I’m not sure if “turning white/pale” is an exaggeration or if people actually do turn pale in certain situations. I’ve never witnessed it myself, anyone here who has?
In: Biology
I once saw someone get so mad her face immediately turned bright red and then just as quickly turned completely white. It was wild.
Interesting responses.
I wonder too about something I saw that still kind of haunts me. It was 12 years ago, I was dating a guy who was unfortunately relapsing into drug addiction. He was ~~railing~~ taking large amounts of oxycodone, dealing with a whopping nine kidney stones at once, and his sanity was… gone. I came home to him one day and noticed he was clammy and cold, really agitated AND seemed afraid, sweating, and his skin had turned from reddish-tan to an almost grayish white color. I suspected he had gone a little too hard on those pills when I was gone. The skin coloring went back to normal within an hour or so (he took a hot shower). That relationship ended shortly after this when he decided to add alcohol to his routine and he turned violent, assaulted me and his mother, went to jail for it.
I wonder now – what made his skin turn that color? Was he like, right on the edge of an overdose? Was it related to the kidney stones?
When my mom was told that my dad died (very unexpected & young) we watched as all color drained from her face, her hair went straight & gray as she screamed out in anguish. All in an instant, right after the doctor told us.
Also, when I don’t feel well I lose what little color I have & my freckles seem to jump off my face.
Yes, in an extreme fight or flight situation the body moves blood to the arms and legs incase you need to flee or fight. So less red blood in the face causes the face to go pale
I am very pale with pink cheeks. When I am scared, I will go white. When I have a fever, my cheeks are bright red. Or when I am embarrassed.
My old roommate had a seizure in our apartment once, turned totally ghost white and stopped breathing for a few minutes. I will never forget the total lack of color in his face. He’s fine now, but yes it’s very real.
Had a coworker who turned shockingly pale just after and before a serious illness. Also had a boss who literally looked green because of a migraine. I did not think it was possible and figured it was metaphorical like green with envy until I saw his face.
I know when I have a panic attack my wife says I lose all my freckles from turning pale, I have always thought it was associated with me about to pass out.
Yes! This can happen two really cool ways.
When the sympathetic nervous system (the flight/fight/freeze system) is activated, and we get a big rush of adrenaline, your body is thought to redirect blood from your skin to where it’s needed — your muscles, heart and brain.
Your heart rate increases and so does your blood pressure, and few other cool things.
**BUT**
In *some* people, this adrenaline rush triggers something else — the blessed vasovagal reaction.
Here, you get a *big* rush of adrenaline, your heart rate and blood pressure increases, and your body thinks “oh shit, I’m gonna accidentally kill myself, better fix this”.
Its solution? Immediately drop your blood pressure and heart rate. It does this by activating your parasympathetic nervous system (the rest and digest system).
Your vagus nerve (vagal) tells your blood vessels (vaso) to dilate, most of the blood in your body drops to your feet, making you pale. In a lot of people this results in fainting.
Most of the time it’s the former scenario rather than the latter, but about 30% of people will experience a vasovagal episode at some point in their life.
And the process is much more complex than what I’ve described, of course.
Not sure about fear but I can tell you that every time I’m sea sick, someone tells me I look literally green like a cartoon.
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