What kind of disease is this
Fear of blushing is often confused with blushing syndrome. In contrast, erythrophobia is accompanied by fear.
It is
a reaction of the nervous system to stimuli.
A person can no longer independently control the processes in the body. He is afraid of making a bad impression on his interlocutor and is convinced that a red face repels others. The fear of turning purple in the presence of people is psychological in nature.
There are two types of erythrophobia:
1. Classic . The whole face turns red. 2. Geographical . Certain areas turn purple.
This phobia gives rise to self-doubt, and, as a result, a person experiences neuroses and stress, and tries to avoid crowds of people.
There are other unpleasant consequences of this pathology:
• lack of desire to move forward; • complete withdrawal from interaction with society; • development of depression; • fear of expressing one's opinion; • constant dissatisfaction with oneself.
In rare cases, the patient experiences a feeling of hopelessness and begins to think about suicide.
Causes
Factors that provoke erythrophobia include:
• excessive shyness in childhood; • taking certain medications; • negative environmental impact; • allergies to food or cosmetics; • long exposure to the sun; • temperature changes; • drinking alcohol, coffee or strong tea; • eating spicy and hot food.
Redness itself is provoked by such health problems as:
• diabetes; • pathologies of the endocrine system, heart and blood vessels; • vascular defects of capillaries; • disorders of the nervous system; • failure of hormone levels; • carcinoid syndrome.
Cholerics, as well as people suffering from hypertension and gastrointestinal diseases, are most susceptible to phobias. Women during menopause, as well as fair-skinned people with blue eyes, are prone to it.
Causes of erythrophobia
In people who do not suffer from erythrophobia, the face turns red only during strong experiences or intense physical activity. If fear is present, blushing syndrome occurs even from slight excitement or at rest.
Erythrophobia is caused by the following psychological factors:
- excellent student syndrome;
- pathological fear of mistakes;
- fear of condemnation from society;
- fear of the public.
The tendency to facial hyperemia usually appears in childhood. If a child is teased by his peers because of this, he develops a complex. Childhood trauma can also cause erythrophobia.
Fear of public appearances may be a cause of distress
Symptoms
The main sign of erythrophobia is facial redness, which can be uniform or appear in patches.
Changes in skin color can be seen in the décolleté and neck area. Some patients feel hot.
You can identify symptoms of fear of blushing in a person who is not confident in himself, has difficulty communicating with people, and chooses a job where he does not need to have contact with society. An accurate diagnosis can be made by a psychologist or psychotherapist after the examination and history taking.
How to get rid
You can eliminate the fear of blushing in front of people with the help of medications, surgery, effects on the psyche and folk methods.
Working with a psychotherapist is considered the most effective. It helps to get rid of the true causes of erythrophobia. A professional specialist can determine the degree of development of the phobia and choose the best way to solve the problem.
With the help of psychocorrection, you can learn to control your emotions and behavior, and calmly react to various situations.
Treatment for erythrophobia includes cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps eliminate bad thoughts and beliefs and changes the type of thinking. This is a very subtle method that requires a person’s conscious desire to be cured of the fear of blushing.
The following drugs are used as medications to combat anxiety and eliminate vasodilation:
1. Beta blockers. 2. Tranquilizers. 3. Alpha blockers.
Often the doctor prescribes a complex of vitamins . Thus, ascorbic acid has vasoconstrictor and anti-edema effects, rutin reduces the fragility of capillaries and strengthens them, vitamin K reduces their permeability. Such products are allowed to be used only after consultation with a specialist. Self-administration of medications may cause undesirable consequences.
Operation
Treatment of erythrophobia involves surgery.
During the operation, the operation of the nodes of one of the parts of the autonomic nervous system is affected. It's called sympathectomy .
It is used in case of lack of effect from psychotherapy and medications. For geographic erythrophobia, this method is not recommended.
There are other contraindications:
• serious damage to the heart and blood vessels; • severe sclerosis of cerebral vessels; • some infections.
Surgery is performed under general anesthesia.
It has side effects:
• hypotension; • increased sweating; • reduced reaction to stress.
Reviews about the operation are predominantly positive. Many people have already eliminated unpleasant symptoms. Sympathectomy gives good clinical results and often relieves the patient of problems forever.
Patients note that it is important to choose a professional clinic for the operation and make sure that the doctors are experienced. Sympathectomy is often performed for reasons other than indications. Doctors do not always inform patients about possible conservative treatment methods, as well as what side effects the patient can expect after surgery. It is necessary to ensure that the medical facility is sufficiently equipped with the necessary equipment.
The inexperience of a specialist can lead to a technically incorrect operation. There is a possibility of damage to the accessory nerves, which leads to negative consequences.
Treatment of erythrophobia
Despite the fact that the causes of the disease have not yet been clarified, specialists know how to treat erythrophobia. Several treatment methods have been developed:
Psychotherapy - working with a psychologist
Blushing is an individual bodily reaction to certain feelings that arise in a person - usually these are feelings of shame, and through working with a psychologist, this feeling can be significantly weakened, and over time, completely removed. And then, accordingly, the intensity of redness will be much less and will eventually return to normal. After all, all people blush when they are embarrassed.
Relief of erythrophobia with medications.
Patients are prescribed sedatives and antidepressants. Beta blockers can achieve good results for erythrophobia. Thanks to the medications, the patient manages to remain calm even in stressful situations and not blush. However, taking medications for erythrophobia for a long time is not recommended. Unfortunately, tranquilizers and antidepressants are highly addictive, and beta blockers can cause blood pressure problems. We must not forget that for erythrophobia, treatment with tablets can only be prescribed by a doctor. It is strictly forbidden to self-medicate, take medications uncontrollably, guided by the experience of friends or information from the Internet.
Surgery.
Patients undergo an operation called sympathectomy. The operation takes approximately 30 minutes and is performed under general anesthesia. During the operation, special clamps are inserted into the patient's chest cavity to block the nerve fibers that innervate the blood vessels of the face. At the same time, a person practically stops blushing even in stressful situations. Despite the fact that the operation is considered quite easy and does not require long-term hospitalization and rehabilitation, it is prescribed relatively rarely. As a rule, it is resorted to only if other treatment methods have not brought any results, and the patient does not know how to get rid of erythrophobia.
Try to cope with erythrophobia on your own.
Psychologists recommend not fighting redness, but, on the contrary, trying to cause it with all your might so that it appears in front of people. Try blushing on purpose! If you practice this exercise often enough, the guard will gradually retreat.
If you suffer from erythrophobia, you should not give up your social life and hide from people! Awareness of the problem and willingness to fight it is the first step to recovery!
Treatment at home
Among the non-traditional means, the following methods can be distinguished:
1. Mint decoction. You need to chop 1 tablespoon of mint leaves and pour a glass of boiling water over it. The resulting composition is kept in a water bath for 15 minutes, and then cooled and drunk half a glass in the morning and evening. 2. Hardening. It is necessary to douse yourself with cool water every morning, gradually lowering its temperature. In the evening a contrast shower is shown. 3. Yoga, breathing exercises. These methods will increase self-confidence and reduce unwanted heartbeat.
It is necessary to exclude massage, hot baths and compresses.
Fear of blushing leads to a deterioration in the quality of life and the development of depression. Therefore, it is necessary to treat it completely using modern methods of therapy. It is worth contacting a psychotherapist who will help you find the essence of the problem and relieve unpleasant symptoms.
Principles of treatment
Pharmaceuticals, folk remedies, surgery and psychotherapy help overcome the disease. The first three methods get rid of external signs, and therapy will get rid of the underlying causes.
To achieve the maximum therapeutic effect, a visit to a specialist is combined with medications and folk remedies. Surgical interventions are performed only in exceptional cases.
Psychotherapy will not get rid of the external signs of a phobia, but it will help you better control yourself and react less sharply to conflicts. Treatment uses cognitive behavioral therapy. It makes it possible to change the course of thoughts and get rid of the most destructive ones. Relaxing techniques - breathing and muscle relaxation - will be added. Auto-training increases self-confidence. You can practice them on your own.
Medicines help fight anxiety and block reflex vasodilation that leads to redness. The use of drugs is strictly limited, because their long-term use leads to addiction and the development of serious side effects. The course begins only after consultation with a doctor. Self-medication can lead to the development of symptoms of dystonia.
Folk remedies
Such methods help relieve nervous tension and redness. At home, you can take herbal decoctions and apply compresses. To help solve the problem:
- Pouring . They are worth starting every day with. The water temperature is slowly reduced. In the evenings, a contrast shower will be an excellent solution.
- Compresses . They will require brewed green tea (without additives). It should be cooled to room temperature, applied to cotton pads and applied to the face area at least twice a day. Green tea can be replaced with lightly salted water or chamomile tincture.
- Mint decoction . One tablespoon of crushed leaves is poured into a glass of boiling water and kept in a water bath for 10-15 minutes. Drink ½ glass before meals.
Motherwort tincture, warm water with mint and lemon will help relieve tension and suppress fear for a person in a public place.
Features of surgical interventions
Sympathectomy, an operation that suppresses the activity of the spinal nodules of the sympathetic nerve, can finally eliminate the problem. It is prescribed if other methods are ineffective. It is not recommended to do it if certain parts of the face are red. The intervention takes place under general anesthesia. Nerve activity is limited using titanium staples.
This method of treatment also has side effects. We are talking about compensatory sweating, lowering blood pressure and a negative reaction to stress. The probability of relapse after surgery does not exceed 10%.
A person suffering from erythrophobia should definitely consult a psychologist. He will help the patient understand the causes of the pathology, teach him to accept his body with all its features and at the same time live harmoniously without experiencing discomfort.
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