Do You Need to Be Concerned About ‘Ferritin Face’? Here’s How to Tell If You Need to Get This Checked Out

3 min readIt’s normal to wake up some days looking a little...tired. But a new social media term suggests you might want to get your iron levels checked out the next time you notice pale lips, dark circles, and dull skin—a combo now known online as “ferritin face.”It’s not clear exactly who started this trend, but plenty of people are talking about it—and some claim that seeking medical attention for their ferritin face even led to a diagnosis and treatment that improved their health.Of course, it’s fair to have a healthy dose of skepticism around this new term, and healthcare providers say you should. But while ferritin face isn’t an actual medical diagnosis, experts say there may be some truth in what noticing it can do for your health.Meet the experts: Lisa Moskovitz, RD, founder of NY Nutrition Group and the author of The Core 3 Healthy Eating Plan; Jessica Cording, RD, CDN, author of The Little Book of Game-Changers; Joshua Zeichner, MD, director of Cosmetic & Clinical Research in Dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital; and Scott Keatley, RD, co-owner of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy in New York City.Ferritin is a blood protein that stores iron, and healthcare providers may use a ferritin blood test to check your iron levels, per the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Ferritin face, as a social media term, describes so-called visual signs of low iron. The suggestion is that when you have ferritin face, you may be struggling with anemia, a condition where your body doesn’t have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen to your tissues.There are no exact signs of ferritin face (again: it’s not a medical diagnosis), but symptoms that have been thrown around online include having dull skin, pale lips, dark circles under your eyes, and brittle hair.Can you physically look like you have low ferritin?Kind of. “I wouldn't say there is truly a ferritin face in that you could diagnose iron deficiency by looking at someone's face,” says Jessica Cording, RD, CDN, author of The Little Book of Game-Changers. “That said, there are physical signs that can occur with iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia.”Those range from pale skin to thinning hair, according to Joshua Zeichner, MD, director of Cosmetic & Clinical Research in Dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital. “It can even lead to structural changes in your nails, making them resemble a spoon,” he adds.But it’s not just your face and nails you have to think about. “Elsewhere in the body, iron deficiency may be associated with hair shedding, cracks at the corners of the mouth, or a sore, smooth tongue,” says Scott Keatley, RD, co-owner of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy in New York City. “More common clues are not visual: fatigue, weakness, dizziness, headaches, feeling cold, shortness of breath with activity, a rapid heartbeat, restless legs, or cravings for ice or nonfood substances.”On the other hand, Keatley says it’s also possible for someone to have low ferritin before developing anemia and not show any visible signs.All that said, you can’t determine whether someone has anemia just by looking at them. “You cannot diagnose it without a complete blood workup,” says Lisa Moskovitz, RD, founder of NY Nutrition Group and the author of The Core 3 Healthy Eating Plan. “There are many reasons why someone might be experiencing a change in complexion, skin brightness, and under-eye circles, such as poor sleep, hormonal changes, diet changes, illness, and stress.”When to see a healthcare providerIf you’re dealing with symptoms of anemia (which can also include fatigue, shortness of breath, and headaches, among other things), see a healthcare provider. They can give you a full evaluation, including a blood test, to see where things stand.If you do, in fact, have anemia, your provider may recommend that you take iron supplements and make dietary changes. “In addition to taking supplements as directed, cooking with cast-iron cookware, adding an acid such as lemon juice or vinegar to leafy greens, and drinking coffee or tea between meals rather than with iron-rich foods can help improve iron absorption safely,” Keatley says.