When You Get A 'Sex Rash', This Is What Happens To Your Body

When you hear the term "sex rash," your first reaction might be to think we are talking about a sexually transmitted disease (STD). While many common STDs do present with symptoms like a rash, what we are really talking about is something that's also referred to as a "sex flush." Healthline explains that a sex flush is a "pinkish glow" that you develop when you are aroused or in the midst of an orgasm. Rather than being a sign of a problem, it's simply a normal reaction that occurs when you are enjoying yourself sexually.

The Eudelo skin clinic adds that a sex rash can look somewhat like measles with pink spots and patches appearing on your abdomen, chest, face, and sometimes even your entire body. They explain, however, that a sex rash will generally disappear quickly after orgasm, although it can sometimes linger for up to two hours.

According to Healthline, when you have an orgasm several things happen to your body. You undergo involuntary muscle contractions; your blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing all increase; there may be muscle spasms in your feet; a woman's vagina and uterus as well as a man's penis experience rhythmic muscle contractions; men ejaculate; and both sexes experience sexual release. 

Accompanying all of this may be a sex rash. Eudelo explains that the cause of this rash is simply increased blood flow to the skin as adrenaline dilates the small blood vessels near the skin's surface. In addition to giving the skin a reddish appearance, it can also make the skin feel warm. It's also quite normal for this to happen, they write. At least half of all women, and maybe more, will have a sex rash while in the throes of passion.

Lauren Haines, a family nurse practitioner with TBD Health, told Lifehacker that one way to distinguish a sex rash from a medical condition that might need to be treated is whether it's itchy or you have bumps or hives. "If you develop redness and itching or hives, it could be a sign of an allergy," she told the site. Haines noted that allergies could be to condoms, lubricants, the material that your sex toys are made from, or even your partner's semen. Being allergic to semen is rare, according to the Cleveland Clinic. However, an estimated 40,000 people in the United States do have this allergy. Signs of semen allergy would include swelling, burning, and redness around the vagina. Other ways you can tell you are having an allergic reaction on your skin include flaking or cracked skin (per Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America). 

Some people can even have a more severe, life-threatening allergic reaction, according to the Mayo Clinic. This type of reaction needs to be treated right away with epinephrine. In addition to flushing, hives, and itch, a person having a severe allergic reaction could have low blood pressure, trouble breathing, a swollen airway, a fast and weak pulse, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, or fainting. It is essential to seek medical care right away for a severe allergic reaction.