Your face gets red when you run because your blood vessels widen to release heat and cool your body.
Why
Blood vessels in the skin dilate (vasodilation) to release heat, which brings more blood to the face.
Who flushes more
People with fair skin, rosacea or when it’s hot.
Normal
Redness fades within 30 minutes of stopping.
Tips
- Drink water.
- Exercise in cool places.
- Cool down slowly.
See a doctor
If redness persists, or comes with dizziness, chest pain or fainting.
Heat dissipation
During exercise, muscles produce heat. The body sends more blood to the skin to release it, and the dilated blood vessels near the skin surface make the face look red, a response called exercise flushing.
Intensity and temperature
Flushing is greater at higher intensity, in hot or humid weather, and with sun exposure.
Who flushes more
- People with fair skin, where blood vessels are more visible.
- People with rosacea, who may flush easily with exercise and heat.
- Those with a high body temperature response or low fitness. Fitter people often regulate heat better.
- People with high blood pressure or on certain medications such as niacin.
Duration
Redness normally fades within 15 to 30 minutes of cooling down. If it lasts hours, consider other causes.
Dehydration and overheating
A very red face with dizziness, headache, nausea, weakness, confusion or no sweating can signal heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Stop exercise, cool down and get help.
Tips
- Exercise in cooler times of day or indoors.
- Wear breathable clothes.
- Drink water before, during and after.
- Use cool towels on the neck and face.
- Warm up slowly.
- Avoid triggers like alcohol and hot drinks before a workout if you have rosacea.
When to see a doctor
Redness is severe, persists, comes with chest pain, shortness of breath, wheezing or hives. People with rosacea can talk with a dermatologist about treatments such as topical metronidazole or brimonidine.
Not a fitness measure
A red face does not mean you are out of shape, and many fit people flush.
Heat release and skin
During running, muscles generate heat, and the body sends more blood to skin vessels, which widen to release heat through the skin. Skin blood flow can increase more than tenfold during hard exercise in heat, producing a flushed face. Fair skin shows redness more clearly, and conditions such as rosacea make flushing stronger. A red face usually fades within 15 to 30 minutes after stopping. It does not measure fitness, and some very fit people stay pale.
Prevention and warnings
Run during cooler times, wear light clothing, hydrate and slow your pace in hot weather. Cooling the face and neck with a wet cloth helps. Flushing alongside dizziness, nausea, confusion, stopping sweating or a very rapid pulse can be signs of heat illness, so stop and cool down. See a doctor if you have chest pain, faint or have unusually severe redness every time you exercise, or if flushing comes with hives and wheezing, which may be exercise induced allergy.
Based on data from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Academy of Dermatology
