Facial pallor or general paleness is especially visible due to pale or lighter skin color. Pale skin should always be taken as a warning sign that something is wrong with the body. Thus, pallor can occur with a harmless cold but also with heart disease, such as coronary artery disease and tumors, such as blood cancer.
What is pallor?
There are many causes of pallor or facial pallor. For example, people from northern countries tend to be more fair-skinned than people from more southern climes. Furthermore, people who allow little sunlight or UV radiation to reach their skin are often paler. Paleness is defined as a skin color that is paler than the patient’s normal skin color. There is no general definition of pallor, as it appears differently in each person. Therefore, it is best recognized by the patient himself. Paleness is particularly noticeable on the face and neck, whose color appears lighter and less vivid than usual. It is referred to here as facial pallor. Likewise, the change in skin color can be seen on other parts of the body that are frequently exposed to light. People with pale skin are usually considered sickly. People who are hardly ever out in the fresh air, i.e. who have to work more in the house or office, also tend to have pale skin. Likewise, Nordic peoples are often affected by pale skin, as the sun shines less in these latitudes.
Causes
There are many causes of facial pallor. For example, people from northern countries tend to be more fair-skinned than people from more southern climes. Furthermore, people who do not allow much sunlight or UV radiation to reach their skin are often paler. These normal color variations are usually not a symptom of disease and are therefore harmless. However, various deeper-lying diseases can also be considered as causes of pallor. Some of these are harmless health conditions – but pallor can also indicate that a more serious disease is underlying. In the case of circulatory weakness, pallor occurs spontaneously and rapidly. It accompanies other symptoms and occurs because the body’s blood flow has been reduced to a minimum for a short time. The circulatory weakness itself can be brought on by harmless reasons – for example, leaving the house in the morning without breakfast and being correspondingly hypoglycemic. A blood pressure measurement can confirm that circulatory weakness is present. Long-term pallor can be caused by a lack of vitamin B, among other things. Accompanying symptoms include physical weakness or a drop in performance in athletes. A blood test in the laboratory can determine whether such a deficiency is present. However, pallor can also occur in cancer. This is because a tumor, whether benign or malignant, causes bleeding that is not immediately detected. As a result, anemia develops after a while and phenomena such as pallor of the skin occur. Whether anemia is actually due to cancer must be determined by means of specific examinations. In summary, therefore, it remains to be stated: Often a pallor or facial pallor is an indication of a disease or a physical disorder. Especially in case of anemia or low blood pressure, facial pallor is unmistakable. Furthermore, shock situations are responsible for pallor. In this case, the blood from the skin is directed to the internal, more vital, organs, so that the lack of blood flow to the skin causes the effect of pallor. This phenomenon is particularly typical in cases of blood loss, drop in blood pressure and circulatory shock. Chronic pallor is based on similar causes. Especially in people who suffer from low blood pressure or tend to anemia are characterized by severe pallor. Similarly, the skin of smokers often appears unnaturally pale. Here, the lack of oxygen caused by smoking is the reason for the onset of pale skin coloration. Poor nutrition can also lead to pallor.
Diseases with this symptom
- Coronary artery disease
- Leukemia
- Meningitis
- Heart attack
- Heart muscle inflammation
- Cirrhosis of the liver
- Anemia
- Hypothermia (frostbite)
- Circulatory disorders
- Kidney weakness
- Peritonitis
- Pseudocroup
When should you go to the doctor?
Facial pallor is type-related in some people. In that case, their facial skin is usually pale and changes only in certain situations like emotional excitement. As long as they are fine, they do not need to see a doctor about it. If they suffer from their facial pallor or are constantly asked about it, the facial color can be refreshed with cosmetic products. The situation is different if someone with an otherwise blooming complexion suddenly exhibits facial pallor for a long period of time. Then a doctor should be consulted immediately, even if the subjective condition is good. The first contact person for unusual facial pallor is the family doctor. He already knows his patient. With his experience, he will specifically get to the bottom of the facial pallor. Common causes are low blood pressure, circulatory disorders or anemia. Similarly, smokers often have a pale complexion as well as people who do not eat a balanced diet. Behind facial pallor, however, there can also be serious diseases that require urgent treatment, such as myocarditis, coronary heart disease, arterial occlusive disease, kidney weakness, liver cirrhosis, peritonitis, meningitis or leukemia. Depending on the underlying disease, different specialists should be consulted. In the case of disease-related facial pallor, this is the internist, cardiologist, nephrologist, urologist or oncologist.
Treatment and therapy
Facial pallor or general pallor is treated according to the cause of its appearance. Iron deficiency and low blood pressure, for example, can be treated by a balanced and healthy diet and by plenty of exercise or and relaxation. Paleness due to poor circulation requires little further treatment. Depending on the cause of the circulatory weakness, different measures are taken. Often it is enough to sit the affected person down and offer him food to revive him. In the event of fainting, it is advisable to have the patient admitted to hospital. There he will be given an infusion while the cause is determined in more detail. The same is recommended in the event of recurrent circulatory weakness. Long-lasting pallor must be examined by a doctor in any case. In case of rather harmless causes such as vitamin B deficiency, a diet rich in vitamin B is ordered. The doctor may also recommend a supplement to cover the need. However, if a serious condition such as cancer is diagnosed, an individual treatment method must be determined for the patient. In addition to removal of the neoplasm, chemotherapy, radiation therapy or other procedures may be considered.
Outlook and prognosis
Facial pallor occurs for a very short time in most people, indicating another disease or symptom. In most cases, facial pallor disappears after a few minutes or hours, when the person feels better. Treatment by a doctor usually does not take place. In case of facial pallor, the patient should drink plenty of fluids and eat food. Often, facial pallor is also a symptom of food intolerance, flu or gastrointestinal infection. In such cases, it often happens that the patient vomits after facial pallor. Without these nutrients, the body needs more time to fight the facial pallor. If the pallor persists for several days and does not disappear on its own, a doctor must be consulted. A doctor must also be visited if the facial pallor occurs after an accident. Here, the pale face may indicate another injury to the internal organs that has gone unnoticed. In such a case, an emergency doctor should be called. Treatment can take place with healthy food, infusions or vitamin tablets to bring the body’s circulation back into balance. However, the symptom itself does not lead to dangerous complications, so it is not usually necessary to see a doctor.
Prevention
Paleness due to poor circulation can be easily prevented. To do this, it is important, for example, never to leave the house in the morning without breakfast. Also throughout the day, you should make sure to eat enough healthy food… Strong stress or nervousness should be avoided as far as possible or one should learn to cope with it. Paleness due to vitamin B deficiency can be prevented by paying attention to proper nutrition. Paleness will not even occur if one consumes the right natural foods that contain vitamin B.Serious diseases such as cancer can hardly be prevented. The best measure in this case is screening.
Home remedies and herbs against pallor
- You can get a beautiful face color by washing with distilled water of lemon balm. The skin becomes soft if you rinse it with cool water after washing.
What you can do yourself
A facial pallor can usually be counteracted relatively well. Since this symptom occurs in most cases whenever the patient is ill or suffering from an infection, the disease must first be eliminated. Often, facial pallor also occurs when sufferers have not drunk or eaten enough, or when they have eaten bad foods. In the case of eating bad food, induced vomiting is very useful, as this removes the bad or incompatible substance directly from the body. Often, fresh air or a walk in the park will also help to get the circulation going again, making the face appear fresher and with more blood flow. If more serious problems, such as circulatory problems, are associated with facial pallor, it is recommended that bed rest be observed. Relaxation should also be taken care of and plenty of fluids should be consumed. Usually, facial pallor lasts only a few hours and disappears again on its own when the circulation has recovered. However, if the facial pallor lasts longer and the patient’s condition continues to worsen, a doctor must be consulted. In this case, it may be a serious health problem.
