Abstract
Blushing refers to reddening of the face in emotionally charged situations, typically in association with feelings of embarrassment, guilt or shame. The reddening is due to an accumulation of red blood cells in the superficial venous plexus in the facial skin. This appears to involve an active dilatation of the arterial supply because vascular pulsations increase markedly during blushing (Figure 2.1). In addition, as facial veins are supplied with β-adrenoceptors (Mellander et al., Reference Mellander, Andersson, Afzelius and Hellstrand1982), a β-adrenergic mechanism that contributes to the dilatation of veins may increase their capacity to hold blood...
