Blush

To blush is to display a marked redness of one's face; the term is seldom applied except when the redness is construed as a result of embarrassment, shame, or modesty. more...

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Blushing is generally distinguished, despite a close physiological relation, from flushing, which is more intensive and extends over more of the body, and seldom has a mental source.

If redness persists for abnormal amounts of time after blushing, then it may be considered an early sign of rosacea.

A medical condition known as Idiopathic craniofacial erythema exists, in which the sufferer blushes strongly with little or no provocation.

Erythrophobia (literally "fear of redness") refers to pathological blushing.

Psycho-social aspects

The least emotionally charged meaning that could be construed is "the blush of youth", but that sense is seldom if ever given to "blushing" in other contexts, and raises the question of why "blushing groom" is an unfamiliar phrase. If blushing is regarded as a euphemism for being flushed from sexual anticipation and/or engorgement of erogenous zones, it may be seen as presumptuous at best; the imputation of various forms of embarrassment, shame, and modesty are similarly hard to clarify without reference to the bride's sexuality. The Oxford English Dictionary defines blushing in this context as literally blushing, or modest or bashful. This may have been more applicable in the days when women were usually married very young, and young women were expected to be reserved and obedient. Today this phrase, as the OED notes, is often used somewhat facetiously.

Physiological anatomy of the cutaneous blood circulation in humans

The function of cutaneous blood flow is nutrition of the skin and regulation of body heat. The higher the cutaneous blood flow, the more heat radiates. Restriction of cutaneous blood flow curtails the loss of body heat, which is important in a cold environment. The circulatory system of the skin contains three major types of blood vessels that enable it to fulfill these two important functions. The first type are arteries, capillaries, and veins that serve mainly nutrition needs. The second type is the subcutaneous venous plexus that plays a major role in the conduction of heat, and contains a major fraction of the cutaneous blood volume. The third type are arteriovenous anastomoses which can be found in areas of the body especially exposed to maximal cooling like the hands, feet, nose, lips and ears. These areas are called apical structures and are richly innervated. The anastomoses connect cutaneous arterioles and venules directly, playing an important role in the reduction of blood flow in a cold environment (Rowell. 1993; Guyton. 1981; Rowell. 1974).

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