paleness

Tanja Unterberger studied journalism and communication science in Vienna. In 2015 she started her work as a medical editor at in Austria. In addition to writing specialist texts, magazine articles and news, the journalist also has experience in podcasting and video production.

More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.

Pallor is understood to mean pale, sallow or pale skin. Often the skin is pale due to a lack of oxygen in the blood. However, it occurs naturally in people with light skin types. In some cases, pale skin and mucous membranes (e.g. pale gums) are also signs of diseases (e.g. anemia, iron deficiency). Find out here the causes of paleness, when to see a doctor and what helps against pale skin.

Brief overview

Causes of pallor: lack of oxygen in the blood, diseases (e.g. anemia, iron deficiency), natural skin coloration of a person

When to the doctor If those affected feel good, no treatment is initially necessary. Pallor, which cannot be explained and occurs with other symptoms, should be clarified by the doctor.

Treatment: The treatment depends on the trigger of the pallor. Possible options include medication, lifestyle adjustments, home remedies (e.g. alternating showers).

Signs: The skin is lighter than usual, pale face, pale mucous membranes (e.g. pale gums, pale tongue)

Diagnosis: Talk to the doctor, physical examination: eye diagnosis, blood pressure measurement, electrocardiogram (EKG), ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRT)

How does pale skin develop?

The causes of paleness are many. Both diseases and the natural pigmentation (coloration) of a person's skin lead to pale skin. Anyone who consistently avoids the sun is usually naturally paler than someone who spends a lot of time in the sun.

Pale skin is perfectly normal in people with light skin types and does not automatically mean someone is sick. However, if the skin appears paler than usual, ask your doctor for advice.

Skin pallor occurs, among other things:

Anemia

In most cases, the skin becomes pale when there is insufficient blood supply to the skin. One possible reason for this is a lack of red blood pigment (hemoglobin) and red blood cells. Doctors speak of anemia or anemia in this case. As a result, the organs receive too little oxygen. This manifests itself, among other things, in the fact that those affected are pale in the face and / or the mucous membranes (e.g. pale gums or a pale tongue) appear light.

There are various causes of anemia. Many of them are harmless, such as an iron deficiency or vitamin deficiency due to an unbalanced diet. Anemia due to bleeding (e.g. open wound, bleeding gastric ulcer) is also possible. Other causes include congenital genetic defects and diseases (e.g. chronic kidney failure, liver cirrhosis). It is important that the doctor diagnose and treat the cause of the anemia.

Iron deficiency

One form of anemia is iron deficiency anemia. Iron deficiency is a common cause of pale skin, especially pale lips. Iron is important for the absorption and storage of oxygen and blood formation in the body. If there is not enough iron in the blood, cells and organs receive too little oxygen. Because of the lack of oxygen, those affected often feel tired. Their skin is often pale and dry, and in some cases they have dark circles under the eyes and red eyes (the inside of the lower eyelids are reddish in color).

Iron deficiency usually arises either from the fact that those affected take in too little iron through food (e.g. too little meat, fish or legumes). Or they lose too much blood from an injury or internal bleeding. Certain medications, such as agents that inhibit gastric acid production (e.g. antacids, proton pump inhibitors) also hinder the absorption of iron. In some cases, heavy menstrual periods in women lead to iron deficiency.

Bleeding

Excessive blood loss is a possible cause of anemia (bleeding anemia) and thus also of pale skin. This happens, for example, if someone is injured as a result of an accident and loses a lot of blood as a result. But also persistent minor internal bleeding (e.g.a bleeding stomach ulcer, colon polyps, or hemorrhoids) cause chronic blood loss that over time develops into anemia. People who lose a lot of blood acutely or over a long period of time usually also look pale.

Skin disorders

Sometimes pale skin is visible around the mouth in circles. This is the so-called perioral paleness, colloquially called "milk beard". With perioral pallor, the entire face does not turn pale, only the area around the mouth (mouth-chin-triangle) appears lighter. Perioral pallor is, among other things, a typical accompanying symptom in skin diseases such as neurodermatitis or scarlet fever.

Vitiligo, also known as white spot disease, is a skin change in which white, sharply defined spots appear on the skin. However, the skin is not pale in the classic sense, but rather lighter in some areas due to a lack of the skin pigment melanin.

Raynaud's Syndrome

In the so-called Raynaud's syndrome (also Raynaud's disease), attack-like circulatory disorders occur in the body. Typical for this is that the fingers (but not the thumb) or the toes initially turn pale whitish and later turn blue. Those affected often report numbness or pain in the relevant areas. The sudden narrowing of the vessels (vasospasm) is caused by disorders of the blood vessels, by impaired nerve activity or by a disturbance in the hormonal balance. The exact causes for this are largely unknown, however.

If your fingers or toes suddenly become pale or white, have them checked by a doctor as a precaution. Most of the time, the symptoms are harmless. In rare cases, however, there is a disease (e.g. arteriosclerosis) behind it.

Congenital pigment deficiency (albinism)

Albinism (Latin for “albus” for white) is a congenital and genetic metabolic disorder. It means that those affected form too little or no melanin at all. This pigment is responsible for what color a person's skin, hair, and eyes are. The more melanin there is in the skin, the darker its color. People with albinism therefore have whitish-pale skin and light-blonde to white hair. Their eyes appear pink or pale blue to light gray.

Other illnesses

Pale skin also occurs with the following illnesses or signs of illness:

acute nausea

emotional reactions such as fear
Cardiovascular problems such as low blood pressure (hypotension) or peripheral arterial disease (PAOD for short; the blood vessels that supply oxygen to the legs and arms are narrowed)
Shock (e.g. suddenly pale face due to excessive blood or fluid loss or an allergic reaction)
Panic attacks
Fainting (syncope)
Hypoglycaemia in diabetes mellitus
Infections (e.g. flu)
Poisoning
Hypothermia, frostbite
Cancers such as leukemia (blood cancer)

If a disease is the cause, pale skin often occurs at the same time as other symptoms such as tiredness, lack of drive, dizziness or shortness of breath.

How dangerous is paleness?

Pallor is a very unspecific symptom and occurs in different situations. If you are fine, there is no need to worry about pale skin at first. If you have other symptoms in addition to paleness, please consult a doctor:

If you have looked noticeably pale for several days, or if a certain area of your body has suddenly turned pale and / or swollen.
If, in addition to pale skin, you have additional symptoms such as shortness of breath, dizziness, pain, gastrointestinal problems, abdominal pain, extreme tiredness, shivering or fever.
If your menstrual period is much heavier than usual, continues for an unusually long time, or comes back after you have been through menopause for a long time.
If you see blood on your stool or if your stool is black.
If the color (e.g. due to blood) and / or the amount of your urine changes or you have to urinate unusually often.
If you cough up blood or if your sputum looks bloody.
If you vomit blood.
If you have recently lost several pounds for no apparent reason.

If your baby or child is pale but fit and has no other complaints, do not worry at first. If you are unsure, ask your pediatrician or family doctor for advice.

What helps against pale skin?

If the doctor has found the cause of the pale skin and it is actually based on a disease, he treats it specifically. The treatment of pallor is always based on the cause. The following therapies are also possible:

If there is an iron deficiency or a vitamin deficiency, you can first try to change your diet. If this is not enough, the doctor will prescribe suitable preparations (e.g. capsules, tablets, infusions).
If you have low blood pressure (arterial hypotension), try to get your circulation going by doing more exercise, exercising and drinking enough.
The doctor treats infections with drugs that fight the pathogen (e.g. antibiotics for bacterial infections).
If circulatory disorders due to narrowed blood vessels in the legs (e.g. PAD) are the reason for the pale skin, walking training (e.g. walking at a walking pace for at least 30 minutes at least three times a week) can help. If the symptoms are severe, medication and possibly vascular surgery may be necessary. If you smoke, please try to quit.
If blood loss in gastric or intestinal ulcers is responsible for the paleness, the doctor usually removes them as part of a gastroscopy or colonoscopy. Bleeding vessels, e.g. in the esophagus (varices) or hemorrhoids, can also be obliterated (sclerotherapy) or clamped off (ligature).
If the person is pale due to severe blood loss or severe anemia, short-term blood transfusions may be necessary.
If other serious illnesses are the reason for the paleness (e.g. cancer, kidney failure), the doctor will treat them accordingly.

Take iron or vitamin supplements and other medications only after consulting your doctor. He will monitor the intake and check it regularly (e.g. by means of blood tests)!

Home remedies

You can try some supportive home remedies for your pale skin. However, these do not replace the diagnosis and treatment of paleness by your doctor. Examples of home remedies for paleness include:

Scrubs: Use scrubs once or twice a week for a rosier, more vibrant complexion.
Skin care: Sufficient moisture is important for a rosy complexion and healthy skin. You should therefore rely on products that contain urea or hyaluronic acid, especially in the cold season.
Alternating hot and cold showers (Kneipp treatments): those who alternate between hot and cold showers stimulate blood circulation due to the temperature difference. This invigorates the skin and makes it rosy.
Sauna sessions: Go to the sauna regularly. The warmth causes the blood vessels to expand. This will give your sallow and pale skin a rosy color again.
Skin brushing: In the morning, massage your facial skin with a gentle skin brush. This gives you a healthy flush of cheeks in seconds.

Healthy lifestyle

Adjust your lifestyle if an unhealthy lifestyle may trigger your pallor. Eat a healthy and balanced diet (lots of fruit and vegetables; little fat and sugar). Get regular exercise (about 30 minutes a day, but at least 2.5 hours a week). Make sure you drink enough (about 1.5 to 2 liters per day), preferably tap water, mineral water, tea and diluted fruit juices. Do not drink alcohol or drink only small amounts. Get enough sleep (around seven to eight hours a night). Avoid stress and quit smoking if necessary.

How does pale skin express itself?

Pallor in the face (pale complexion) is usually recognizable at first glance. The skin appears pale and has a very fair complexion. People with fair skin types have naturally pale skin. There is nothing to worry about. If the paleness is abnormal, other areas of the body are often very pale, for example the lining of the mouth, the gums, the tongue, the inside of the lower eyelids, the hands, the fingers, the toes, the arms and / or the legs. Depending on the cause, pale skin may also appear along with other symptoms such as tiredness, nausea, tremors, and / or fever.

How does the doctor examine paleness?

The first point of contact for pale skin is the family doctor. He first conducts a detailed conversation (anamnesis) with the person concerned in order to find out the cause of the pallor. If further questions arise about the patient's state of health or if further examinations are necessary, the family doctor will refer you to a specialist if necessary.

Talk to the doctor

The doctor asks the person concerned, among other things, whether he or she has pre-existing illnesses, what his lifestyle is like (do you eat healthily? Do you smoke?) And whether he is taking medication. In addition, the doctor asks whether there are any other physical peculiarities or complaints besides the paleness.

Physical examination

During the physical examination, the doctor takes a close look at the skin color in visible areas such as the hands, the nail bed, the lips and the mucous membranes (e.g. the conjunctiva of the eyes or the oral mucosa). The doctor also measures the patient's blood pressure and pulse in order to check the blood flow and function of the heart. If necessary, he performs an electrocardiogram (EKG), which provides information about the activity of the heart muscle.

In some cases, the doctor does what is known as the final fist test. The person concerned raises one arm and clenches his hand up to 60 times into a fist within two minutes. Meanwhile, the doctor presses on the artery of the wrist. When the time has elapsed, the doctor lets go of the wrist. Normally the hand is quickly supplied with blood again and the skin turns pink to reddish. If his blood circulation is disturbed, the skin of the hand initially remains pale and the patient complains of pain.

The doctor usually also takes blood to rule out possible diseases (e.g. anemia, iron deficiency, kidney disease, infection). Ultrasound (sonography) or magnetic resonance imaging (also: magnetic resonance imaging, MRI) are sometimes used to further examine the blood flow in the affected area of the body. If the person concerned has pain in the stomach or intestines, the doctor will perform a gastroscopy or colonoscopy. Depending on the findings, further examinations will follow to diagnose the cause of the paleness.

Tags: magazine teenager pregnancy birth