The human body has many ways of letting us know if something isn’t quite right, and listening to it is essential.
If you don’t, you could be letting something brew inside of you with potentially fatal consequences.
For example, do you know the signs skin changes could be trying to tell you?
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Your skin holds so many clues to what could be going on beneath the surface, from vitamin deficiencies to other things like jaundice (liver issues) and so much more.
But this one symptom may not be as obvious because it doesn’t hurt and seems pretty harmless upon first inspection.
Thankfully, an NHS doctor has come out to explain what this skin condition could mean and it’s not something you want to let spiral out of control.
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Dr Renée Hoenderkamp has said that a painless skin condition could mean you have high cholesterol.
But it doesn’t stop there.
It can also mean you have high blood pressure, which puts you at a higher risk for heart diseases and other issues.
The GB News resident doctor said that monitoring your skin could mean that you catch these symptoms early.
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She said: "You can get yellowish-orange growths on your skin if your cholesterol levels are high."
She explained that they are cholesterol deposits under your skin.
According to Patient.info, if they are on your eyelids, they're known as xanthelasma and can slowly grow in size.
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The website states: “The appearance of xanthelasma is of yellow flat plaques over the upper or lower eyelids, most often near the inner canthus.”
It continues: “Xanthelasma may represent a localised skin condition without any systemic abnormalities of lipoprotein metabolism or may be associated with an increase in the cholesterol-rich beta-lipoproteins (LDLs).”
But treatment is possible and includes a better diet.
The site states that: “Patients should have their fasting lipid levels checked and those with hyperlipidaemia should have a formal cardiovascular risk assessment using appropriate charts, with measures for prevention of cardiovascular disease as indicated.”
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According to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology, "about half of patients with xanthelasma have elevated lipid levels that are commonly associated with hereditary forms of high cholesterol or certain liver diseases. The other half of patients have normal cholesterol levels. Xanthelasma are more commonly associated with patients of Asian or Mediterranean descent."
However, if they appear anywhere else other than the eyelids, they are called xanthoma instead.
Dr Hoenderkamp explained that they are painless and can appear in other areas than the eyelid, but it can appear as a sudden emergence of bumps across the skin which can even look like a rash.
But don’t mistake it for a rash, as they are fatty cholesterol deposits caused by high levels of triglycerides in the blood.
She said: “Triglycerides is often high in familial hypercholesterolaemia.”
To treat them, ‘removal include chemical peels, surgery, lasers, or cryotherapy. However, recurrence is common especially in those patients with hereditary forms of high cholesterol,’ as per the AOCD.
Britt Jones