When you look good, you feel good all over – but is the same true in reverse? Taking care of your wellbeing often leads to a better anti-ageing wellness, both in terms of delaying the ageing process and making yourself look younger and fresher. In fact, integrative medicine specialist Molly M. Roberts, MD, of the Institute for Health & Healing, in San Francisco, and president of the American Holistic Medical Association, warns that the signs of ageing and stress – i.e. facial lines, unsightly fingernails, or hair loss – can signal underlying health issues. She notes, ‘It’ll start by whispering, then it’ll start talking, and, if you don’t pay attention, it’ll start yelling and shouting, and then you’ve got an illness.’ So which signs should serve as a warning that your wellness is in trouble?
1. Tired eyes: Typically, those under-eye bags and dark circles indicate nothing more than a few too may late nights. However, if you’re sleeping like a log but your eyes indicate you’re working like a dog (cue the “Hard Day’s Night” melody in your head) you might want to take a look at your diet. In the thin, loose skin that sits below your bottom eyelid, fluid build-up can cause eye bags and puffiness. This can occur due to a plethora of factors, from allergies to crying, but one of the main culprits is salt, especially if you have a high quantity in your diet. Foods that are high in sodium encourage your body to retain water, especially in the sensitive under-eye area.
2. Dry skin: You usually have nothing to worry about with dry skin. Everyone gets it at some point from the wintry air or an overly hot shower, and it’s nothing more than a minor nuisance. In some cases, though, dry and brittle skin is a sign that you’re dehydrated or have an underlying health problem. If you have a poor diet or an eating disorder, the nutrient deficiency this causes can leach moisture from your skin, as can health conditions like hyperthyroidism or diabetes. If your skin is dry particularly on your feet, legs and shins, it may be a sign of atherosclerosis – the narrowing of arteries that leads to heart disease. This is because the tiny arteries that carry blood to your extremities become blocked, which deprives your skin of oxygen and thereby produces dry, shiny patches.
3. Facial flushing: If you find acne-like skin sores on your face but puberty is far behind you, you may be experiencing one of the common symptoms of rosacea, a chronic skin condition. When you have rosacea – the cause for which is unknown – the enlargement of your blood vessels can make you appear red and flushed in the face and, over time, bumps and pimples may form and your nose may grow bulbous.
4. Body hair: I don’t know of many women who want body hair on their face, chest, stomach, back, hands, or feet, but the problem is more than an aesthetic embarrassment. Hair where you don’t want it can be a sign of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in women of childbearing age. More than 70% of PCOS sufferers have hirsutism, or excess hair growth, and many women with PCOS are at risk of becoming infertile or having infrequent, irregular, or absent periods.
5. Wrinkles: Again, no one wants wrinkles – though they are inevitable – but surprising new research suggests that wrinkles may be a sign of osteoporosis. If you’re brow is furrowed and you’ve spotted grooves around your mouth, the study showed an association between wrinkles and bone health in early-menopausal women. The worse your wrinkles are, the greater your risk is for a low bone density. Excessive exposure to cigarette smoke or the sun can speed the wrinkling process along, so avoid these things to avoid fine lines and possible bone loss.
Comments are closed.