This article is an answer to the Case – Right Cheek Flushing When Eating
There was no redness in this area of his face when he had not been eating, but flushing appeared when he ate strawberries in the clinic. The findings from the remainder of the examination were normal. A diagnosis of Frey’s syndrome was made.
Frey’s syndrome is characterized by gustatory sweating, flushing, or both and results from damage to parasympathetic nerve fibers within the parotid gland, with subsequent reinnervation of sweat glands in the skin.
Damage to the parasympathetic nerve fibers typically occurs during surgery (e.g., to the parotid gland), but facial trauma is another recognized cause. No specific treatment was provided, and at a follow-up visit when the patient was 3 years of age, the flushing persisted.
References
- Michelle Shi, Orli Wargon, Artiene Tatian. (2023) An infant with a unilateral facial flush. JEADV Clinical Practice 2:4, 1016-1018.
- Katherine P. Wallerius, Katherine Z. Xie, Lauren Y. Lu, Christine M. Lohse, Linda X. Yin, Daniel L. Price, Kathryn M. Van Abel, Eric J. Moore. (2023) Selective Deep Lobe Parotidectomy vs Total Parotidectomy for Patients With Benign Deep Lobe Parotid Tumors. JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery 149:11, 1003.
- Céline Betti, Gregorio P. Milani, Sebastiano A. G. Lava, Mario G. Bianchetti, Gabriel Bronz, Gian P. Ramelli, Barbara Goeggel Simonetti, Marcel M. Bergmann. (2022) Auriculotemporal Frey syndrome not associated with surgery or diabetes: systematic review. European Journal of Pediatrics 181:5, 2127-2134.
- Marlous L. Grijsen, Esther J. van Zuuren. (2021) Gustatory Hyperhidrosis. JAMA Dermatology 157:12, 1497.
