What does it have to do with becoming ugly? This "chemical factory" in the human body really affects your appearance!

Many netizens wonder if their yellow or gray complexion is caused by liver problems? Here’s the answer: liver problems do affect your appearance!

So how does the liver affect your appearance? Let’s talk about it in detail today.

How does a bad liver make people ugly?

The liver is called the "chemical factory of the human body". It is the largest organ in the human body, the largest nutrition center and the largest "waste toxin" processing site.

The liver has very complex functions and is closely related to many physiological activities of the human body. It is not only the source of bile, but also participates in the metabolism of the three major nutrients, sugar, fat and protein. It can also inactivate and detoxify many substances, such as estrogen and aldosterone.

These functions of the liver can affect our appearance in the following ways:

1

color

The liver processes a pigment called bilirubin in the process of secreting bile. If the liver function is not good, too much bilirubin will remain in the blood, and the color of the skin will change with the concentration of bilirubin.

In mild to severe hyperbilirubinemia, the skin color ranges from yellow to brown, and a yellow complexion can easily give people a listless and sickly feeling.

Comparison between normal skin color and yellow skin color. Copyright image of the library, reprinting and using may cause copyright disputes

2

face

When liver function is poor, estrogen cannot be inactivated in time, which leads to capillary dilation and new blood vessels. In particular, blood vessels grow on the face and trunk. This "spider nevus" greatly affects appearance, and looks like a spider lying on the skin. One-third of patients with cirrhosis have darker skin on their faces and around their eyes than before the onset of the disease, and their faces are thin and withered. This is due to decreased liver function and increased melanin.

Typical spider nevus: There is a small red dot in the middle, and the surrounding capillaries are dilated outward.

3

Edema

Poor liver function may also lead to edema. This is related to the impaired ability of the liver to synthesize albumin , which is mainly manifested as hypoproteinemia. Typical symptoms are lower limb edema, abdominal distension (caused by ascites in the abdominal cavity), etc.

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4

Hands

The appearance of your hands will also be affected by liver function.

One is that the estrogen activity is too strong, the capillaries in the palms dilate, and red spots appear on the palms, which is called "liver palms";

Second, the fingers become thicker and shorter, like a pestle;

Third, the nails are thickened, longitudinally ridged, and have white bands. In patients with advanced liver cirrhosis, the nail plate appears opaque like frosted glass, and the proximal end is powdery white.

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The above are the effects of poor liver function on appearance. For men, since estrogen cannot be effectively inactivated, breast development and other phenomena may also occur.

Keep your liver healthy , here are 5 practical tips

If you want to have a beautiful appearance, you must have a healthy liver. Here are some practical suggestions for protecting your liver for your reference.

1

Avoid drinking alcohol

Most of the alcohol we drink needs to be metabolized by the liver, which can cause great damage to the liver. In mild cases, it can cause alcoholic liver disease, and in severe cases, it can lead to cirrhosis or even liver cancer.

Alcoholic liver disease is becoming more and more common. The domestic prevalence has increased from 2.27% in 2000 to 8.74% in 2015.

2

Maintaining a healthy weight

I believe many people know that obesity increases the risk of fatty liver, which may further develop into cirrhosis and liver cancer. But what many people don’t know is that rapid weight loss/malnutrition can also lead to fatty liver.

Therefore, maintain a healthy weight and lose weight moderately, such as losing 0.5 to 1 kg per week.

3

Eat a healthy diet

A proper diet is very important for preventing obesity and fatty liver. High-calorie foods, saturated fats, refined carbohydrates, such as white bread, white rice, regular pasta, and sugar (including fructose) should be avoided, and more foods rich in fiber, polyunsaturated fats, and protein should be eaten, with whole grains as the main source of carbohydrates.

4

Proper use of medicines and health products

The liver is the place where many substances in the body are metabolized. Blindly using drugs and health products will increase unnecessary burden on the liver.

Whether it is medicine or health care products, you must understand its indications, follow the instructions and the doctor's guidance, and use it only when necessary.

5

Keep exercising

Exercise is not only a means of losing weight, but also a treatment for mild fatty liver.

Keep exercising to burn fat and reduce fat accumulation in the liver. According to the Chinese Dietary Guidelines, it is recommended to carry out moderate-intensity physical activities at least 5 days a week, accumulating more than 150 minutes, and actively carry out 6,000 steps of physical activities.

It is important to note that while a poor liver may have some impact on your appearance, we cannot judge liver health based solely on appearance. The liver’s function goes far beyond appearance and is essential to your overall health.

By maintaining a healthy lifestyle, good eating habits and regular medical check-ups, we can prevent and manage liver disease and ensure the health and function of our liver.

References

[1] Dogra S, Jindal R. Cutaneous manifestations of common liver diseases. J Clin Exp Hepatol. 2011;1(3):177-184.

[2] Godara SK, Thappa DM, Pottakkatt B, et al. Cutaneous manifestations in disorders of hepatobiliary system. Indian Dermatol Online J. 2017;8(1):9-15.

[3]Wiwanitkit S, Wiwanitkit V. Alopecia Due to Hepatitis Virus Infections(Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C). Turk J Dermatol 2014; 2: 101-103.

[4]Wang WJ, Xiao P, Xu HQ, et al. Growing burden of alcoholic liver disease in China: A review. World J Gastroenterol. 2019;25(12):1445-1456.

[5]Tsai JH, Ferrell LD, Tan V, et al. Aggressive non-alcoholic steatohepatitis following rapid weight loss and/or malnutrition. Mod Pathol. 2017;30(6):834-842.

[6]Mayo Clinic Staff. Weight loss: 6 strategies for success. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/weight-loss/art-20047752

Planning and production

Author: Jiang Yongyuan, Master of Internal Medicine, Third Military Medical University

Reviewer: Yan Jie, Director of the Department of Liver Diseases, Ditan Hospital

Planning丨Lin Lin

Editor: Linlin Zhong Yanping