Causes of yellowing and paleness of the face: Does it indicate a serious illness?
The appearance of a yellow color in the skin is not a disease in itself, but it may indicate other pathological conditions. In this article, you will learn about the reasons yellowing of the face And the diseases it refers to and methods of diagnosis and treatment.
Causes of yellowing of the face
The skin can turn from its normal color to yellow in a condition called urticaria Jaundice where it occurs with an increase in proportion bilirubin In the blood, it is a yellow-orange pigment secreted by the liver due to the breakdown of red blood cells. This substance not only affects the skin, but also causes yellowing of the eyes, mucus, saliva and urine.
There are several pathological conditions that cause an increase in the level of bilirubin in the blood, causing jaundice, and the causes include the following:
Liver diseases
- Hepatitis AIt is hepatitis caused by infection with virus A in the liver and its symptoms include fatigue, lethargy, yellowing of the face, eyes and urine, and fever.
- Hepatitis BIt is hepatitis caused by infection with the B virus in the liver, and its symptoms include fever, fatigue, jaundice, and dark urine.
- Hepatitis CIt is hepatitis caused by infection with the C virus, and its symptoms include fatigue, exhaustion, and yellowing of the skin, eyes, and urine.
- CirrhosisIt is a chronic disease caused by scarring of the liver for various reasons, and its symptoms include weakness, fatigue, jaundice, and other symptoms.
- Alcoholic hepatitisIt occurs due to excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, causing liver damage, and its symptoms include jaundice, fatigue, bruising and bleeding easily.
Anemia diseases
Anemia is one of the most important diseases Causes of yellowing and paleness of the face They include:
- hemolytic anemia;Red blood cells break down, and its symptoms include fatigue, paleness and yellowness of the face, dark urine, and shortness of breath.
- Iron deficiency anemiaIt is anemia that occurs as a result of iron deficiency in the blood, and its symptoms include fatigue, pallor of the face, gums, dizziness, and broken nails.
- thalassemiaIt is a type of genetic anemia that causes yellowing and pale skin, an enlarged spleen, dark colored urine, and stunted growth.
- Sickle cell anemiaIt is a type of hereditary anemia, with which red blood cells break easily, which leads to paleness and yellowing of the skin and fatigue.
Cancer diseases
- Small bowel cancerIt is a rare disease that often does not show symptoms until it is in its advanced stages. These symptoms include jaundice, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, and nausea.
- Pancreas cancerSymptoms also often do not appear except in late stages, including yellowing of the skin, nausea, vomiting, weakness and weight loss.
- Gallbladder cancerIt is also difficult to diagnose because symptoms do not appear early, including yellowing of the skin, fever, and upper abdominal pain.
Other causes of yellowing of the face
Yellowing of the face in newborns
It is normal for the high level of bilirubin to occur in newborns immediately after birth. The child, while he is still a fetus in his mother’s womb, the placenta in the womb plays its role in controlling the level of bilirubin and removing it from the blood of the fetus, and when the child is born, the child’s liver takes its time to receive this task, so it increases The percentage is slightly for several days, then the percentage begins to decrease with the development of the liver.
Read more about the causes of jaundice in babies and ways to treat it
Diagnosis of yellowing of the skin
Once the physical examination, the doctor will show the abnormal skin color, then he will ask you to do some tests, the most important of which are:
Facial yellowing treatment
Usually there is no treatment for yellowing of the face in itself, but the disease that caused the jaundice must be treated and with treatment the symptoms, including jaundice, will disappear, for example in the case of viral hepatitis when the doctor prescribes the appropriate treatment for you, the treatment will help heal the liver and thus return the skin to its natural color .
In the case of chronic diseases, the skin may continue to be pale and yellow, but its degree may decrease or increase depending on the condition and severity of the disease.
Prevention of yellowing of the skin
In fact, it is not always possible to protect yourself from jaundice, but you can avoid the diseases that cause it as much as possible, for example:
- Avoid infection with hepatitis C.
- Avoid consuming alcoholic beverages.
- Maintain a healthy weight and avoid being overweight to keep your liver and gallbladder healthy.
- Try to control your cholesterol.
Finally, you should not look for recipes or natural mixtures to get rid of the yellowness of the face, as the problem is not in the degree of skin color, but rather a problem in the blood, and superficial and meaningless recipes will not treat it, and most of all, go to the doctor to find out the reason so that he can prescribe the appropriate treatment for you without delay, If you have any questions, you can consult one of our doctors here.