Researchers collected data from over 1,700 participants and found that those who reported facial redness after drinking were up to 2.27 times more likely to have hypertension compared to those who didn’t experience alcohol-related redness. Experts have long known that drinking alcohol yields a temporary spike in blood pressure. Once alcohol gets into your system, your body starts metabolizing it into a compound called acetaldehyde. The compound has a relaxing effect that causes blood vessels to expand, resulting in a blood pressure dip. But once the alcohol leaves your system, your body works to rapidly raise your blood pressure back to its pre-drinking levels, which can result in higher-than-normal levels. Facial flushing occurs when your body isn’t able to break down the acetaldehyde. “Therefore, the risk of hypertension increases in that group of people because acetaldehyde isn’t efficiently removed from the body,” says study coauthor Jong-Sung Kim, MD, PhD. More from Prevention: 7 Natural Ways To Lower Blood Pressure Red wine and dark spirits seem to be the most redness-inducing, but all types of alcohol can have an effect. And they’re not the only things that can trigger a red face. “Flushing can also occur from eating hot or spicy foods, experiencing temperature changes, or changes in emotion,” says Mona Gohara, MD, of Yale School of Medicine. What’s more, the problem tends to affect fair-skinned people more than darker-skinned ones, women more than men, and women ages 30 to 60 compared to those who are younger or older. While there are plenty of ways to manage redness, there isn’t yet a cure. Green-tinted concealer can help cancel out red color, and laser treatments can help minimize blood vessels near the surface of the skin, says Gohara. “You also want to avoid irritating the skin by using sunscreen daily and avoiding harsh exfoliators, microdermabrasion, and products like retinol,” she says. The best way to keep flushing and the high blood pressure that could come along with it at bay? Identify your triggers and avoid them as much as possible. If that means saying goodbye to your favorite drinks, try these 15 yummy alcohol-free mocktails instead. More from Prevention: Why Is Your Face Red? Take This Quiz To Find Out!
