What cancers cause gray skin?

Author: Patrick Swaniawski IV  |  Last update: Thursday, July 3, 2025

Pigmented basal cell cancers have dark areas, often brown, blue or grey in colour.

What disease causes your skin to turn gray?

Argyria is a condition where deposits of silver build up in your body at toxic levels. This causes your skin and nails to turn bluish-gray. This condition is rare but affects people who work in manufacturing or people who take colloidal silver supplements.

What does grey skin indicate?

Blue or grey skin or lips (cyanosis) happens when there's not enough oxygen in your blood, or you have poor blood circulation. It can be caused by a serious problem with the: lungs, like asthma or pneumonia. airways, like choking or croup.

What cancer causes skin discoloration?

Of all skin cancer-related deaths, 79% are from melanoma. In this disease, cancer develops in cells (melanocytes) that produce skin pigmentation. A black or brown spot appears, typically, on the torso of males and lower legs of females. It may also form on the palm of the hands, soles of the feet and under the nails.

What autoimmune disease causes skin discoloration?

Vitiligo is a chronic (long-lasting) autoimmune disorder that causes patches of skin to lose pigment or color. This happens when melanocytes – skin cells that make pigment – are attacked and destroyed, causing the skin to turn a milky-white color.

What Does Skin Cancer Look Like?

Can cancer change your skin color?

Skin discoloration affects many people. Discoloration may appear as a birthmark or after an infection, or from pigmentation disorders or diseases like cancer.

What organ failure causes grey skin?

According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), the skin in people with kidney failure may become: pale. gray.

Why is my skin dull and grey?

Dull skin is skin that looks lacklustre, flat, or even grey, and may even feel rough or bumpy to the touch. What causes dull skin? It's the result of dead skin cell build-up on the surface of your skin, and it can happen at any age and in any weather.

What does your skin look like with Addison's disease?

Symptoms of Addison's disease include: Steadily worsening fatigue (most common symptom). Patches of dark skin (hyperpigmentation), especially around scars and skin creases and on your gums.

What vitamin deficiency causes grey skin?

Dull skin: A lack of vitamin D can make your complexion appear duller and slightly grey in colour, leading to exacerbating any existing pigmentation and dark circles and preventing their healing. This is because Vitamin D is needed by skin cells to regenerate properly.

Can anxiety cause grey skin?

Some stress response changes can cause the skin to lose its color, and appearing pale. For instance, the stress response: Shunts blood to parts of the body vital to survival. The body contains a finite amount of blood (3 to 6 quarts, or 2.8 to 5.7 liters—the amount is dependent upon the body's height and weight).

What is gray disease?

Graves' disease is an autoimmune disorder that can cause hyperthyroidism, or overactive thyroid. The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck. Thyroid hormones control the way your body uses energy, so they affect nearly every organ in your body, even the way your heart beats.

What is the biggest indicator of cancer?

Symptoms
  • Fatigue.
  • Lump or area of thickening that can be felt under the skin.
  • Weight changes, including unintended loss or gain.
  • Skin changes, such as yellowing, darkening or redness of the skin, sores that won't heal, or changes to existing moles.
  • Changes in bowel or bladder habits.
  • Persistent cough or trouble breathing.

What are the six signs of leukemia?

Common leukemia signs and symptoms include:
  • Fever or chills.
  • Persistent fatigue, weakness.
  • Frequent or severe infections.
  • Losing weight without trying.
  • Swollen lymph nodes, enlarged liver or spleen.
  • Easy bleeding or bruising.
  • Recurrent nosebleeds.
  • Tiny red spots in your skin (petechiae)

What cancers cause pale skin?

Visible symptoms of leukemia can include: Pale skin due to low blood cell counts (aplastic anemia) Unintended weight loss. Painless lumps (swollen lymph nodes) in the neck, armpits, abdomen or groin.

What conditions make your skin GREY?

Acquired diseases with gray coloring include late-stage organ failure, lichen planus pigmentosus, erythema dyschromicum perstans, and drug reactions. The discoloration is due to either increased epidermal and or dermal melanin or dermal deposition of a chromogen or a combination of both.

What disease causes dull skin?

Dehydration, stress, and lack of sleep are some of the primary skin dullness reasons. When your body lacks water, it affects the skin and makes it dull. Stress, on the other hand, restricts blood supply to the skin, resulting in inadequate oxygen supply. This makes your skin look tired and dull.

Why do I look so old and tired?

What makes you look tired? The aging process is partly genetic, but external factors such as alcohol, smoking and UV radiation also play a role. As the skeleton shrinks and the fat around the eyes disappears, the face looks tired more quickly.

What medication causes GREY skin?

Psychotropic drugs

Antipsychotic medications produce adverse cutaneous effects in approximately 5% of patients; patients taking phenothiazines, imipramine, or desipramine most frequently develop a progressive slate or blue-gray pigmentation in sun-exposed areas of the skin.

What does kidney failure skin look like?

You may notice a gray or yellow hue to your skin, areas of darkened skin, or an unhealthy pale tone. If you've had itchy skin for a long time and scratch often, you may also see yellowish, thick skin with bumps or cysts. Discolored nails—kidney disease can affect the look of your fingernails and toenails.

What condition could cause a gray or brown tinge to the skin?

Skin discoloration from melasma occurs when the skin has too much melanin and it often affects people with darker skin tones, women during pregnancy, and those taking certain medications.

What do the final weeks of cancer look like?

Tiredness and lack of energy

It is normal to have less energy as you approach the end of your life. You may find you need help to do things you usually do for yourself. You may also need to rest more. Tiredness and weakness can make it harder for you to focus or take part in what is going on around you.

Does colon cancer cause skin problems?

Any internal cancer can spread to the skin. The development of skin lesions due to the spread of internal cancers is called "metastasis" (Figure 9). The tumours that most frequently give rise to skin metastases in Singapore include lung cancer, colorectal cancer and breast cancer.

What does prostate cancer look like on skin?

The gross appearance of cutaneous metastases from prostate cancer is highly variable. Skin lesions most often initially present as multiple rubbery nodules or plaques, less often as a single nodule, and uncommonly as edema or a nonspecific rash. These may be asymptomatic or painful and ulcerated.

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