If you notice shiny, hairless, smooth skin on your legs and you haven’t hydrated, it could be a sign that you’re about to have a heart attack or stroke.
This is because shiny skin could be due to poor blood circulation, which often precedes a cardiovascular event.
Dr. Babak Ashrafi, As part of Superdrug’s online medical team, she warned that shiny skin on the legs can be a sign of several underlying conditions, including peripheral artery disease (PAD).
The condition causes a buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries that restricts blood supply to body tissues, including leg muscles.
Although the condition itself is not immediately life-threatening, if deposits build up on the walls of the arteries they can stop blood flow to the heart and brain, leading to a heart attack and stroke.
Dr. Ashrafi explained that shiny legs can also indicate fluid retention or deep vein thrombosis, which is when a blood clot forms in a deep vein in the body, usually a thigh leg. Both conditions can be signs of dangerously poor blood circulation.
“When circulation is impaired, the supply of oxygen and nutrients to skin cells can be reduced, causing skin to appear soft, smooth and shiny in texture,” Dr. Ashrafi explained. The sun.
Various health conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, and lifestyle factors, such as smoking, can put people at risk of shiny legs due to poor circulation.
PAD causes a buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries that restrict blood supply to the leg muscles. Although the condition itself is not immediately life-threatening, if plaque builds up on the walls of the arteries it can lead to fatal problems, such as heart attacks and strokes.
Dr Ashrafi emphasized that while glowing skin can sometimes simply be the result of hydrated skin, you should see a GP to rule out any problems if you have recurring leg pain during exercise, swollen legs or notice changes. persistent on the skin.
NHS surgeon Dr Karan Raj, who has more than 5.3 million followers on TikTok, also warned about the symptom.
In response to a video of a man showing his “shiny reptile skin” on his shin, Dr. Raj explains that if he had a patient with skin like this, he would “investigate if he had any problems with blood flow.”
“Specifically due to peripheral arterial disease due to plaque buildup in the arteries making them narrow,” he added.
He said: ‘Reduced blood flow means the skin can become tight and thin due to tissue wear and tear and shiny due to hair loss due to a lack of nutrients and oxygen naturally.
“There may be other things associated with this, such as reduced pulses and maybe even leg pain, depending on the severity of the problem.”