Age-related changes in neurogenic vasodilation mediated by sensory nerves may alter local skin blood flow (SkBF) responses in older individuals. The purpose of this study was to determine the age-specific modification of cutaneous vasodilation by capsaicin-sensitive primary afferent (CSPA) nerves during local heating. Nine young (18-30 yr), eight middle-aged (40-55 yr) and eight older (65-80 yr) healthy men participated in the experiments. Two local heating protocols (rapid and slow) were performed before and after one week of capsaicin pretreatment (CP), used to desensitize CSPAs. All temperatures were below those that elicit pain. SkBF was measured with a laser Doppler imager and indexed to % of maximal cutaneous vascular conductance (%CVC_max). CP caused a significant reduction in %CVC_max in both the middle-aged and older groups during slow heating (P < 0.05), without affecting %CVC_max in the young group. During rapid heating, CP significantly reduced (53.9 ± 4.4 vs. 74.4 ± 7.4 %CVC_max, P < 0.05), but did not abolish, the initial sensory nerve-mediated rise in SkBF in the young group. No significant effects of CP on SkBF were observed during rapid heating in either the middle-aged or older groups. These results indicate that with advanced age, CSPA activity is more important to the maximal SkBF response during prolonged local heating, whereas it has a reduced role in the initial SkBF peak elicited by rapid local heating. In summary, CSPA activity contributes modestly to the overall SkBF response to local heating in an age-specific manner.