When your anti-ageing wellness goes awry, you may think it’s nothing more than a sign you’re growing older. However, those facial lines, tired eyes, or unwanted body hairs could indicate something is amiss with your overall wellbeing, and could, in fact, signal some serious underlying health concerns. According to integrative medicine specialist Molly M. Roberts, MD, president of the American Holistic Medical Association, ‘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 beauty signs indicate a major wellness warning?
1. Swollen feet: If your shoes feel a little snug these days, it may indicate a physical injury, sprain or strain. Other conditions, such as infections, pregnancy, obesity, and certain medications may also cause fluid retention in your lower extremities, causing them to balloon. However, the serious condition to watch out for is heart failure, as your heart’s poor pumping action may be causing your feet, legs and ankles to retaining fluid and swell.
2. 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.
3. 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.
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.
