Paleness is a physical condition in which the texture and color of the skin becomes faded. This can be caused by various things including some serious underlying ailment. As a matter of fact, general paleness is manifested in the entire body of a person. But it is the face that bears the most prominent signs of paleness.
Particularly regions like inner mouth, nails and eye linings are affected by paleness. However, some people have faded complexion due to genetic and hereditary reasons which should not be confused with general paleness.
Causes of Paleness
Before analyzing the causes of paleness it is imperative to understand what factors are responsible for giving the human skin its color. The normal skin color is mainly dependent on two factors, blood supply and pigmentation. If a person suffers from deficiency in pigmentation his skin may become patchy and faded.
On the other hand, the blood supply to a person’s skin can get reduced owing to a number of reasons. If a person has low blood pressure, the blood supply can be diverted back. In case a person loses a lot of blood due to some accident or mishap and it is not replenished, his skin color can appear to be faded.
Another major underlying cause of paleness in a person is a disease called anemia. This disease takes place when the hemoglobin count in the blood drops below the required level. This is more common in young women. Hemoglobin carries oxygen and works as a pigment.
Therefore, when its count falls abysmally the affected person cannot get sufficient oxygen and suffers from breathing difficulties and paleness of skin. Sometimes anemia can be caused by excess loss of red blood cells. Typically the deficiency in iron intake leads to anemia in most young women.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Paleness
To treat paleness, it is imperative to understand and diagnose the root cause that is leading to the faded complexion. Sometimes anemia can not be detected from looking at the skin color. There have been some instances where a person has anemia while his skin has a rosy hue.
To properly diagnose whether a person is suffering from anemia or not the mucus membrane should be tested. The areas under the gums, bottom eyelids and tongue need to be checked. These regions should be pink and flushed with the supply of healthy blood. If a person has any signs of paleness in these regions he should consult a doctor.
It should be understood that having pale skin does not point at any particular illness in all instances. Often the deficiency of exposure to sunlight can make a person light skinned.
But if a person has pale skins all over his body and parts like lips, palms, tongue are also pale he can consult a doctor for proper diagnosis. The amount and thickness of the blood vessels play a vital role in diagnosis of paleness in a person. For a dark skinned person diagnosing paleness can be a daunting task.
If a person has acquired paleness due to anemia, appropriate medication needs to be given to him. He should eat foods rich in iron and also intake iron supplements as per the prescriptions of the doctors. If anemia is triggered by Vitamin B12 deficiency or some other underlying disease, that needs to be treated first to counter paleness.
Advice:
There is no need to panic if a person appears to be pale. It may not always be triggered by an underlying disease. But if the paleness is associated with symptoms like shortness of breath, fatigue or other queer signs expert medical care should be sought. It may be required to start proper blood circulation in the person’s body.
The family of a patient should take note of the circumstances under which the paleness developed. It should also be considered if the person has any similar medical history of developing paleness earlier. The body parts affected by paleness needs to be examined thoroughly.
