# Drunks' Noses

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drunks-noses/169445>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 18, 2003, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drunks-noses/169445 "2003-04-18T00:52:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![gypsymoth3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@gypsymoth3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gypsymoth3)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drunks-noses/169445/1 "2003-04-18T00:52:36Z")

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why are most alcoholics’ noses red? is it blood pressure or something?

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**Author:** ![Joe\_Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Joe\_Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Random)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drunks-noses/169445/2 "2003-04-18T00:56:23Z")

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Alcohol causes [dialation of capillaries](http://www.ecureme.com/emyhealth/data/Alcohol-induced_Red_Nose.asp) in the skin. With chornic alcoholics, the effect will sometimes be semi-permanent.

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**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drunks-noses/169445/3 "2003-04-18T01:36:20Z")

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Colloquially these are known as gin blossoms. A popular [band](http://www.ginblossoms.info/faq.html) adopted the term after seeing a picture of W.C. Fields.

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**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drunks-noses/169445/4 "2003-04-18T01:43:26Z")

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IIRC, people who are light-skinned and tend toward rosacea can have this condition exacerbated by drinking, both short-term and in the long run.

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**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drunks-noses/169445/5 "2003-04-18T14:08:29Z")

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rosacea link

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**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drunks-noses/169445/6 "2003-04-18T17:08:14Z")

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This sometimes happens to the entire face, right? Someone please confirm or tell me I’m wrong. 😉

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**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drunks-noses/169445/7 "2003-04-18T18:40:57Z")

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Yes **kniz** if you will follow the link I provided it will give you all the specifics.

Rosacea is actually a disorder of the blood vessels in the face. They are prone to overreactive dilation. Over time, the walls of the vessels get weak and stay dilated. An ugly side effect of this is the migration of blood components into the skin, which irritates and causes bumps and pustules. Rosacea sufferers have “permanent” red patches on their faces.