A top doctor has revealed the unlikely signs that could be symptoms of liver toxicity.
Dr Jaban Moore, a functional medicine specialist, recently shared the common symptoms that indicate your liver may not be functioning well – and they all show up on your skin.
The liver is one of your largest organs in the body and helps filter the blood and remove toxins from the body.
However, liver toxicity, or toxic hepatitis, is a condition where the liver becomes inflamed due to exposure to certain toxic substances such as alcohol, chemicals, drugs or nutritional supplements.
Toxic hepatitis can permanently damage your liver, leading to irreversible scarring of liver tissue (cirrhosis), dysfunction and liver failure, which can be life-threatening.
Cirrhosis is the 10th leading cause of death in the US and causes nearly 55,000 deaths per year.
Common symptoms of a struggling liver include jaundice, fatigue, abdominal pain and fevers, but there can be other less-suspecting, milder signs, such as rashes, itchy skin and a reddened face.
Dr Moore explained in an Instagram video: ‘When bile flow is sluggish, the liver gets overwhelmed, hormones become imbalanced, and toxins build up – leading to visible skin symptoms.’
Below, DailyMail.com details the common skin symptoms Dr Moore recommends keeping an eye out for:
Dr Jaban Moore, who specializes in parasitic infections and chronic illnesses, recently shared the common symptoms that indicate your liver may not be functioning well.
A zinc deficiency can lead to dermatitis, a skin condition that can cause inflammation, redness, and rashes, including around the mouth
Dermatitis and rashes around the mouth
Liver toxicity can cause the body to not effectively absorb certain nutrients, such as vitamin B2 and zinc.
According to a 2022 review published in Nutrients Journal, a common complication of zinc deficiency is dermatitis, a skin condition that can cause inflammation, redness, and rashes, including around the mouth.
Dermatitis often presents as skin irritation around your mouth and looks like a rash that has small fluid-filled or solid-appearing bumps.
Another possible cause of dermatitis around the face is vitamin B2 deficiency, which can indicate liver degeneration as it is one of the key organs that requires the particular nutrient to function, according to Dr Moore.
Spider veins
Dilated blood vessels on the chest, abdomen, face or ribs are one of the first signs of liver dysfunction.
Since this organ is highly involved in regulating the chemistry of the blood through purification, problems in the liver can create dysfunctions in blood pressure.
This can affect the levels and processing of hormones throughout the body, which can manifest as spider veins, also known as telangiectasias.
These are small dilated blood vessels that appear as red or blue lines on the skin, often resembling a spider web.
Spider veins can also be an early sign of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), where there is a build up of fat molecules in the liver – which can potentially slow down blood flow and create clots in the veins.
Itchy and darkened skin
A damaged liver can struggle to process and eliminate toxins and bile – leading to a buildup of bile salts in the bloodstream
This can cause irritation in the nerves and continuous itching across the body, including on your face.
Experts recommend to avoid scratching the itches as it can worsen the irritation in the nerves and worsen the condition.
While treatment options vary based on the severity of the itches, typical solutions include using mild soaps and taking prescription oral medications.
Dilated blood vessels on the chest, abdomen, face or ribs may tend to be one of the first signs of liver dysfunction
Extensive buildup of fat molecules in the liver can also pave the way for acanthosis nigricans, a condition that creates darkened, velvety patches of skin in folds around the neck and armpits.
Inflammation in the liver due to fat accumulation makes it less responsive to insulin released from the pancreas, which signals to create glucose – sugar.
This disrupts its ability to process glucose and insulin – making the body resistant to the hormone.
When cells become resistant to insulin, the body produces more insulin to compensate, leading to hyperinsulinemia (high levels of insulin in the blood).
Excessive insulin can accelerate the growth of skin cells in the body and in turn lead to a thickening of the outermost layer of the skin – causing it to darken.
Liver damage can also lead to hormonal imbalances and changes in the liver’s ability to metabolize hormones – resulting in skin pigmentation changes that can create a grayish complexion on the face and darker skin in the folds of the neck.
Rosacea
Rosacea is a condition that can cause your skin to appear very red with tiny bumps and rashes. It is most commonly visible on the face.
While this facial redness, often affecting the cheeks and nose, itself is not a direct indicator of liver toxicity, it has been linked to fatty liver diseases like NAFLD and NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis).
Fatty liver disease occurs where there is a buildup of fat molecules which can cause liver damage and at times, inflammation – potentially creating a toxic environment in the organ.
Some studies suggest that NAFLD and NASH can affect genes that control hair follicles and sebum producing cells – potentially leading to the development of rosacea.
According Dr Moore, while a 2017 article from the American Academy of Dermatology suggests rosacea can be a visible sign of liver dysfunction, not everyone with rosacea has liver issues.
