Your Face Can Say A Lot About Your Health
BOSTON (CBS) - We know our face can reveal our moods, but doctors say it can also tell them a lot about our health.
Many of us have pondered what the Mona Lisa was thinking.
That might remain a mystery, but a small little dot or bump on her face near the inside of her eye could have indicated certain health problems.
Doctor Frank Messerli, a cardiologist, said "That is a very useful clue that there may be something wrong. If a patient has that, I would automatically order a cholesterol panel."
WBZ-TV's Paula Ebben reports.
Everything on your face, from your eyes to your lips, and the color and texture of your skin, can indicate a potential illness.
Dr. Albert Levy said some of those diseases can be pretty serious. "All the way to rickets to anemia to hepatitis to diabetes," he added.
One look at Lewis Ingham's eyes and his doctor sent him for a colonoscopy.
"Apparently, the eyes aren't just a window to your soul, they're a window to your colon," joked the young patient.
Ingham was told he had little spots on the back of his eyes known as "Bear Paws." These are often considered an indicator of colon cancer.
"Everything is fine, but I'm told I have to go back every 2-5 years," said Ingham.
Dr. Messerli also looks at the eyes of his patients. For example, a milky ring around cornea can be an indicator of heart disease.
"That's a very, very early sign," said the doctor.
The color of your skin is also important. A bronze hue can indicate diabetes. A gray pallor can suggest you are not getting enough oxygen.
Simone Teodoro's doctor thought she looked a little too pale.
"Then he went and looked into my eyes and was like, yeah, I'm pretty sure you are anemic and the blood test confirmed it," she added.
Dr. Levy also looks for clues on a patient's tongue. "The tongue will tell me right away a million things", he said.
An enlarged tongue may mean thyroid disease. A dry tongue can indicate dehydration, and a white tongue is another sign the patient could be anemic.
Levy says he can often size up a patient's problems pretty quickly.
"I can tell from the waiting room, who will need this or that type of blood test."
