Do you just get hot or do they turn your neck and face red and sometimes your ears? Do hot flashes just effect your upper body or everywhere. Tell me if you turn red in the neck? face? ears? THANKS!!

hi cyndi. with me, some do and some don't. most begin in the middle of my chest, with a sort of prickly feeling, which then spreads outwards and upwards becoming hotter and hotter. not sure about my neck, but my face definately goes red, but not every time, depends on the severity of the flush. sometimes, it spreads to every bit of my body, not the redness but the heat, and covers me in a light layer of perspiration, sort of clammy. they're the worst kind, just want to rip my clothes off and run outside to get some air. facial flushing has been something i've had all my life though (i'm 54), the teenage blushing never went away, and i developed acne rosacea for which i take antibiotics all the time, which means my face is always slightly flushed-looking, so it doesn't take much for my face to look as if i'm blushing furiously. actually, i think i feel that it looks worse than it is, and i do try to ignore it. the flashes actually seem to have settled down a bit, on a bad day i get maybe 6 or 7, but on a good day only 1 or 2, which is a great difference from the 'one every 10 minutes' they were a few months ago. hope this helps.

sue

So far, I don't have real bad hot flashes. But when I do, my ears get so red and hot they feel like they are going to fall off! Sometimes it effects both ears, sometimes just one. I have short hair so people are always asking what's wrong with my ears. I don't know if sweating all the time can be considered a hot flash, but I can break out into a sweat just walking across the room. I guess we are all going thru this together, sometimes in different ways. Take care, Ann

Oh yes, my upper chest, neck, cheeks and ears can all flush and I can feel the heat wave moving upward. The worst ones happen when I'm under stress and are quite noticeable. I think the ones that make you red are called hot flushes and the ones that just make you hot and uncomfortable are hot flashes; I'm 55 and still have both, but not as often as I used to.

my cheeks turn so red...they almost hurt...almost like hives. But, it does not last long...maybe 20 minutes. It is so noticeable...people have said..."Oh my, your face is so red! Are you alright?" I have said to some people...if I think they are idiots..."yes, I realize my face is red. I am 51 years old and going through menopause...this is a hot flash."

as a rosacea sufferer who always has a flushed face, i have found a useful retort to be 'well, thank you for pointing that out, i would never have realised as we don't have mirrors in our house', said very politely and with a smile. it just makes people realise what they've said and maybe think before making a very personal comment to anyone else.

sue

exactly!

lamac