The heat-induced changes in blood circulation in human forearm skin were studied. With the use of laser Doppler flowmetry, it was possible to noninvasively monitor the velocity and volume of red cells, and thus the flow rate of red cells or blood flow in the human skin. When the skin surface was heated at 35 degrees -43 degrees C for 60 min, the laser Doppler flow (LDF) changed dynamically, indicating that the blood flow in human forearm skin could increase as much as 15-20 times during heating at 43 degrees C. Such an increase in laser Doppler flow resulted from dilation of arterioles and recruitment of capillaries, and also to a lesser extent, from an increase in the velocity of red cell flux. The increase in the velocity of red cell flux implies that arteriovenous anastomoses exist in the human forearm skin, in contradiction to the common view that human forearm skin is devoid of arteriovenous anastomosis.