Natural pale skin

Pale skin may reflect your usual complexion, temporary cold or reduced blood flow, but it can also accompany Anaemia. Iron Deficiency Anaemia may occur with tiredness, breathlessness on exertion, headaches or a fast heartbeat; these symptoms need assessment rather than self-diagnosis.

Paleness can be easier to see in the lips, inside the mouth, palms or the lining of the lower eyelid. A clinician may consider diet, bleeding, long-term illness and inherited blood conditions such as Thalassaemia or Sickle Cell Disease.

Compare the change in natural light and note when it began, where it appears, and whether it comes with fatigue, dizziness, breathlessness, weight change or altered bowel habits. Arrange a medical review for persistent or unexplained pallor; a blood test may help identify the cause.

Eat a varied diet and do not start iron tablets just because your skin looks pale. Iron Supplementation is useful for confirmed deficiency in an appropriate dose, but excess iron can be harmful and may hide another cause.

Seek urgent help for sudden marked paleness with fainting, chest pain, severe breathlessness, confusion, heavy bleeding, black stools or a racing heartbeat. Emergency care is also needed if pale or grey skin accompanies difficulty breathing or collapse.

Ask whether you need testing for Anaemia, Iron Deficiency Anaemia or Vitamin B12 Deficiency, whether bleeding could be contributing, and which treatment is appropriate for the result.