Malnutrition makes your face look gaunt and prematurely aged by causing fat loss, leading to sunken cheeks, prominent cheekbones, and hollow eyes, while also affecting skin tone (pale/sallow), causing dryness, thinning, wrinkles, and sometimes a flaky or "flaky paint" appearance, along with hair changes like dryness or loss, and specific issues like angular stomatitis at the mouth corners.
In these examinations, practitioners typically look for hollow, sunken, and narrow faces as these can be an indication of malnutrition [104,108].
In the Philippines, one in three children faces the triple burden of malnutrition—undernutrition (stunting and wasting), micronutrient deficiencies, and overnutrition (overweight and obesity).
The skin may be erythematous and shiny, mainly in edematous regions. Areas of dryness, hyperkeratosis, and hyperpigmentation have a tendency to confluence. Large scales expose underlying tissues, which are easily infected. Hair is sparse, dry, lusterless, and brittle, with a reddish tinge.
Changes in hair, skin and nails.
Hair may thin and lose its shine; some people also start losing hair. Malnutrition also changes the skin, making it dry, flaky and less elastic. In addition, skin will bruise and tear easily.
Gaunt face meaning
A gaunt face is characterized by hollow or sunken cheeks, giving the face a lean and sometimes tired or aged appearance. The term is often used to describe someone who appears malnourished, sick, or unhealthy rather than someone with a naturally thin but healthy-looking face.
Cutaneous manifestations associated with vitamin B12 deficiency are skin hyperpigmentation, vitiligo, angular stomatitis, and hair changes. A diagnosis of vitamin B12 deficiency is often overlooked in its early stages because these signs are not specific to vitamin B12 deficiency alone.
Undernutrition may look like: Low body weight, prominent bones, depleted fat and muscle. Thin arms and legs with edema (swelling with fluid) in your belly and face. Stunted growth and intellectual development in children.
Severe protein deficiency causes fluid retention in the tissues (edema), which distinguishes kwashiorkor from other forms of malnutrition. People with kwashiorkor may look emaciated in their limbs but swollen in their hands and feet, face and belly.
Even mild protein deficiencies can impact the health of your skin, hair, and nails, especially during times of stress, illness, or weight loss. Protein deficiency can result in: Dull or Dry Skin: Without protein, skin may lose its elasticity and become thin, saggy, or slow to heal.
Try to eat high calorie and protein snacks like:
The IPC Acute Malnutrition Scale is a five-phase scale of increasing severity: Phase 1: Acceptable; Phase 2: Alert; Phase 3: Serious; Phase 4: Critical; Phase 5: Extremely Critical. Each phase is characterized by a certain prevalence of acute malnutrition.
It is responsible for the highest mortality rate in children and has long-lasting physiologic effects, including an increased susceptibility to fat accumulation mostly in the central region of the body, lower fat oxidation, lower resting and postprandial energy expenditure, insulin resistance in adulthood, hypertension ...
“Rapid weight loss can bring the appearance of loose skin in the face and neck,” Dr. Makin explains. This can cause drooping skin on your cheeks and jaw (aka jowls). More prominent bone structure. Without as much facial fat to pad them, your cheekbones and/or jawline may seem more obvious.
Dietary changes and supplements
Without any food, humans usually die in around 2 months. There was a case when someone survived over a year (382 days) under medical supervision. Lean people can usually survive with a loss of up to 18% of their body mass; obese people can tolerate more, possibly over 20%.
Moon facies occurs when extra fat builds up on the sides of the face. It is often related to obesity but can be from Cushing's syndrome. That's why people sometimes refer to it as a Cushingoid appearance. Cushing's syndrome occurs when the body is exposed for long periods to high levels of a hormone called cortisol.
Signs of a protein deficiency
Common signs that your body is extremely low on protein include: Brittle hair and nails, often the first sign of deficiency. Feeling weak or hungry, since protein supplies energy and satisfies the appetite. Getting sick often without protein to boost the immune system.
Following Cushing's 1932 publications, the moon face eponym also became regularly featured in medical descriptions of Cushing syndrome either as “round moon face,” “full moon face,” or as just “moon facies” or “moon face.” The moon face feature in Cushing syndrome results from excessive glucocorticoid levels that exert ...
Malnutrition Warning Signs
Lack of muscle mass. Swollen stomach (called Kwashiorkor) Fatigue and low energy levels. Lack of growth and low body weight (in children)
Other symptoms of malnutrition include:
What are the signs your body is in starvation mode?
B12 deficiency can trigger specific food cravings, most notably for meat, fish, or eggs, as the body seeks animal-based sources to replenish the vitamin, especially in those on vegetarian/vegan diets or older adults. While cravings for sugary or salty foods can also signal general B-vitamin issues, the distinct urge for protein-rich animal products is a key indicator, but professional testing is crucial for confirmation.
People need vitamin B-12 for the brain to work well. If not treated, vitamin B-12 deficiency can lead to issues with the nerves, brain or spinal cord. These might include lasting tingling in the hands and feet or trouble with balance.
Symptoms such as pins and needles, disturbed vision, a sore and red tongue, mouth ulcers, muscle weakness and problems with balancing and walking, psychological problems such as depression and confusion, problems with memory, understanding and judgement could also be related to B12 deficiency.