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Red Hot Ears & Menopause

When a woman is menopausal, her hormones fluctuate erratically. This can cause her to have a hot flash. When a hot flash occurs, the ears can become very red and hot. This unpleasant effect of a natural process affects some populations more than others and can be successfully managed.

  1. Features

    • During a hot flash, oxygen-rich blood that is warm is sent to your outer ears and makes them very red and hot. This is comparable to face blushing. When this occurs, your ears may even hurt.

    Red Ear Syndrome

    • Red ear syndrome is often the result of blood flow to the ear that is abnormal because of a dysfunction in the sympathetic nerve, which results in too much blood flowing to the ear. The ear then turns red, according to Severe-headache-expert.com. Menopausal women can experience this as well as those who aren't menopausal, including males.

    Estrogen and Medication

    • A hot flash, which can affect your entire body, can occur because of diminishing levels of estrogen, a hormone, that is produced prior to and during menopause. A hot flash can also be caused my medications that you are taking as well as your lifestyle, according to Breastcancer.org. Women who are taking tamoxifen for breast cancer may find that they have very intense hot flashes. Muscular or heavy women may have less intense hot flashes than thin women, and smokers are likely to have worse hot flashes because their blood vessels don’t radiate heat as well as a non-smokers' do.

    Considerations

    • The hypothalamus is in control of your body’s thermostat. When estrogen levels drop, this confuses the hypothalamus. The brain then responds by telling the nervous system, heart and blood vessels to get rid of the heat. The blood vessels in your skin dilate so they can move more blood to vanquish the heat. Your heart pumps faster and your sweat glands release perspiration to cool you off. However, when the heat-releasing mechanism in your body is triggered by a drop in estrogen you can become very hot, including your ears. In fact, your skin temperature may rise by six degrees centigrade when you are experiencing a hot flash.

    Treatment

    • If your red, hot ears are becoming problematic, your doctor may recommend that you take a beta-blocker, a drug that is regularly used to treat cardiac problems and high blood pressure, according to Rod Moser, PA, PhD.

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