Forget About Wrinkles—These Are The Skin Problems You Should Really Watch Out For

When it comes to taking care of our skin, most of us waste years tanning, trying to fight inevitable aging, and getting rid of acne.

More often than not, these small beauty issues make it a little too easy to ignore the warning signs our skin is actually trying to tell us about our health.

As the body’s largest organ, your skin is usually affected by anything going on inside you, which is why you should always pay close attention to its changes.

Here are a few ways your skin might be trying to send you warning signals:

1. Dark Red Lines on Your Palms: This kind of darkened pigmentation in the creases of the palms and soles are major red flags to most doctors. These lines are generally attributed to adrenal insufficiency, an endocrine disorder known as Addison’s disease. Aside from your palms and soles, this hyperpigmentation can often be seen around scars, skin folds, lips, and pressure points. Talk to your doctor if you’ve been vomiting or passing out, as Addison’s sufferers have low blood pressure.
2. Blue Leg Veins: Often mistaken for spider veins, varicose veins are actually large purple/blue veins that are no longer working properly. Though most people over 50 will develop these annoying blue veins, they do tend to affect women more often. Varicose veins can cause pain and cramping in the legs. To ease the discomfort, try exercising, wearing compression socks/stockings, and avoid constricting positions, like sitting with your legs crossed.
3. Yellow Skin, Orange Palms/Soles: If your complexion seems yellowish lately, this is no laughing matter. Carotenemia is often the result of an underactive thyroid gland, or hypothyroidism. This causes increased levels of beta-carotene, found in fruits and vegetables, in the blood. Since beta-carotene is metabolized by the thyroid, it can accumulate when the gland isn’t working properly. Talk to a doctor if your yellowish, pale skin is also accompanied by sluggishness, fatigue, and unexplained weight gain.
4. Brown Leg Spots: Brown patches around the shins are usually a telltale sign of diabetes. The shins and legs tend to be where most people get bumps and bruises, but for someone with diabetes, the damage to the capillaries and small blood vessels can leak when traumatized. This leads to a brown discoloration known as diabetic dermopathy. Though these brown patches don’t hurt, they can become rough and scaly.

Do you have any warning signs to add? If so, tell us in the comments!

Photo Copyright © 2011 Peter Busse/Flickr