From this article you will learn: what does skin hyperemia, why it arises and how to distinguish the usual natural redness from pathological. You will understand the causes of skin hyperemia on the face and other parts of the body, how to cure these conditions.
- The causes of skin hyperemia
- Types of pathology
- Characteristic symptoms
- Hyperemia of the face
- How to cure hyperemia
The color of the human skin is determined by the pigment content, the thickness and transparency of the outer layer of the skin, and the blood supply of the subcutaneous vessel network. A faint pink shade of the skin and mucous membranes is considered a normal physiological color. Excessive filling of the bloodstream of the vascular bed is manifested externally by changing the shade of the skin from pink to red.
The term "hyperemia" in medicine refers to the local or general redness of a tissue or organ. Hyperemia is not considered an independent disease, being only a sign of many conditions - both normal physiological and painful.
This symptom is based on the expansion of local vessels under the influence of external or internal stimuli. If the hyperemia of the internal organs is not visually determined, then a noticeable reddening of the skin is often a concern. 
Natural skin hyperemia is adaptive and should not be an excuse for unrest. The inconveniences caused by it have an exclusively aesthetic coloring, and "recovery" comes on its own in a short time.
Pathological reddening of the skin directly or indirectly indicates internal problems, infectious or dermatological disease. In such cases, the treatment of the underlying pathology by a specialized specialist - a dermatologist, therapist, pediatrician or infectious disease specialist, will help cope with the symptom of hyperemia.
Causes of hyperemia on the skin
A diverse range of causes of skin hyperemia can be divided into two large groups:
- physiological( normal, natural);
- pathological.
Normally, the human skin turns red on the background of mental excitement in moments of intense emotions or stressful situations( joy, shame, excitement, anger).In this case, the walls of the vessels expand under the action of hormones. Lowering or raising the temperature of the environment( water, air) also causes a physiological redness of the skin. Everyone noticed that the nose blushes in the frost, and in the bath - the whole surface of the body. With physical activity, the redness of one or more areas of the body appears.
Pathological skin hyperemia:
- occurs against a background of febrile conditions;
- is manifested locally over foci of inflammation( around joints, wounds, boils or abscesses);
- becomes one of the symptoms of allergic reactions( urticaria, atopic dermatitis);
- in case of carbon monoxide poisoning, the skin becomes red due to the formation in the blood of carboxyhemoglobin, which has a bright purple hue;
- in addition, unhealthy redness can cause a lack of oxygen in the blood( hypoxia) or excess of lactic acid in the tissues( acidosis).
Delimited spots of hyperemia appear in different parts of the body with infectious erythema, tuberculosis, streptococcal infections, sarcoidosis, ulcerative colitis and chronic foci of infection( tonsillitis, pyelonephritis).
With severe liver damage, persistent redness is noted on the palms and feet of the patient, the so-called "palmar erythema" appears.
A violent hyperemic reaction of the skin is accompanied by thermal and chemical burns.
Strengthen the flow of blood to the epidermis and cause local redness can also mechanical stimuli - massage, rubbing or scratches.
Types of hyperemia and their significance
Excessive blood filling of the skin can occur due to:
- enlarging the lumen of arteries that bring blood is an arterial form of hyperemia;
- obstruction of outflow and stagnation of blood in the subcutaneous veins - venous form.
Arterial hyperemia
Normally, arterial hyperemia is useful for the body. With its help, the body regulates the rate of peripheral circulation, adapts quickly to changing conditions, eliminates local disturbances and responds to increased exercise stress. For example, the skin reddens from the sun, cold wind or during sports. Doctors use this mechanism when they designate cans, mustards or rubbing, thus providing a rush of oxygenated and nutrient-rich blood to the sore spot.
Pathological arterial hyperemia of the skin occurs in traumas, infectious diseases with a high temperature, over the foci of chronic inflammation, with hypertension, violation of innervation of arteries or prolonged exposure to natural factors( cold, heat).It can harm the body, cause hemorrhage and swelling of the tissue. In such cases, the effect of hyperemia is usually attenuated by cold( lotions, cold wraps, ice).
Venous hyperaemia
Venous hyperemia of the skin occurs against the background of blood stagnation in the subcutaneous veins.
| Causes of venous hyperaemia | Provoking factors |
|---|---|
| Mechanical compression( tight bandage, tight clothing, uncomfortable posture) | Strain |
| Cardiac pump failure and slowing of blood flow | Prolonged immobility or "standing work" |
| Blockage of cutaneous veins by thrombi or emboli, creating an obstructionoutflow of blood |
Crowded dark venous blood has a purplish-cyanotic hue and is deficient in oxygen and nutrients.
The use of venous hyperemia is to slow the circulation, so the body inhibits the spread of inflammation. However, in most cases this form of the symptom is harmful to the body and should become an excuse for treating or eliminating its causes.
| Symptom | Arterial hyperemia | Venous congestion |
|---|---|---|
| Color | Scarlet | Cherry, dark red |
| temperature | Increased( hot to the touch) | reduced( cold to the touch) |
| Edema | No | There |
| Atrophy | No | There |
| turgor( elasticity) | Norm | Reduced |
| Significance for organism | Compensatory-adaptive( in most cases) | Negative |
Characteristic symptoms
The main symptom of hyperemia is redness. Depending on the area of spread along the body and the boundaries of redness, the following four forms stand out:
- local,
- general,
- spilled,
- delimited.
Local spots of redness are called erythema. With erythema, red areas of different sizes are located on the face, body, arms and legs, have clear boundaries and disappear when pressed. This symptom is characteristic of erysipelas, it appears on the cheeks in children with exudative-catarrhal diathesis.
In eczema, the erythematous areas are located on the bends of the elbows, the back of the hands, in the popliteal fossa, on the face and in the groin, accompanied by severe itching.
Another example of a local manifestation of a symptom is a telangiectasia - stellate specks of crimson color, which protrude slightly above the skin.
They can be present on the hands, feet, face and any other part of the body, and the cause of their appearance lies in the violation of embryonic development of blood vessels or hormonal imbalance during life. This cosmetic defect causes a lot of unrest in women who, according to statistics, are most susceptible to the disease.
A red rash on different parts of the body is a symptom of many infectious diseases. When measles, bright red spots gradually fill the entire body, merging into large fields of hyperemia. Purple complexion on the background of a pale nasolabial triangle is a typical sign of scarlet fever. And with pseudotuberculosis, small pink spots form a kind of "hood", "socks" and "gloves" on the patient's body, filling the corresponding areas of the body.
Pink or purplish hyperemia of the skin on the chest is one of the first symptoms of breast cancer in women. He is dangerous because he does not disturb the patients' well-being. In nursing mothers, diffuse redness in this area is a sign of lactostasis( milk stagnation) or its menacing complication - mastitis. The resulting inflammation is accompanied by pain, fever and dangerous for the mother and child.
General skin hyperemia most often occurs in athletes during training or sudden changes in barometric pressure( in divers).Its outcome is favorable and does not require treatment. Pathological redness of the whole body arises against the background of arterial plethora with Vakez disease( increase in the number of erythrocytes) or stagnation of venous blood in heart defects. In these cases, hyperemia and other pathological symptoms of the disease require serious treatment.
Hyperemia of the face
What is the skin hyperemia on the face? These are red cheeks! Three mechanisms of their appearance can be visually demonstrated on the example of a slap, shame or cold. A healthy blush on the cheeks has always served as one of the main indicators of health. It is known that with emotional excitement, the owners of light and thin skin often blush. This is a safe symptom that does not require any treatment. Also redness of the face provokes:
- sexual arousal,
- high ambient temperature,
- alcohol intake,
- pose with lowered head,
- spicy or spicy food.
The pathological redness of the face is the companion of numerous diseases.
- She accompanies the agonizing attacks of hemicrania( migraine) and disappears in parallel with a headache.
- Reddening of the skin of the face and neck is characteristic for hypertensive crises and chronic alcoholism.
- The characteristic hyperemia of facial skin in the form of a "butterfly" and "glasses" is a typical symptom of systemic lupus erythematosus.
- Purple complexion on the background of a pale nasolabial triangle is a typical sign of scarlet fever.
In these cases, the symptom of hyperemia does not in itself cause unpleasant sensations, but it is an external signal of distress of internal organs or systems.
Methods of treatment of
Most cases of physiological or "working" skin hyperemia do not need treatment. Those who are "blush of excitement" delivers an aesthetic inconvenience, recommended sedatives or medicinal herbs( valerian, motherwort, mint).A good prevention of unwanted hyperemia will be yoga, which will help in regulating vascular tone and the ability to cope with emotions.
Treatment of the symptom of hyperemia in infectious, skin and somatic diseases, first of all, is aimed at eliminating the causative factor:
- pathogens( viruses, bacteria);
- physiological stimuli( cold, sunlight);
- inflammation;
- hormonal imbalance;
- arterial hypertension and others.
Operative techniques are used in the treatment of telangiectasias and vascular nevi, which are cosmetic skin defects. Surgical removal of heart defects - the causes of venous congestion of the skin and other organons.
Local redness of the skin with bruises, cuts and scratches is removed by folk remedies, applying leaves of plantain, wormwood or common curds.
Hyperemic, caused by subcutaneous hemorrhage( hematoma), will cope with apple cider vinegar. To make a lotion, a half liter of vinegar should be heated in a water bath, then drop a couple drops of iodine and pour two teaspoons of salt. After moistening the cloth with the resulting solution, apply it to the reddened area for a quarter of an hour.
