What Your Face Says About Your Health

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    Chin acne Could be: Polycystic ovarian syndrome Many women will break out on their chins and jaws and this area is particularly prone to fluctuations in the hormones progesterone and testosterone, especially around your period. But if your breakouts are quite severe you might need to speak to your doctor as you might have undiagnosed polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) which affects around five to 10 per cent of women of reproductive age in in the UK. "PCOS is often underdiagnosed and one of the common symptoms is lower facial acne," says Dr Starrit. Hormonal acne such as this is caused because women with PCOS tend to have high levels of testosterone which promotes oil production and pimple formation. Other symptoms she explains, include having weight you can't shift. "About 30-40 per cent of women with PCOS will be overweight and about 60 per cent of them will have facial acne," she says. Irregular periods are another warning sign.
    1/6 Chin acne Could be: Polycystic ovarian syndrome Many women will break out on their chins and jaws and this area is particularly prone to fluctuations in the hormones progesterone and testosterone, especially around your period. But if your breakouts are quite severe you might need to speak to your doctor as you might have undiagnosed polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) which affects around five to 10 per cent of women of reproductive age in in the UK. "PCOS is often underdiagnosed and one of the common symptoms is lower facial acne," says Dr Starrit. Hormonal acne such as this is caused because women with PCOS tend to have high levels of testosterone which promotes oil production and pimple formation. Other symptoms she explains, include having weight you can't shift. "About 30-40 per cent of women with PCOS will be overweight and about 60 per cent of them will have facial acne," she says. Irregular periods are another warning sign.
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    Pale skin Could be: Too little red meat Iron deficiency anaemia affects 1.6 billion people globally and is particularly high in British women. It comes with key symptoms such as pale skin and, sometimes, dark circles around the eyes. "Iron deficiency means that insufficient blood reaches the skin causing pallor," says dietician Dr Kellie Billinski. "Other symptoms might include tiredness and lethargy because lack of iron means muscles don't get enough oxygen to them."
    2/6 Pale skin Could be: Too little red meat Iron deficiency anaemia affects 1.6 billion people globally and is particularly high in British women. It comes with key symptoms such as pale skin and, sometimes, dark circles around the eyes. "Iron deficiency means that insufficient blood reaches the skin causing pallor," says dietician Dr Kellie Billinski. "Other symptoms might include tiredness and lethargy because lack of iron means muscles don't get enough oxygen to them."
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    Cracks at the corners of the mouth Could be: Avoiding dairy Cracks at the corner of the mouth - known as angular stomatitis - can occur in people who are deficient in the B vitamins says Dr Billinski in particular vitamin B2 (also known as riboflavin) and B3. These vitamins have anti-inflammatory properties and too little can be linked to redness in the skin and cracking at the corners of the lips. Other symptoms might also include a thickened tongue.
    3/6 Cracks at the corners of the mouth Could be: Avoiding dairy Cracks at the corner of the mouth - known as angular stomatitis - can occur in people who are deficient in the B vitamins says Dr Billinski in particular vitamin B2 (also known as riboflavin) and B3. These vitamins have anti-inflammatory properties and too little can be linked to redness in the skin and cracking at the corners of the lips. Other symptoms might also include a thickened tongue.
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    Thread veins Could be: Too much red wine "After flushing from occasional or moderate drinking, blood vessels usually bounce back," says Dr Nicholas Lowe, a dermatologist at London's Cranley Clinic. "But if someone with a tendency towards flushing drinks to excess night after night, in as little as two years the blood vessels lose tone and they can end up with permanent redness and thread veins'. This flushing into the blood vessels can also be triggered in those with a tendency by caffeine and spicy foods.
    4/6 Thread veins Could be: Too much red wine "After flushing from occasional or moderate drinking, blood vessels usually bounce back," says Dr Nicholas Lowe, a dermatologist at London's Cranley Clinic. "But if someone with a tendency towards flushing drinks to excess night after night, in as little as two years the blood vessels lose tone and they can end up with permanent redness and thread veins'. This flushing into the blood vessels can also be triggered in those with a tendency by caffeine and spicy foods.
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    Deep wrinkles or sagging Could be: Smoking "Smoking makes all lines worse by damaging the collagen and elastin in the skin that give it its plumpness," says London anti-ageing physician Dr Lynette Yong. "With age the muscles, fat and bones under the skin shrink and this can lead to sagging," says Dr Yong. "Smoking deoxygenates the blood so you get less nutrients going to the skin, dramatically accelerating this sagging and wrinkling effect". Although the more you smoke, the worse the effects, only one cigarette a day can damage the skin by starving it of nutrients in this way, she asserts.
    5/6 Deep wrinkles or sagging Could be: Smoking "Smoking makes all lines worse by damaging the collagen and elastin in the skin that give it its plumpness," says London anti-ageing physician Dr Lynette Yong. "With age the muscles, fat and bones under the skin shrink and this can lead to sagging," says Dr Yong. "Smoking deoxygenates the blood so you get less nutrients going to the skin, dramatically accelerating this sagging and wrinkling effect". Although the more you smoke, the worse the effects, only one cigarette a day can damage the skin by starving it of nutrients in this way, she asserts.
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    Dark rings on the neck Could be: Sugary diet Brown rings or patches on the neck can be a surprising sign that you're at increased risk of developing type-2 diabetes. Some 3.2 million Britons have diabetes but staggeringly up to 850,000 of them are living with the conditions still undiagnosed. Known as acanthosis nigricans, the patches indicate that the body is becoming resistant to insulin which we use to process sugar and this condition is a common precursor to diabetes, often brought on by obesity or a diet high in sugar and refined carbohydrates. "It can also appear in the armpits as well as the neck," says Dr Starrit.
    6/6 Dark rings on the neck Could be: Sugary diet Brown rings or patches on the neck can be a surprising sign that you're at increased risk of developing type-2 diabetes. Some 3.2 million Britons have diabetes but staggeringly up to 850,000 of them are living with the conditions still undiagnosed. Known as acanthosis nigricans, the patches indicate that the body is becoming resistant to insulin which we use to process sugar and this condition is a common precursor to diabetes, often brought on by obesity or a diet high in sugar and refined carbohydrates. "It can also appear in the armpits as well as the neck," says Dr Starrit.

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