What does a hot flash feel like?

I have been having these episodes where my face is burning up like I am sitting in the sun but the rest of my body is relatively cool and I was wondering if it sounds like a hotflash. Last month my period was irregular so I went to the doctor but I forgot to mention this sensation to her and now it seems to be getting worse. I will probably wait a few weeks to see how my next period goes and then call the doctor but I was hoping for some feedback from you guys.

when I was prone to them I would get intensely hot from my neck up. nothing would cool me off but it usually only lasted a couple of minutes thank goodness! could you be at the age of beginning menopause?

I am only 30, however I guess it could be what is called premature menopause because I am also having night sweats and mood swings, my hormones feel really out of whack right now. Thank you for the answer it seems like it is moving down into my neck too as the episodes get worse.
I guess I will wait and see what my period does, it was very short and light last month, lasted less then two days and my pap results must be normal because they haven't called to say otherwise.

have you had bloodwork done lately? your hormone levels could be off for some reason. I would have that checked. you are too young I think to even be in perimenopause.

My very first hot flash was when I was still in the hospital after my hysterectomy 8 years ago. (They say it happened so quickly because at the time I was extremely skinny and didn't have a lot of fat cells to store the estrogen.) They have gotten no easier over time. Mine feel like I'm on fire from the inside out. Whooosh. Night sweats have eased for me, though, thank goodness.

To me a hot flash is like having a furnace running from with in that you can't control.

They just checked my thyroid through a blood test, I don't know if that would show hormone levels or not. It sounds like another trip to the doctor is in my near future but I think I will wait until my next period to see if it is irregular too.
Thanks for all the replies, my episodes make my face so hot I want to stick it in the freezer, hopefully this will pass soon.

IDK - some ladies have been known to start around 23 to 25 years old.... so it can happen early.

This statement made me think... have you looked into possible "Rosacea" with a Dermatologist, as it can leave the face red and flushed/hot feeling (I have gone thru this)?

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/rosacea/DS00308

I had my tubes tied at 30 (I took after my parents, didn't want kids). I started getting hot flashes from about age 35 onward. I don't think that's particularly abnormal actually, the hormones start to decline around that age, faster for some than others. Anyone taking birth control pills will be insulated from their actual cycles, so if and when you do get the tubes tied and get off the pill, you may be in for a menstrual surprise. I sure was.

I can't tell you how joyful I felt (sarcasm) to be experiencing mind-frying, stomach-hurling, gut-clenching cramps, with the added bonus of hot flashes all at the same time. Doc finally put me back on birth control pills at age 45 (!) which helped a bunch -- I no longer needed Vicodin for cramps not that it really helped much, and as long as I took a Pill every single day with no break, and never ever missed a pill by more than half a day, EVER, I didn't need adult diapers to cope with the flow either, which was nice, and I was no longer too anemic for the local blood bank.

I am now 54 and 1 year post-hysterectomy, got the job done during my Last Period Ever!!! Yay!!!. Path report said adenomyosis which accounts for the monthly labor pains to pass the clots and the Exodus-plague-level bleeding. I take 1/4 of a 1 mg estrace pill daily and still get the occasional hot flash, but they really don't bother me much any more.

That was my initial reaction to this statement as well.

Hormonal changes cause intense changes throughout one's entire body - a penetrating heat so deep it cannot be escaped! Rosacea is a very deep flushed feeling, but it stays around the head. Sometimes ears and neck will flush along with the face, but, not always.

Just my experience...check out the link. I highly recommend proper diagnosis of rosacea asap! Once it gets to X phase, it doesn't turn back (despite proper treatment).

Shez

GICE, You are relatively young to be experiencing the type of symptoms you are, but sometimes women go through the change at young ages. It depends on your body.

Menopause is a gradual phase your body goes through. I am 57 years old and first start experiencing symptoms in my late 40s. My first symptom was mood swings. Those were so severe I had to take an antiiD. Next, I started experiencing problems with my hair and skin (extreme dryness). That's because estrogen levels are not what they were when I was much younger. Finally, I started having the dreaded "hot flashes." Hot flashes feel like a part(s) of your body are on fire, but other parts feel cool. You sweat intensely and some last for a few seconds, some more. Sometimes you may experience night sweats. That's when you sweat profusely -- and if you are able to sleep-- wake up soaking wet. That's when you have to either sleep in the nude or cotton -- no satin or silk. My periods became irregular when I was about 50-51.

GICE, if you need to talk more, I am here.