Flushed, Red face from drinking alcohol

We can never forget our first peg of whiskey or that bottle of beer. The binge party in our high school days or the fresher’s welcome in college. We can also never forget the sense of nausea or a headache that we woke up with the next morning. But, drinking alcohol has its own side-effects as much as with the enjoyment it brings along, if not more. One of the most common syndromes is getting a flushed, red face during alcohol consumption.  This generally occurs due to the allergic reaction to alcohol and definitely should be monitored very carefully. The other names by which the symptom is known are Alcohol flush, Asian flush, Asian glow, or simply flushed face due to alcohol consumptions. These symptoms are fairly common in Chinese, Japanese and Koreans, and hence the name.

One of the major indicators of the red face is hypertension. Also, this could be the precursor to the fatal diseases like cancer in esophagus or liver. When we consume alcohol, our body breaks the alcohol by metabolizing it to acetaldehyde by the process called alcohol dehydrogenase which is then converted to the harmless substance by the method of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase. The syndrome occurs in people whose body does not perform the second phase. So there is an accumulation of undigested acetaldehyde in the liver which provides the so-called Asian glow. The allergic reaction to alcohol could be analyzed even by a breathalyzer or by a blood test. There is an exponential increase in the risk of developing diseases like the esophagus or stomach cancer, or development of peptic ulcers. So proper measurement and being wary of one’s genetic response is equally important so as to the guesswork done while determining the redness of face.

There are no medications available for controlling such allergic reactions to alcohol. One should analyze the acetaldehyde formation in their body and can set up a safe limit for alcohol consumption. On having severe reactions, alcohol should be avoided entirely. Also in the case of alcohol consumption, heavy drinking should be avoided at any cost. Drinking alcohol must always be accompanied with eating, and should not be done at all with an empty stomach. Having a lot of water or any other non-alcoholic fluids could help to some extent but has no definite proof. It at all alcohol is consumed, drinks with less alcohol content should be chosen which could keep the red face and flushed look at the minimum.