Causes of yellowing of facial skin. Skin color: sallow, red, yellow, pale, gray

The color of your face has become unnatural, somehow yellow. You worry, you understand that something wrong is happening with your health. But what exactly could have caused such an unpleasant metamorphosis in your appearance? Let's try to find the answer to this question together.

Perhaps your face has a yellowish tint because you have problems with your liver, which makes it difficult for you to remove the pigment bilirubin from your body. What liver diseases are we talking about specifically? About quite serious ones, namely:

    Various forms of hepatitis.

    Cholecystitis.

  1. Helminths (or simply worms).

In the presence of these diseases it is also common:

    The urine becomes very dark and the stool turns pale.

    Appetite is almost completely absent, weight decreases sharply.

    Often feels hot and cold (or, in other words, has a fever).

    Severe pain in the abdominal area.

If this is about you, don’t hide under the covers (you’re already an adult) and urgently run to take a blood test to check your bilirubin levels.

Bilirubin causes yellowing of the skin color and the white of the eye.

arrow_left Bilirubin causes yellowing of the skin color and the white of the eye.

Gallbladder and stones

Your face may also turn yellow because stones cause bile to “get stuck” in the gallbladder.

In addition to yellow skin color, with a similar problem (called cholelithiasis) it is common to:

    Pain in the area of ​​the right hypochondrium.

    There is a strong heaviness in the stomach.

    I often feel nauseous (even when my stomach seems to be empty).

    Pronounced, noticeable bruises appear under the eyes, the color of which cannot be hidden by any foundation.

The thyroid gland helps break down the pigment beta-carotene. If for some reason she does not do this, beta-carotene begins to accumulate in the body (or rather, in subcutaneous fat), and the color of the skin on the face becomes yellowish-orange. Most often this happens when a person has hypothyroidism (deficiency of thyroid hormones).

Your face may turn yellow due to:

    Diseases of the pancreas (primarily pancreatitis).

    Heart and blood pressure problems.

    Diseases of the spleen.

    Various ailments of the gastrointestinal tract.

    Various oncological diseases. With such ailments, the face becomes “waxy” and acquires a cold yellow tint.




Thyroid hormone deficiency is the cause of an “orange” face

arrow_left Thyroid hormone deficiency is the cause of an “orange” face

Are you already panicking, are you going to the doctor? Calm down - maybe everything is not so dramatic, and your skin turned yellow simply because you:

    A big fan of freshly squeezed carrot juice, Korean salads and other carrot dishes.

    Every day you load up on carotene-rich fruits and vegetables (and this includes not only tangerines, oranges and other citrus fruits, but also broccoli, pumpkin and rose hips).

    You put too much vinegar and cumin in your food.

    You smoke too much.

    She has a big sweet tooth and can’t go a day without sweets, cakes and pastries.

    A confirmed night owl and coffee lover. Yes, yes - your skin may have turned yellow due to lack of sleep and caffeine addiction.

    Do you like to pump iron and go on starvation diets at the same time? The combination is not the most advantageous - it sometimes makes your face turn yellow.

    A fan of solariums and sunbathing. Don’t forget - everything should be in moderation, even the source of life - the sun.




Smoking is one of the common causes of yellowing of the skin

arrow_left Smoking is one of the common causes of yellowing of the skin

Removing yellowness with folk remedies

Has the yellowness of your face begun to negatively affect your mood, drive you into deep depression, and deprive you of your vitality? Then you definitely need to “whiten.” This can be done quite inexpensively using simple homemade masks.

Curd option

The mask is prepared literally instantly:

    Take one tablespoon of sour cream and 2 tablespoons of cottage cheese. You mix them.

    You apply the mask to your face for half an hour, and then wash it off with lukewarm water.

Apply the curd mask 2-3 times a week for a month, and the yellowness will be removed.

If the skin on your face has become not only yellow, but also oily, it is better to use yogurt rather than sour cream. Also, in this case, it won’t hurt to add one tablespoon of fresh cucumber (chopped, of course) to the mask.

Cucumber option

The mask recipe is elementary. Just cut the cucumber into small circles and apply it to your face.

But here is an alternative, more sophisticated option:

    Grind the cucumber using a grater.

    Squeeze out its juice and then mix it with olive oil.

    Add lemon pulp and apply the resulting mixture to your face for half an hour.

Carrot mask

Everything is very simple here:

    Mix 3 tablespoons of carrots (chopped, of course) with one tablespoon of sour cream.

    Add one teaspoon of vegetable oil to this mixture.

    Apply the mask and leave it on for 20-30 minutes.




Berry facial brighteners

Berries are not only an excellent whitener, they also cleanse the skin well and act as a kind of natural “peeling.”

Red berries (raspberries, viburnum, strawberries) will help you best:

    Moisten a piece of gauze in the juice of some red berry.

    You apply it to your yellowed face for a couple of minutes.

Here's an alternative recipe:

    Grind the red berries and squeeze the juice out of them.

    Apply the resulting puree to yellowed skin.

    Keep it on for 15-20 minutes and then rinse with warm running water.

    After this, apply some nourishing cream to your face.

Well, watch the video “How to lighten your skin and protect yourself from the sun”:

Yellow face - a consequence of an excess of bilirubin in the body. It is a pigment produced by the decomposition of dead red cells in the liver. Most often, yellowing of the skin indicates problems with liver function. But sometimes this phenomenon is the body’s reaction to changes in diet. What else does a yellow complexion indicate and is it always dangerous to health?

Yellow complexion due to poor diet

A common cause of a pale yellow complexion is unlimited consumption of salads high in carrots and carrot juices. Yellowness skin can also appear when there is an excess of carotene in the body. This happens if you eat a lot of yellow fruits and vegetables that contain this substance, for example, tangerines and oranges. Accumulation of bile is caused by spices such as cumin and cumin. You should not use them in large quantities when preparing dishes.

Very often, a yellow complexion is observed during fasting and alcoholism. People also encounter this problem after:

  • strong physical activity;
  • long-term depression;
  • regular lack of sleep;
  • long exposure to direct sunlight.
What diseases lead to yellowing of the skin on the face?

Be sure to consult a doctor if you have dark circles under your eyes and a yellow complexion - the causes of this phenomenon may be associated with serious illnesses. This symptom indicates a dysfunction of the biliary tract. Severe yellowing of the skin of the face is also observed with:

  • poisoning with medications or toxic substances;
  • hemorrhages;
  • burns.

If the skin color is pale yellow and there is yellow spots on the iris of the eye, most likely lipid metabolism in the body is disturbed and cholesterol is significantly increased. Yellowness also occurs with cancer.

In cases where the skin tone becomes yellow-orange, you should consult an endocrinologist. This could be a symptom. With this disease, the functioning of the thyroid gland is disrupted and there is an insufficient amount of substances in the body that process beta-carotene. As a result, carotene accumulates in subcutaneous fat. Hypothyroidism has no other obvious signs, so patients do not understand why they have a yellow complexion and do not consult a doctor for a long time, which leads to serious complications.

Slight yellowness is usually observed in patients with damage to the spleen and stomach and in those who are obese.

Yellow complexion due to liver diseases

Bright yellow and yellow-green complexion appears with various liver diseases. Most often, this sign indicates:

  • hepatitis (acute or chronic);
  • cirrhosis;

As a rule, with these ailments, in addition to yellowing of the skin, the patient experiences pale stools, abdominal pain and dark urine.

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Yellow skin color

This is a yellowing of the skin and mucous membranes, which is especially noticeable on the eye sclera, the lower surface of the tongue (if the tongue is raised to the upper palate), and also on the palms of the hands. This is where jaundice appears first. Yellowing of the skin is also accompanied by darkening of the urine—beer-colored urine; this symptom appears first.

Yellowing of the skin is most often a sign of high levels of bilirubin in the blood. Sometimes the skin turns yellow when there is an increased level of carotene in the blood, which happens when you abuse carrot or orange diets.

Bilirubin is a blood pigment that is a breakdown product of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin, in turn, is an iron-containing protein that performs a transport function for oxygen and carbon dioxide and is found in erythrocytes - red blood cells.

There is false jaundice, when only the skin (not mucous membranes) is stained, due to the accumulation of carotenes in it due to excessive consumption of carrots, oranges, pumpkin, and medications (acryquin, picric acid).

Types of jaundice:

Depending on the level at which the process of removing bilirubin from the body suffers, there are 3 types of jaundice:

Hemolytic jaundice occurs with the accelerated breakdown of hemoglobin, when so much bilirubin is formed that the liver does not have time to convert indirect bilirubin into direct bilirubin. Therefore, in this type of jaundice, indirect bilirubin is increased.

Hepatic jaundice is caused by liver damage due to any reasons: viral hepatitis, drug or toxic liver damage, cirrhosis of the liver, alcohol damage, leptospirosis, pseudotuberculosis, etc. In this case, the content of direct bilirubin in the blood most often increases, which is explained by its reabsorption into the blood. blood flow due to the inability of liver cells to process it.

Cholestatic jaundice. It is a consequence of impaired bile movement due to blockage of the bile ducts. This can occur when the bile ducts or gallbladder are blocked by a stone or tumor. With cholestatic jaundice, direct bilirubin also increases to a greater extent, which is associated with its excessive accumulation in the bile ducts and reabsorption into the blood.

What diseases cause yellow skin color:

Diseases of the biliary tract:
- stones of the gallbladder and biliary tract.

In case of poisoning with drugs, alcohol, poisons, with extensive burns, hemorrhages.

Which doctors should you contact if yellow skin color occurs:

Are you worried about yellow skin color? Do you want to know more detailed information or do you need an inspection? You can make an appointment with a doctor– clinic Eurolab always at your service! The best doctors they will examine you and study you external signs and will help you identify the disease by symptoms, advise you and provide necessary help. you also can call a doctor at home. Clinic Eurolab open for you around the clock.

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Phone number of our clinic in Kyiv: (+38 044) 206-20-00 (multi-channel). The clinic secretary will select a convenient day and time for you to visit the doctor. Our coordinates and directions are indicated. Look in more detail about all the clinic’s services on it.

(+38 044) 206-20-00


If you have previously performed any research, Be sure to take their results to a doctor for consultation. If the studies have not been performed, we will do everything necessary in our clinic or with our colleagues in other clinics.

Do you have yellow skin color? It is necessary to take a very careful approach to your overall health. People don't pay enough attention symptoms of diseases and do not realize that these diseases can be life-threatening. There are many diseases that at first do not manifest themselves in our body, but in the end it turns out that, unfortunately, it is too late to treat them. Each disease has its own specific signs, characteristic external manifestations - the so-called symptoms of the disease. Identifying symptoms is the first step in diagnosing diseases in general. To do this, you just need to do it several times a year. be examined by a doctor, in order not only to prevent a terrible disease, but also to maintain a healthy spirit in the body and the organism as a whole.

If you want to ask a doctor a question, use the online consultation section, perhaps you will find answers to your questions there and read self care tips. If you are interested in reviews about clinics and doctors, try to find the information you need on. Also register on the medical portal Eurolab to stay up to date latest news and information updates on the website, which will be automatically sent to you by email.

The symptom chart is for educational purposes only. Do not self-medicate; For all questions regarding the definition of the disease and methods of its treatment, consult your doctor. EUROLAB is not responsible for the consequences caused by the use of information posted on the portal.

If you are interested in any other symptoms of diseases and signs of human diseases, or you have any other questions and suggestions, write to us, we will definitely try to help you.

When a healthy complexion gives way to an unhealthy one yellow tint skin, you need to consult a doctor to further determine the causes. A yellow complexion means not only the abuse of medications, excessive consumption of carrots or oranges, cumin, vinegar.

The skin may turn yellow as a result pathological processes in organism. First of all, the hands, tongue, face, especially the eye sclera turn yellow. In addition to its unaesthetic appearance, yellowness means serious disruption of the thyroid or pancreas, liver, and the presence of oncological pathologies.

What processes in the body provoke a yellow complexion and how to deal with it, read the website.

Yellow complexion: common causes

When there is excess bilirubin in the bloodstream, the skin begins to turn yellow. Bilirubin is a breakdown product of the protein (iron-containing) hemoglobin. Bilirubin does not accumulate in the body, but is excreted in the stool. And yellow spots will appear as this product accumulates in the body.

Another reason for yellowing of the face: an increase in the amount of carotene in the blood. Carotene enters the body with such foods.

What foods are sources of carotene?

  • sea ​​​​buckthorn;
  • celery;
  • carrot;
  • rose hip;
  • apricots;
  • mango;
  • broccoli;
  • pumpkin.

Excess beta-carotene is associated with excessive consumption of these foods.

Yellowness, pallor and dullness of the skin on the face can be caused by:

  • excessive physical activity, or lack thereof;
  • getting enough sleep;
  • depression and stress;
  • emotional stress.

If, nevertheless, the yellow complexion is associated with the accumulation of bilirubin in the blood, then we are talking about jaundice as a pathology. There are three types or types of jaundice.

Hemolytic jaundice occurs in the process of accelerating the breakdown of hemoglobin and excess bilirubin, the liver cannot cope with the load and does not have time to process bilirubin. This type of jaundice is characterized by an increase in the amount of indirect bilirubin.

Hepatic jaundice is associated with liver damage, the development of hepatitis or the influence of alcohol. This type is associated with an increase in direct bilirubin in the bloodstream. Cholestatic jaundice is characterized by disruption of the bile ducts, which are blocked and this prevents the excretion of bilirubin.

During liver damage, yellowing of the skin is accompanied by the following set of changes.

What changes in appearance accompany the symptom of yellowing of the skin?

  • dark urine (like beer);
  • pale stool;
  • abdominal pain;
  • chills;
  • weight loss and appetite;
  • vomit.

If such symptoms occur, you should immediately call an ambulance.

If yellowness borders on pallor, and in addition, the whites of the eyes have turned yellow, cholecystitis develops in the body. With the oncological development of the disease, the skin becomes not just yellow, but becomes “waxy”. In the case of an orange tint to the skin, we can talk about hypothyroidism - a dysfunction of the thyroid gland and disruptions in the production of hormones.

Yellow skin of the face, hands, and other parts of the human body can be observed in various diseases associated with activity internal organs person.

How does yellow skin appear?

Yellow skin color is associated with products - a pigment that is part of the blood. Bilirubin is a breakdown product of proteins contained in red blood cells and performing a transport function in the body (moving carbon dioxide and oxygen). Bilirubin is excreted from the human body in stool. If, due to certain reasons, a lot of it accumulates in the human body, then the consequence may be yellow spots on the skin.

Due to the increase in bilirubin content in the body, the skin first turns yellow. A person may have yellow skin on the legs, yellow skin under the eyes, yellow skin around the nails, etc. The whites of the eyes, palms, and the lower surface of the tongue may also turn yellow. In this case, a person’s urine darkens, it takes on the color of beer.

If the skin on the body or arms is yellow, this may be due to high level carotene in blood. Most often, yellow skin around the mouth or yellow skin around the eyes is observed in people who adhere to the orange diet or diet for a long time, or use certain medications.

If yellowing of the skin is still associated with impaired excretion of bilirubin from the body, then in this case three types of jaundice are determined.

Hemolytic jaundice diagnosed when hemoglobin breaks down too quickly. In this case, a very large amount of bilirubin is formed, and the liver cannot effectively process indirect bilirubin into direct bilirubin. As a result, the level of indirect bilirubin increases.

Development hepatic jaundice associated with liver damage due to viral hepatitis , exposure to alcohol, etc. In this case, the amount of direct bilirubin in the blood increases.

Cholestatic jaundice develops due to disturbances in the movement of bile, as the bile ducts in the human body become clogged. There is an increase in the amount of direct bilirubin in the blood.

Why does yellow skin appear?

The causes of yellow skin can sometimes be sought in the condition and functioning of a person’s bile ducts. In this case, a comprehensive examination will help answer the question of why the skin color is yellow. In addition, yellowing of the skin can occur due to alcohol intoxication, poisoning with medications or toxic substances, and severe hemorrhages and burns. However, if even after the examination the question of why the skin is yellow remains open, then the person should definitely pay attention to his general lifestyle. After all, sometimes yellowing of the skin occurs due to heavy smoking, when a person is almost constantly staying indoors. You should definitely review your diet, as excess sweet and dry foods in the diet can lead to yellowing of the skin.

The skin may turn yellow due to eating large quantity carrots and dishes made from them, as well as with the constant addition of cumin and vinegar to food, the effect of which provokes the accumulation of bile vapor in the blood.

If a pale yellow skin color is noted, and there are yellow spots on the iris of the eye and on the eyelid, then one may suspect that lipid metabolism is disturbed in the body, as a result of which the content increases.

Sometimes yellowness of the skin may indicate the progression of cancer in the human body. The yellowness of the skin in cancer is noticeable on the face, while a “waxy” bloodless tint of the skin is noted.

If the skin tone turns orange, this may be a symptom. With this disease, the functioning of the thyroid gland is disrupted. With such a pathology, there may be an insufficient amount of those substances in the body that process beta-carotene. As a result, carotene accumulates in subcutaneous fat, which leads to. In this case, an endocrinologist will tell you how to get rid of yellow skin after making an accurate diagnosis.

If a yellow skin color is observed in a newborn baby, then this phenomenon may be associated with the reaction of his body to serious changes, that is, a change in the environment. In this case we are talking about the so-called physiological jaundice. The baby produces bilirubin in very large quantities. Around the third week of life, skin color gradually becomes normal. However, you still need to consult a doctor in order not to miss the development of pathological jaundice.

How to get rid of yellow skin?

Before practicing any treatment for this condition, it is necessary to determine what is causing the yellowing of the skin. If your skin becomes severely yellow, you should contact an infectious disease specialist, endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, or hematologist.

Treatment of a person who has yellow skin on the hands, face or other areas of the body is carried out depending on the diagnosis established by the specialist. Sometimes, in the absence of serious diseases, yellowness of the skin may disappear on its own after some time, without treatment.

As a rule, for diseases of the liver and biliary tract, complex treatment is prescribed. Already in the first days of therapy, yellowing of the skin, as a rule, decreases. Complex treatment may include medications, physical therapy, and surgery.

In newborns, signs of physiological yellowing of the skin disappear a few weeks after birth. However, the doctor must monitor the child’s health so as not to miss the development of liver pathology. Sometimes newborns undergo phototherapy: the child is exposed to the glow of a fluorescent lamp for a while. Under its action, bilirubin is destroyed and removed from the body.

To prevent yellowing of the skin, you should be attentive to your health status and consult a doctor at the first symptoms of disease. Measures should be taken to prevent infection with viral hepatitis (protected sex, maintaining good hygiene).

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