Carnival Skin Colors

White, black, brown ... We are so accustomed to the normal shade of skin. We just fix it a lot.But what happens if a person gray, orange, blue or yellow pass before our eyes? Undoubtedly, the reactions were no longer the same.Because there are many diseases and disorders, but there are few that are so striking and dramatic as those that are manifested by a change in skin color throughout the body of the person. Here are a list of some diseases or states which cause a somewhat peculiar color, and although I miss, some are relatively common.

Carotenodermia

The carotenodermia is an alteration in skin color so striking that those who come once a suffering so intense hardly hesitate to run to the nearest doctor's surgery. Despite its spectacular nature, is a harmless passenger and without further consequences that purely visual.The colors that we can find ranges from yellow to orange. The color is more or less depended upon the amount and type of carotene consumed.

Carotenes are pigments found in large quantities in carrots, tomatoes, etc..As a liposoluble substance, if ingested in large quantities, will gradually accumulate in the skin. Clear that to have "carotenodermia" you have to eat many, many carotenes. Something that usually occurs in two types of individuals: Vegetarians (vegans most likely) and fans of the vitamins.

Usually individuals show a more obvious color in hands and feet and that only with massive and high levels of carotenes, is manifested throughout the body. The treatment is simple, stop taking so many carotenes and eventually reducing its concentration in the skin and all those places that have accumulated.

Jaundice

Unlike the carotenodermia, which is totally harmless, the jaundice is always a sign of alarm and concern, except in infants where it is normal up to certain limits. Both jaundice as carotenoderima may be confused by the non-expert eye. Jaundice is the yellowing of the skin as a result of increase in bilirubin levels. Bilirubin is a product of the degradation of hemoglobin, essential for transporting oxygen in red blood cells. The causes are diverse: Hepatitis, toxic drugs, bleeding, blockage of the bile ducts ... Treatment of jaundice depends on the cause that leads.

Although we have said that may be confused by the non-expert eye, there is a simple trick to distinguish them. Jaundice in the conjunctiva of the eye has a yellow color, which never appear in the cases of carotenodermia.

Argyria

The Argyria is a gray-blue coloration of the skin resulting from excessive intake of silver or by prolonged contact of it. There are several situations that can trigger this disease:

-Consumption of drugs or dietary supplements with silver salts.

-Exposure at work as a metalworking firm in which silver is processed in various ways.

The human body has a tiny amount of silver, about 1 mg. enough and only 4-40 grams to trigger a Argyria is complete, in which the whole body, as a result of the accumulation of silver, holds that so characteristic gray.

Currently, it is very rare to find cases of Argyria but about a century ago was somewhat more common and could be found occasionally shows people Argyria as fair (with Siamese twins, bearded women, etc.)..

Argyria is not the treatment, once the silver has accumulated in the skin and in many organs, and can not do anything. It is for life. Imagine how they must live forever:

By the way, gold can also cause Crisiasis, an accumulation of this metal in tissues with a pigment very similar to silver but is more rare to happen. You will understand, currently there are not many drugs that have appreciable amounts of gold among its components.

Methaemoglobinaemia

Metahemogloblinemia occurs in a blue coloration of the skin or cyanosis due to the inability (or so large) of red blood cells to carry oxygen to an alteration in hemoglobin. Can be acquired (by the use of any drug or toxic) or congenital birth.

Without doubt, one of the most striking cases of congenital methaemoglobinaemia were the Blue Fugate. A family of Kentucky, who lived in the early nineteenth century.

The illustration is somewhat exaggerated from reality. Would have a pretty clear blue, but not as much as there appears. Too bad that did not exist at that time still photography and much less color.

The reason why several family members had this peculiar blue smurfs are not due to an alteration of an enzyme that reduced enough capacity to transport oxygen in red blood cells.Therefore, the color of the blood vessels became darker until almost brown. In the skin, an optical effect, appeared more bluish, as if further exaggerate the blue color of the veins.

This alteration is transmitted through a recessive gene. It was necessary that both parents have the gene that caused the alteration of the enzyme for any of the offspring will also express the methaemoglobinaemia. If only one parent, the children just could not carry the gene and the disease expresaríam or be completely normal. Inbreeding as there was on the agenda, Martin Fugate was that the disease is related to a family nearby who was also a carrier but did not suffer the disease and ended up taking several children blue.

The treatment of the disease was fairly simple enough to administer methylene blue for that matter, the family moved to a normal color. Ironies of medicine, which is just a blue dye treatments used to remove the blue color of the methaemoglobinaemia and this in itself. Of course, had to take this color for life.