Are Wrinkles Droopy Eyes and Dry Skin A Sign of Bad Health - True Facts About Your Face

How many times do you actually look in the mirror and see yourself? Before you answer, just think for one minute. Close your eyes and think of what you look like. Make sure you do this in front of a mirror, so that after really thinking for a few minutes, open your eyes and look at your face. Does it match? Or are you shocked? Yep? though so! We do look at our reflection, but we don't really see it. People get so used to seeing their face that they generally just take a glimpse of certain areas. For example a woman will look at her eyes and mouth. Why? because she is probably looking for Wrinkles or applying make-up. A man, on the other hand will mainly look around the mouth area to see if he needs to shave. The rest of the examination of yourself will just be cursory. But it is important that you make time to study your face. The reason? Scientists have now realised that anything from droopy eyelids to deep wrinkles or dry skin, can in fact be a sign of illness. In other words these illnesses are really staring you In the face.

I remember very well when my thyroid started to play up in the first place. The signs were all over my face. My eyelids swelled and my face puffed up when my thyroid was too low. And the total opposite when it was too high. Staring eyes, and a thin gaunt face. I didn't see me in the mirror for about a year, just a complete stranger that kept changing.

But that was a pretty drastic situation and could be easily seen. But what about subtle changes in your face?

Researches from the Yale school of Medicine have claimed that the more deep wrinkles that you have, the more chance that you either have or will have brittle bones or osteoporosis. The study was carried out on 40 and 50 year old women. They took note of how many wrinkles the women had then they took X-Rays. It was discovered that the subjects with the worse wrinkles had weaker bones than other women their age.

We all know that Collagen helps to form skin therefore, lacking in this substance will also mean less dense bones. Taking Vitamin C helps to develop stronger bones and skin. Smoking can deplete the amount of Vitamin C that is necessary for keeping yourself healthy in both departments.

Flushing of the Skin

If you notice that your facial skin is beginning to get redder than normal, or you flush when sitting down, or not doing anything exertive, you may find that one of the reasons is high blood pressure. But it can also be something more serious. The heart condition Mitral Stenosis can be an underlying problem as the blood can't flow properly through the heart because of a faulty valve. The oxygen levels in the blood lower and cause the blood pressure to rise to compensate.

Rosacea

Rosacea is a disorder of the facial skin that affects millions of people worldwide. As of today there is no cure, and most Doctors don't know exactly what causes it. The skin will look reddened, or have Acne type spots. Another sign of rosacea is small visible blood vessels on the face and watery irritated eyes. Even though there is no cure, there are various creams and methods available for treatment.

Redness of the skin can also be a sign of Lupus, or other auto immune problems. Menopause is caused by hormone levels fluctuating and this can lead to your body temperature either going up or down according to how the hypothalmus is working. This is a normal side effect of menopause but should always be checked out by your GP to check that it isn't something else causing the flushing.

Swollen Face

As I mentioned above. Thyroid Disease can be a horrible disease, not only affecting the face but the whole body. High levels of Thyroxine or low levels can cause the body and face to swell up, if it is too low, or make your face very skinny and pale if the hormone is too high. I have suffered with both of these and they are great symptoms to watch out for. The trouble with a bad thyroid is that it is very subtle.

Most of the time you don't realise that it is working to hard or not hard enough. Your face is a perfect way of keeping tabs on it. For example my face swelled up like a balloon causing pockets of water to appear underneath each eye and down my cheeks. This is what made me see my Doctor again. It seems my tablets were working to much, my thyroid had gone too low. So always keep an eye on the size of your face and cheeks. This is a really indication that something is not quite right with your thyroid medication.

Droopy Eyes

Most of us have heard of Bell's Palsy. this is a condition of the nerve's in the face that help the eye movement. When someone gets Bell's Palsy, it means that the nerves have been affected by a virus that is interfering with the signal to the brain. In other words because the nerve is damaged or inflamed it will make the eye droop. Herpes is one of the main viruses that will attack the facial nerve. Obviously not the same strain of Herpes that occur with STD. A droopy eye can also be one of the first symptoms of a stroke. So if anyone starts to feel ill, their face starts to droop and their eye pulls down to the side, you must get them to the hospital straight away.

Thyroid Eyes or Grave's Disease

If you have thyroid problems this can be a real pain for your eyes. Its also the one thing that will tell you that you have Grave's Disease or Hyper thyroidism. And of course Hypo thyroidism. For some reason it seems to attack the eyes more than anywhere else. When you have it under control it gets back to normal, most of the time. But a thyroid problem can either make your lids very puffy or make your eyes look really large and staring. If you have these symptoms, get to the Doctor as soon as you can for diagnosis and medication.

Pan-Coast Tumour

There is one more very disturbing syndrome that can cause the eye to droop. Lung Cancer! The reason for this diagnosis is that the tumour, called pan-coast, is situated at the top of the lung. The nerves surrounding it are pressed down and they stop working. Even though they are in the lungs, because they are at the top, they directly affect the nerves of the face. Other symptoms include pain in the arms and shoulders, and a tingling in the fingers of the hands.

We all know the jokes about bloodshot eyes! We always associate them with drinking. And I am sure we all have suffered at some stage or another. But there are many other reasons why this can occur. Iritis, inflammation of the color part of the eye, is a symptom of Ankylosing Spondylitis. This is an auto immune disease which is a form of arthritis. If the eye becomes really bloodshot this is usually caused be either damage to the eye or high blood pressure.

Twitching Eye

A twitch in the eye can be caused by either stress or vitamin B deficiency. If the twitch persists it can be a sign of something more sinister like Multiple Sclerosis. The reason is that the nervous system is going into spasm caused by the disease. Other symptoms being, numbness, balance and the vision becoming blurred.

If you notice white rings around your iris, this is a sure indication of high cholesterol. Fatty deposits float around your system and cling to the most blood filled parts of your body.

Not as horrible as Wilson's Disease. This is when you see rusty red rings around the iris. Copper deposits stay in the body, only showing up in the eye. The disease is genetic, causing failure to get rid of copper. The other problem is that it can affect the liver too. Other symptoms are, tremors, difficulty walking and confusion. Strangely enough it usual affects people under the age of 35.

Pale Eyelids And Fingernails

Pale eyelids are usually a sign of anaemia. If you check your finger nails you will be able to see this symptom too. Feeling weak is usually the other sign, along with confusion and tiredness.

Cracks in the corner of the mouth can be a sign of anaemia or diabetes. The cause is believed to be a deficiency in iron for anaemia, and diabetes through too much glucose in the blood. Going to the toilet to pass water, and drinking too much water are another sign. You can also get Candida, or Thrush because of the affect of these illnesses too. So if you find that the cracks in your mouth do not go on their own, please see you GP for tests as soon as possible.

The trouble is that we most people get these sort of occasional cracks and splits in their lips. So it is best to be sensible and not ignore it. We tend to put it down to the cold weather or a cold sore, so always look out for other signs of tiredness or weakness. Best to be careful!

A few years ago I never really took notice of my face. Which is surprising because of the amount of time that I stand in front of a mirror. Either putting on make-up or plucking eyebrows, cleaning teeth or just combing my hair. But you will be surprised to realise just how much we do this from memory. In the first paragraph I mentioned closing your eyes and trying to remember what you looked like.

This actually proves my point very well. We tend to see the whole face in one go. Take time out to look at each and every individual point of your face. Take notice of any changes, apart from the obvious signs of aging. This will not only surprise you, it will make you see yourself properly for the first time in years! And more importantly, will give you a firm background to work on if you do spot anything different in your appearance.