Let’s be sure: when you need to determine the risk of heart disease, you probably don’t check your skin first. And why are you? Skin health and heart health are unrelated, right?
Not quite, says doctors. “Your skin is the greatest organ in the body, which reflects your systemic well -being,” explains Dr. Karuppiah ‘Kar’ arunacham, MD, Cardiovascular Certified Cardiovascular Disease Specialist at the Orlandic Health and Vascular Institute.
He and the dermatologist have a specific relationship between a certain skin change and how it could mean heart disease.
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This surprising skin change can mean heart disease
One way to combine your skin and your heart health is that your skin may have “deposits” called “xanthomas” that look yellowish -orange skin bumps. They can be a sign of high cholesterol that can increase the risk of heart disease.
In fact, cholesterol levels are the main risk factor for heart disease, although a simple blood test is gaining popularity as the main default.
“High cholesterol or high LDL (bad) cholesterol or high triglycerides directly increase the risk of your heart disease, as high levels of them can lead to fat deposits called plaque on the arterial walls, accumulating as atherosclerosis,” explains atherosclerosis. ” Atherosclerosis, ”explains the process known as atherosclerosis,” explains the process known as atherosclerosis, ”explains the process known as atherosclerosis,” explains the process known as atherosclerosis. ” Dr. Angela Moore, Md, Dermatologist and Associate Professor of Clinical Sciences at TCU Burnett Medical School. “These plaque narrows and hardens the arteries, restricts blood flow to the heart and increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.”
Related: High cholesterol is not always a sign of alarm – why, according to cardiologists
But back to Xanthom. “Xanthoma is associated with family hyperlipidemia (genetically related to high blood cholesterol),” says Dr. Arunacham. “Later, people can develop diseases such as coronary artery disease or atherosclerotic heart disease, stroke and unintentional leg ulcers.”
There are also different types of xanthoma, says doctors. Xanthelasma is the most common; It is found around the eyelids and is a sign of benign or high cholesterol. Other types are erupting xanthoma, tuberous tuber, tendons Xanthoma and plane xanthoma. Depending on what language we are talking about, they may appear on your elbow, palm, joints, tendons, hands or feet.
Don’t know if you look at it or something else? You can get a biopsy to eliminate skin lesions, explains dr. Aruunacham, however, a usually experienced physician and dermatologist will be able to determine the deposit.
Related: A common problem for people over 50 years of age is a surprising sign of heart disease
Then, with high cholesterol (if any), you can prevent new xanthomas and can reduce existing ones, adds dr. Moore.
Cholesterol Reduction methods are 150 minutes of moderate exercise installation and foods with lower cholesterol, such as oats, salmon, raspberry, dark chocolate, carrots, whole grain bread, especially innocent olive oil, apples, casuals, black beans, green tea and more.
Other skin changes that may be associated with heart disease
It is important to note that Xanthoma is not the only change in the skin that can show the heart problem. Doctors share more examples:
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Blossus finger skin color change is suspicious due to children’s cyanotic heart disease
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Abrop wrinkles are related
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Red spots in the palm of the hand, the side of the hand on the side of the nail are associated with heart valve infection
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Poor controlled skin diseases such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis or hydradenitis supurativa can increase chronic inflammation that promotes atherosclerosis.
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Stasis dermatitis, also known as lower leg swelling, is a risk factor for heart disease, especially the concentration of heart failure
Related: One thing dermatologists say you should never do that
In simple terms, Dr. Arunacham emphasizes that it is important to seek medical attention when you see any changes in your skin. “The timely diagnosis would help prevent complications associated with high cholesterol,” he says.
Doctor Moore agrees. “If you are unsure of a constant or unintentional lesion or swelling, you may need to consult a doctor or dermatologist to confirm that this is not an inflammatory or a more systematic problem,” she explains.
As we have seen here, sometimes skin problems are more-they can be a sign of life-threatening heart condition.
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Related: “After the high cholesterol period, I reduced it by 66 mg/dl within 2 months – what I did.”
Sources:
Initially, this story was reported by Parade 2025. September 4, where she first appeared in the Health & Wellness section. Add the parade as the desired source by clicking here.