic restriction problem, meaning their body has trouble beaking down sugar. It instantly reminded me of something similar that my doctor said to me last week after my blood work. He said something about my body not breaking down sugar properly, but it wasn't major and could have been caused by me drinking a glass of juice the night before my blood work.

Well turns out Hypoglycemia is almost impossible to test for and so I'm not surprised my doctor completely ignored my blood work results. I recommend doing some reading and someone mentioned a book "Hypoglycemia for Dummies". It's all about changing your diet and getting your body back to metabolizing sugar normally. The glandular imbalances that result, as the glands struggle to regulate the sugar level, cause their own symptoms - especially high adrenaline. So your body is producing extra andrenaline that comes out as anxiety and a rash for some people.

Sometimes changing your diet is difficult so I wanted to include all the important information I found on this nervous rash.

Names that I came across for this rash are: Flushing (using occurs during sex though), Erthema, Seborrheic Dermatitis which is treated with Hyracortisone or washing your chest with an anti-dandruff shampoo to kill yeast (may be worth a try), Dermagraphism, and Andrenergic Manifestations. I recommend reading up on these to see which one fits your symptoms best.

Surgery I hear can be an option, but costing $6500. I also read that it doesn't completely get rid of the blotching on the chest, but is mostly for facial blushing. Google blush free surgery for websites.

There are a few medications that kept coming up including: Inderas or generic Propanolol ER, BetaBlockers, Lacitrex (for hives), Zyrtec, and Cetapres Patch (high-blood pressure). Pretty much these are for allergies but some people have results when using them. Side effects do include being tired, but I heard good things about Inderas.

Some natural treatments I heard about are: Fish oil, TrueCalm, Magnesium, St. Johns Wort, and Preparation H that can be rubbed on the chest. Haven't tried any of them, but these are inexpensive and may be worth a try.

Some other notes: This is not a hormonal thing. I read about a man getting this and even saw a MenForum with this topic being discusssed. I found people use DermaBlend makeup and spray tanning to hide the rash. I also hear not drinking caffeine helps probably because it's not increasing your andrenaline. Exercise helps to decrease your extra andrenaline.

hi, i have the exact same thing and i hate it. when my chest comes up red and my face and ears i see people notice and it makes it worse!! i find when i take a deep breath it settles it slightly but i really want to be rid of it, lately i've been doing more exercising and been eating more healthier and i haven't noticed it as much. i've tried to stay calmer in situations too and talked slower as sometimes i rush sentences as i can feel my rash coming up on my chest, so i have noticed a change there. i want to try see if i can get through a whole day of not coming up in rash by keeping calm in situations ( i embarrass easily!! ) but if anyone has any suggestions of how to beat it please say!!! thanks xx

I have had this "rash" off and on for my whole life. I only get it when I'm really stressed out and my nerves are shot. I'm in school right now (night classes only)and taking care of my two toddlers all day...but I figure I'm going to keep getting this rash because finals are three weeks away...if it doesn't go away by Friday, I'm going to the doctor...I've had this bout of the rash for 3 days now, and it's only getting worse. I'll try to let you guys know what the doctor says about my rash...and maybe it will help you too!

Lora

I've experienced this 'nervous rash' since being a young adult. Look up Pyroluria...it seems to give a possible explanation to this and perhaps consider the need to supplement with high levels of zinc between (50 - 200mg of chelated or Zinc Monomethionine; most easily absorbed). It's an inability to deal with stress due to issues with the blood - I came across this diagnosis whilst trying to cure adult acne and find my anxiety has completely subsided. You may need overdose quantities of essential minerals that the body cannot retain!!

omg you have no idea how happy i am to find other people like me (not that i would wish other people to have this) but yeah ive had this problem for years. so im a geek and during band camp which is during the hottest part of the summer naturally i break out horribly! only its so hot i have no choic but to wear shorts and a tank which is humiliating since it normally covers my entire body, i cant say how many times people have said oh my God you have a horrible sun burn and i shamefully say um yeah its a heat rash..... then we both feel uncomfortable. luckily for me my friends all understand and the entire band knows by now that it just happens and my friends arent afraid to joke around saying my face is splotchy lol we call it my phantom face,like phantom of the opera i just wish it wasnt so gross looking

SO, I'm 14 years old, and i suffer with the same nasty, red blotchy rash most days of my life. I cant stand it, i knocks my confidance and a lot of the time i'm scared about wearing my lovely low cut dresses because i know this will come up. Wheter it's when im in an exam or eating a meal with my friends im constantly reminded i have a bright red blotch all over my neck and chest. Stressed, upset and worried I get it- and i can never hide my emotions because everyone knows when i get upset this comes up. I'm so happy to see that lots of people are in the same situation as i am, but i feel that something needs to be done. One of the thoughts i keep getting is that it will occur for the rest of my life- is there not a way out of this? One last thing i wanted to add, is that my mum, nanna both have it just like me but it seems the gene had got stronger in each generation. Im going to try hypntherapy soon, so i will let you know how it goes.

so my sister and i have both had this ugly rash for as long as i can remember... we both used to just call it heat rash, mostly just because we had no idea what it was. she has always dealt with it better than me because she's the kind of personality that doesnt care what other people think. she just got a tattoo that covered her entire chest and now you cant see the rash.. im a little jealous but i would never do that so here is my solution. for about a year i lived in turtlenecks, even in the summer i would wear sleeveless turtlenecks but after reading this site i decided to try dermablend and i cant recommend it highly enough. I just started using it about a month ago and now im not as stressed about how i will survive the hot summer! so far ive just been using it on my neck and chest and it completely covers the rash. i even tested it with a hot blow dryer. i also tested it by wearing a low cut shirt to work on a day when i had a haircutting class. i always get the rash (underneath my turtleneck) when im cutting someone news hair with my boss watching, and i could feel that i had it but when i looked in the mirrors you couldnt see it at all so thank you dermablend! i think for the summer i might get the leg and body cream (sometimes the rash spreads to my arms). i have noticed since i started using dermablend that i havent been as nervous about getting the rash so in turn i havent been getting it! so maybe with continued use i will calm down and forget about it and then i wont need the makeup anymore! i hope... its kind of tedious to put on and if your not careful it can get on your clothes a little...

does anyone else use dermablend and have any tips for using it??

also has anyone ever tried a spray tan and would this completely cover the rash or would it have to be a real tan??? i dont want to ruin my skin...

I'm 29 and have experienced this rash since public speaking in school. I now tutor at uni and have to wear scarfs and skivvies to cover it sometimes. I get in almost once a day during any conversations where I get embarrassed, am nervous, am the centre of attention or get talking about something I'm passionate about. I'm over people pointing it out which only makes me more embarrassed!! I recently got married and whilst I felt like and know I had the rash throughout the day, it was not in any of my photos. I FOUND THE CURE....SPRAY TAN!!!! Make sure you get a darkish chocolate colour - the brand I used was Tuscan Tan. Bronzer based (orangey colour) don't cover too well.

my daughter gets a rash shes five and always had it we use BETAMETHASONE VALERATE OINTMENT its a prescription.she gets the rash when mad,or nervous and she gets it on her legs back, arms its horrible.also look up focusing on internet that really could help you get inside yourself when you know its about to happen to you. I don't personaly suffer from this but i hate it and feel for you

i have read all your interesting stories. think its all generally along the same lines. i am 38. had this problem since the age of 16. as of yet have found nothing to suggest bad health. maybe keeping calm,yes. but it can be brought on for no apparent reason. question lack of vitamins? or poor diet. my advice is to steer clear of alcolhol but then it can make you feel like drinking the stuff!!! good luck. we are all in the same boat.

Hey all, I have had the same issues with turning blotchy which I've dealt with for 14 years. Two years ago I decided I'd had enough of people's concerned reactions to my unexpected "flare-ups." I was desperate to seek treatment and made an appointment with my doctor. I was prescribed propranolol which is a beta blocker. This seemed to be the best treatment for me. It dulls my anxiety and usually the rash doesn't appear anymore (thank God), but doesn't completely take it away. I also find deep breathing and "mind over matter" exercises help. I do still get blotchy sometimes. In my opinion I think it's because the drug dose is low and it wears off after a little while. It's important to note that the medication is not a cure; but to those who feel like I have - fed up with the grossed out reactions, this almost seems like the magic pill. I strongly urge you to research this medication if you're interested in taking it. To my knowledge you have to get your doctor to prescribe it to you and there can be side effects. I thankfully haven't experienced any side effects. I'm an average 27-year-old woman who enjoys drinking wine on the weekends and can't tell you how excited I am to know I won't be blotchy on my wedding day (three weeks away!) because of the help of propranolol. Oh, and my doctor tells me that with the low dosage I'm on I should be safe taking the drug while pregnant... which is good to know for when I'm ready. I've been on this medication for two years now and did have the dosage increased a couple months into taking it to find a good balance for my body. I don't have plans of going off the drug unless my doctor suggests it. Even though there is no magic cure that we know of, I hope knowing you're not the only one with this seemingly embarrassing and somewhat debilitating condition will bring you some feeling of comfort, peace and support.

yup!!! god dam blotches have about ruined my life at times, not only dropping out of Uni in the third year but also avoiding nearly everything that brings it on! whats the first thing i think about when invited out? what can i wear to cover up the blotches , several silk scarves have saved my ass, and as they are in , even better , also try honey as it is natures natural hay fever cure and anti hists work too so in conjunction take honey daily, pop a hist when expecting some out break , keep ur skin moist too and vitamin e got rid of a permanent rash thru nerves in a week....u will prob find u are temperature sensitive all year round...any way hope this helps , oh and lifeplan chamomile blend tablets are great sedatives that calm u down and non addictive xx

wow, i always felt like i was the only one with the same problem. but im so relieved that im not!

anytime i have to talk in front of people, or if im eating dinner with my boyfriend and his parents, i get all blotchy and red and start having super bad anxiety. i take Lexapro to try to calm me down..it's helped my anxiety a little bit, but i still panic. i also take adderall which helps me concentrate on other things besides my anxiety. i dont think any medication can fully treat anxiety, it would be a miracle if there was.

im currently a junior in highschool, so its expected that theres gunna be alot of presentations and face-to-face conversations. i hate how as soon as one of my teachers say we have to present, i can feel my chest getting hot and red. and when i look down at it, sure enough, its brighttttt red! luckily, i have long hair that i can put in front of it to delay the attention a little,. but honestly, it sucks so bad because every single person that glances at me says something like:
"OMG WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOUR CHEST?!"
i usually just act like i dont care and tell them that it always does that. because i know that if i make a big deal about it, ill have a panic attack because everyone will be looking at it. lol it sucks. if i know a presentation is comming up the day before, ill bring like a hoodie or something to cover it up so thats not what everyones staring at when im presenting. its horrible that i even have to worry about it. i hate it.

i remember at the beginning of the year, i had alot of classes where you had to speak in front of everyone, and it was a total nightmare. i would literally skip class and go to the nurse if i had to do a presentation. id always say my stomache was hurting, or i felt like i was gunna throw up. until i talked to my parents about it. they called up the school nurse and told them that if i ever come in, its mainly because im having a panic attack. at parent-teacher confrences, my parents talked to all my teachers about it and every single one of them felt horrible for me. they didnt even know that i was freaking out. so i guess it was all in my head. its like a mind over matter type of thing. i'm actually learning to handle my issues a little better now. i envy people who dont have aniety.=[

i'm 18 and i had a terrible experience with my last boyfriend and, since then, i've started getting this rash. it appears when i'm in pressure situations (like at my prom and everytime i try to hookup with a guy i like). i'm so sick of it and after reading all of these replies, i'm nervous that it won't ever go away! i'm a very social person so i don't think i have some weird "disorder"... i don't know why it started appearing other than the fact that i sort of have trust issues now when it comes to men and that i'm going to college in the fall so i'm stressing out a bit. i want to have my mom bring me to the doctor because i don't want it to get worse... but what do i say to her: "i think i have an anxiety disorder"? she'll think i'm crazy... is there a way i can make this go away on my own?

I read about an overactive sympathetic nervous system, and it seems that blushing and the blotchy skin on the neck and chest are related to blushing. It is caused by stress, and I have an extremely healthy diet and I exercise a lot; however in cases of acute stress (certain conversations, my upcoming wedding, etc) I know it will still come on. Part is convincing yourself that you don't care and continuing on with the event or conversation -- it does subside after 20 minutes or so -- however. Also, Clinique has just introduced their "daily relief cream" which I have been told alleviates it.

I have the same problem!! Wow lots seem to have the same symptoms as me. I am 22 and I have had it for about 3 years or so now, my mom gets it too. Red rash on the chest and neck when nervous, stressed, social events or drinking alcohol sometimes...It is hard to go to social things, go out and have fun...just knowing your neck or chest could be red...so I always seem to "go to the washroom" just to look at it...sometimes its there sometimes its not...it won't go away till i get home usually...and then knowing it's there makes it even worse!!! then you are even more nervous and which in tern makes it spread even more and darker....Geeze I dunno what a person can do...I try to breathe nice and calm...relax but still doesn't work..I wish we all could find something that would actually work!! I talked to my doctor about 2 weeks ago about it, I had a normal check up and while I was there I noticed it...so I was like okay here we go I should talk to him about this while it's actually red....So I did, he seen it and was shocked and puzzled, never seen anything like that before...wanted to prescribe me a cream but I don't want to have to carry a cream with me everywhere, and rub something on me like that..pills are much easier and faster..and will stop it before it comes.

You gotta love the responses on the first page. Someone comes to ask for help and the response is simply that it's absolutely impossible to fix the problem because it comes with blood flow ("blood running to your face and neck").

Are you high!? You should become a doctor, might make a good living on telling people to give up and accept whatever it is that troubles them. Maybe we should also start closing hospitals, just put a sign out "stop complaining and just walk it off."

You can accept it, you can accept many annoying things but if you are not willing to do so, then fight it.

I've had it for three years and I first thought it's just a heat rash but lately it's been starting to piss me off and I'm not going to stand it anymore, so I've started to read about rashes in general and came to this page. And now that I think of it, anxiety sounds a lot more likely cause, considering that I've had a lot of issues caused by anxiety before.

When the rash first started I felt both hot and anxious, so I figured it was from the heat. Didn't really think much of it and I actually found it kinda cool that a body can do stuff like this in a matter of seconds. Anyway, if it was caused by a psychological issue (at least I think that my anxiety issues are purely psychological) then it can also be stopped with psychology. I've gone 19 years without anything like this, so if it can just suddenly start, it can also be stopped, given that it's all in the head.

If, however, it's more of a physical issue that was just hiding all these years until something released it, there might still be remedies. In desperation, I've tried some allergy pills (antihistamines) that should treat rashes and they did actually have an effect, instead of getting the rashes all of the time, it went down to once a day and to just a mild rash. It could just be a placebo effect but if it works then it doesn't matter to me.

Anyhow, good luck guys and don't give up, unless of course you really do not care.