When your skin changes color

The color of your skin is determined by your ancestors and their origin. If they were natives of Senegal and West Africa - most likely, you will be very dark brown. If your family from Cork County and Ireland - will be pink and with freckles. The degree of skin pigmentation determines not only your appearance, but to some extent, various skin diseases for which you may be vulnerable. The lighter the color of your skin, the greater your susceptibility to skin cancer, although excessive sun exposure is risky for everyone.

In addition to color, there are some other skin conditions, the value of which you should evaluate. Any mole or other localized formation, especially having changed its color, appearance or size, should be immediately shown to the dermatologist. It can be a malignant melanoma , a killer among cancers that can be cured at an early removal. Any neoplasm that lasts more than a couple of weeks, regardless of its appearance, should be checked.

Here are some common skin color abnormalities and what they mean.

Vitiligo is a congenital condition found in perfectly healthy people. These are areas of skin that have lost their pigmentation. Although sometimes it may indicate diabetes, pernicious anemia or thyroid dysfunction, in most cases, vitiligo is irrelevant, except cosmetic. The only practical "treatment" is cosmetic disguise. Sometimes they recommend psoriasis and ultraviolet medicine.

In contrast to vitiligo, skin coloring can become stronger. The most common cause of such hyperpigmentation is, of course, exposure to the sun. Never forget that tanned skin - is damaged skin. There is no such thing as a healthy tan. It may look good for a moment, but later you will pay for it with premature wrinkles and loss of skin elasticity that will make you look older than your years. Even worse, obsessive sunburners are vulnerable to all types of skin cancer.

Addison's disease is a frequent cause of increased pigmentation. In this disorder, from which President J. Kennedy suffered, the adrenals that form cortisone work poorly or not at all. Characteristic for Addison's disease is the appearance of a brown pigment on the skin and in the mouth. Disorders of the liver or gastrointestinal tract, arsenic poisoning, vitamin deficiency and poor nutrition can enhance skin pigmentation, but they rarely capture the mouth.

If you have varicose veins and swollen legs constantly, most likely, you will have brown pigmentation around the ankles. This disorder is due to blood that seeps from the veins into the tissue.

If you underwent radiation therapy , the skin through which X-rays passed could become pigmented after weeks after the end of irradiation. It is also possible pigmentation in women taking birth control pills. When they stop taking the pigmentation disappears.

There is a disease called family polyposis, when the intestinal tract polyps studded along its entire length, from the stomach to the end of the rectum. Because these polyps can become malignant, large areas of the bowel are often removed as a precautionary measure. As the name indicates, the disease is of a family nature. Those who are ill with it can be identified by the presence of dark, almost black pigment spots on the gums.

Absolutely normal type of pigmentation happens during pregnancy . If you develop a dark brown color on the cheeks and forehead - you got a "pregnancy mask". Do not worry - it will pass. Avoid the excessive sun, which will make it stronger.

Some medicines and foods can also change the color of your skin. In fact, there are more than 50 different medicines, which can be said to be capable of giving either an incorrect color or a rash on the skin, especially under the influence of the sun. The most powerful is tetracycline , the widely used antibiotic, and its derivatives. Sleeping pills, pills against diabetes, various tranquilizers, birth control pills, antiarrhythmia drug amiodarone will also give you skin pigmentation, especially manifested in the sun. So, as with any symptoms, always, if there is a rash, first remember the medications that you are taking.

If you are taking beta-carotene , because you think (and not without reason) that a large amount of green vegetables and carrots can protect you from cancer (especially lung cancer), do not be surprised if your skin turns yellow. This will be most noticeable on the palms and soles. But before you run to the doctor with the conviction that you have jaundice due to hepatitis, look at the squirrels of your eyes. With true jaundice, they turn yellow, when carotin is staining it does not. If you take a shave to get rid of amoeba in your bowel movements, it is also likely that it will give you a common bright yellow color.

There are several diseases that change the color of the skin. Lemon shade can mean that your thyroid gland is weak or that you have malignant anemia . The latter arises from the inability to absorb vitamin B12 from food due to a deficiency of a special enzyme of the stomach, an "internal factor".

Finally, the general rule is that any change in the color of the skin that occurs without obvious cause and does not go away should attract the attention of your therapist or dermatologist.

Symptom: discoloration of the skin