Are you really pale - or just look like that?

In our society there is a type of self-educated health experts who have not received special training and have no qualifications, but bravely distribute uninvited assessments of the health of others. Such "teachers" will say to you: "Something you are pale, are you all right?"

Noticing your pallor, people, of course, are right. If you are really pale, the most likely explanation is anemia - for any of a variety of reasons ranging from poor nutrition to cancer and blood loss . However, pale skin does not necessarily mean anemia. A light shade of your skin can be explained by the Scandinavian origin of your ancestors . Or you do not go to the sun too often . An employee who gets into the car early in the morning, goes to work, spends the whole day indoors and then goes home in the dark, it is unlikely to have pink skin. On the other hand, the construction worker will always be tanned, because every day he spends completely on the air.

The main line: while your pale skin is not accompanied by pale lips, tongue, palms, inner surface of the mouth, eyes, - ignore any remark about how "pale" you look. If you are worried, check your stool for blood, even if you can not see by eye. In addition, pay attention to the heartbeat or recent lack of breathing - both of these signs are characteristic of severe anemia .

The sad anecdote that you are reading right now illustrates well the unreliability of someone's casual glance at your skin and clearly shows why it is best to ignore the uninvited advice from well-wishers: "An elderly gentleman died in Florida during a winter holiday; At a funeral, one of the friends looks at the coffin and notices: "What a tan! Is not it great looking!"

Symptom: the skin looks pale