The outside of your body can tell you a lot about what is going on inside – including your face. Health experts say certain warning signs that can appear on your cheeks, around your eyes, in your hair, eyebrows, for example, could indicate a problem with your health.
Dr Eric Berg DC has listed 13 symptoms that can manifest on your face if your body is crying out for help. Dr Berg, a licensed chiropractor, is an expert in healthy eating, ketosis, and intermittent fasting.
He is also the bestselling author of The Healthy Keto Plan. Although he no longer practices, he continues to share educational and medical videos online, with his YouTube channel having 12 million subscribers.
Certain red-flag signs could be caused by a vitamin deficiency or poor diet. However, there are others that should be checked by a doctor as they could be a sign of an underlying medical condition.
1. Balding
Balding is usually related to aging, heredity, and hormone changes. Dr Berg says balding could be a sign of high DHT (dihydrotestosterone), which is a hormone that plays a key role in the sexual development of people assigned male at birth.
“What you want to do is you want to reduce this enzyme by taking certain inhibitors,” he says. Some of the best options he mentions include:
- Pumpkin seeds
- Green tea
- Zinc
2. Losing outer eyebrows
This could be a sign of hypothyroidism. “If you’re losing your eyebrows on the outer part that is a hypothyroid issue – slow thyroid – you might need some iodine,” he warned.
Iodine can be found in certain foods and is essential for the body to produce thyroid hormones, which regulate metabolism and various vital functions.
3. Bloodshot eyes
Dr Berg says waking up with bloodshot eyes could just be due to a hangover from a night of drinking. But if it is a regular occurrence, it could be a sign of liver issues and insulin resistance. He recommends avoiding ‘junk’ food and alcohol. He also suggests eating a healthy keto diet and considering intermittent fasting, if your doctor says it is suitable for you to try.
4. Dark circles beneath eyes
Dr Berg says: “Dark circles could be a pigment problem coming from insulin resistance. A lot of diabetics have this, and they also get dark in pigments in different places in the body like their armpits, their neck, and that comes from high levels of insulin, which is affecting melanin in the body.”
To tackle the issue, Dr Berg suggests speaking to your doctor, trying a keto diet and possibly intermittent fasting to improve your blood sugar.
5. Bags beneath eyes
If you get swollen tissue underneath the eye or even on top of the eye, this could be a blood sugar issue, or there’s something going on with your kidneys, Dr Berg says.
“The thing that destroys the kidney more than anything is high levels of sugar. So it does relate to insulin resistance, because the kidney is one organ that gets hammered with a high carb diet – but there are other causes of kidney problems as well. If the kidney is backed up with fluid you’ll see it underneath the eye.”
To tackle the issue, Dr Berg suggests speaking to your doctor, trying a keto diet and possibly intermittent fasting to improve your blood sugar.
6. Oily skin
If you suffer from oily skin, this could be a sign of high androgens – in men – or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) – in women. Having an abundance of androgens in your body can lead to hyperandrogenism, which typically impacts individuals who were assigned female at birth. This condition may result in hirsutism, acne, and irregular menstrual cycles.
Polycystic ovary syndrome is a condition that affects how the ovaries work. Increasing your intake of zinc could help for PCOS due to its ability to lower insulin levels. This is crucial as insulin resistance is a common issue among women with PCOS.
7. Cataracts
Cataracts are when the lens, a small transparent disc inside your eye, develops cloudy patches. Dr Berg says this could be sign of vitamin deficiency and high insulin.
To help your body out, he recommends upping your intake of vitamin A, vitamin B1 (benfotiamine) and lowering how many carbs you eat. NAC eye drops could also help, but speak to your doctor first.
8. Red cheeks
This could be a sign of Cushing syndrome – a condition caused by having too much of a hormone called cortisol in your body. It can be serious if it’s not treated.
Foods that may help include: natural antibiotics, like garlic, oregano, thyme, wormwood extract, and sage. As well as natural probiotics, like sauerkraut.
9. Peeling, rough or dry skin or dermatitis
If you are experiencing such skin issues, it might be down to your body lacking in omega-3 and having too much omega-6. Dr Berg suggests increasing the amount of fatty fish you eat and taking cod liver oil. He also advises to avoid chicken, fried foods, nuts, and grains and processed food.
10. Dry hair
For similar reasons above, dry hair could be caused by low omega-3. Omega-3 fatty acids help strengthen cell membranes. If you don’t have enough, you might notice dry skin, fragile hair, and brittle nails that split easily. Not getting enough Omega-3s can also lead to skin rashes and dandruff. Taking cod liver oil could help.
11. Blackheads
As for blackheads, they could be caused by your body lacking enough vitamin D. Dr Berg says getting enough sun exposure may help, as well as taking vitamin D supplements and eating mushrooms.
12. Cracked corners of mouth
This can be a result of not getting enough vitamin B2. Dr Berg explains: “Vitamin B2 prevents the liver from becoming damaged, it does a lot of other things as well, but one thing it will do is it affects the skin.
“It creates fissures, and those fissures or cracks can cause chap lips and cracks on the back of your heels.” Dr says taking vitamin B2 supplements and eating foods rich in it is important, on top of avoiding refined flour.
13. Cold sores
Cold sores are a result of a HS1 virus infection. Many individuals come into contact with this virus during childhood through close skin-to-skin contact, like kissing, with someone who has a cold sore. The virus remains in your skin permanently once you are infected, occasionally leading to the development of a cold sore.
Cold sores are common and usually clear up on their own within 10 days. A pharmacist can recommend:
- creams to ease pain and irritation
- antiviral creams to speed up healing time
- cold sore patches to protect the skin while it heals
A cold sore can appear when your immune is running low too. Dr Berg suggests eating garlic, increasing your intake of zinc and to try to avoid stress.
It is important not to self-diagnose without speaking to a doctor and you should not make any change in your health regimen or diet before first consulting a physician and obtaining a medical exam, diagnosis, and recommendation. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
