When is a bad hair day or a nasty breakout more than just a pain in the you know what? When your strands, skin and even nails are desperately trying to let you know there’s a bigger problem brewing. Here’s how to figure out when it’s time to put down the volumizer and concealer, and call the doctor instead.
Beauty Alert #1: Thinning, Brittle Hair
What you think it is: Too much blow-drying and flat-ironing, or a result of aging
What it could be: A protein deficiency
Because your strands are made primarily of protein, not getting enough actually interferes with hair production and slows down growth, says nutritionist Kerri Glassman. Though this issue most commonly affects vegans and vegetarians, anyone who’s not getting enough protein can start to experience hair loss. Glassman recommends eating 46 grams of lean protein like fish, chicken and beans each day for optimal hair health.
Beauty Alert #2: Freckles on Your Lips
What you think it is: Normal freckling or sun damage
What it could be: Peutz-Jeghers syndrome
Most lip freckles are normal and harmless. In some cases, however, especially when they’re purplish, they may be a symptom of Peutz-Jeghers syndrome. Peutz-Jeghers is a disorder in which the person can develop intestinal polyps and is at a higher risk of gastrointestinal growths and tumors. “The skin and GI tract come from a lot of the same stem cells,” says Anne Chapas, dermatologist and founder of Union Square Laser Dermatology in New York. “So problems with our gastrointestinal system will often show up on our skin too.” The disease is usually inherited, so if anyone in your family has had colon or intestinal cancer, consult a doctor if you see anything suspicious.
Beauty Alert #3: Dark Undereye Circles
What you think it is: Stress and sleepless nights
What it could be: Chronic allergies
“Allergies can come from a variety of sources, and people often don’t realize they’re allergic to anything,” Chapas says. “Plus most of the environmental sources are difficult to avoid so you’re constantly being exposed to them.” The undereye dark circles and puffiness are made worse by rubbing, which is exactly what you want to do when your eyes are runny or itchy. “By scratching that thin skin, you’re irritating it even more and may even cause the capillaries to leak, creating a swollen, bruise-like effect,” Chapas adds. If you think you’re battling allergies, try an antihistamine like Allegra or Zyrtec. Taking one regularly should get rid of the irritation within a couple of weeks. If you’re still noticing an issue, request an allergy skin test from your doctor.
Beauty Alert #4: Breakouts on Your Chin and Jawline
What you think it is: Adult acne, stress or that time of the month
What it could be: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
If you’re getting deep, cystic acne on your chin or along the jawline, it could be a sign of PCOS, says Chapas. PCOS is a condition in which a woman has an imbalance of hormones that can lead to adult acne, menstrual cycle changes, ovarian cysts, infertility and other health changes. If the breakout is not mild and coinciding with your period, is painful or isn't treatable with topical products, it’s time to consult a gynecologist. He or she may prescribe birth control pills, such as Ortho Tri-Cyclen and Yasmin, to balance hormone levels.
Beauty Alert #5: Nail Lines and Discoloration
What you think it is: Damage from nail polish or a nail injury from bumping your hand
What it could be: Skin cancer
Nails can also suffer damage from the sun's UVA rays. “Each time you take off your nail polish, make it a habit to check for linear bands of pigmentation,” says Robert J. Friedman, dermatologic oncologist and clinical professor of dermatology at the NYU School of Medicine. The bands run from the top to the bottom of the nail and are typically tan and brown. “If they don’t grow out within a month or so, see a doctor,” Friedman warns.
Did you know a bad hair day could be a sign of a brewing health issue?
Photo: Frank Rothe/Taxi/Getty Images
Gobbie
April 30, 2013
Selkie,My mom had a rare cancer that she really couldn’t get any information about. She wanted to know some new treatment or even just some ideas to help with the pain. Doctors didn’t know. I found a site Inspire.com that links people with others that have the same disease. People can share things like you did here about heat helping. Also, they can share about doctors who are doing work especially with your kind of disease. We found it too late for mom, but there is a group of doctors actually looking for patients that had Chordoma (my mom’s cancer) in the Northeast. Hope for others at least. Anyway, you may be able to find something like that from this site. inspire.com
Selkie
July 1, 2012
I was diagnosed with pcos before insurance would recognize this as a genuine issue. I was also perimenopausal at 19 and had so many cysts a dermatologist simply punched holes in my face leaving it scarred. After my hysterectomy I thought the insulin resistance and cysts would stop. They did not. Fast forward to 2005, my 17 year old was having hot flashes and I insisted they test her much to my doctors objection…the tests came back exactly as I thought and he told me he would not have believed it if I had not insisted he do the test. I have another daughter who also was diagnosed with PCOS at 21, making two of my girls hormonally off balanced, acne issues (tho we got to that early ) and both are insulin resistant, one infertile, one who had great difficulty with her preganancies and one daughter who became ill and died after giving birth to her premie who lived 8 hours while my daughter was in a coma. Five days later we had to DC all life support as this had turned into ARDS. Thru genealogy I can prove in a straight matriarchyl line that ALL females had difficult pregancies having no more than one child . I gave birth to four, two who have now passed. I was told because I had a hysterectomy that PCOS still remains an issue and my acne will NOT clear up. I’ve got pock marks and HOLES from the doctor I saw many years ago. Now I have weight issues and fibro, raynauds, type two diabetes, neuropathy, and disabled. I miss working. One of my daughters served in the AF 9 years and they are medically discharing her for PCOS, Scoliosis, loss of hearing, and some other issues. She was asked if she’d been diagnosed with PCOS AND fibro. I will be having a series of exrays on my back , tail bone and left hip after a fall. What can I do to get off the weight? I had one cortisone injected and have gained 9 lbs in 6 weeks and I’m NOT consuming anything different. I believe there is a link as well as genetics and think more should be studied . Its bad enough to grieve what one used to ‘be’ and ‘do’ and then deal with family who tend to blow it off. heat is my best friend (as in heating pads).
I still would like my acne to go away and now, my teeth are loose and I’m having to have teeth that are NOT decayed removed….after genealogy I see so many common issues I think that perhaps if genetics are a role, they need to find out if it is tied to hormones or…if it lies dormant like those who have had chicken pox can have herpes dormant with trauma or stress causing this to be an issue in their lives.
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juliahicks
August 9, 2012
Selkie – I just stumbled across this website and read your story. What does one say to someone who has experienced tragedy such as yourself? It is heartbreaking to read about your daughters. I had cyst-like acne in my 20′s, and have always had cysts in different parts of my body my whole adult like. The cyst-like acne was pretty well conquered (though not 100%) with Accutane. I have no doubt you’ve heard of this medication. Accutane is a brutal treatment, but it worked wonders for me. I know this probably has nothing to do with your cysts and PCOS, but I wanted to let you know that there is at least one other human out there that knows how painful cyst-like acne can be. I had never heard of PCOS before this post. I’m sending you a big hug over the internet to let you know that there are people that do care about the suffering of others.