Subtle sign on your leg that could mean a heart attack is about to strike, doctor warns

If you notice shiny, hairless and smooth skin on your legs and you haven’t been moisturisng, it could be a sign a heart attack or stroke is about to strike. 

That’s because the sheen on the skin could be due to poor blood circulation, which often preceeds a cardiovascular event.

Dr Babak Ashrafi, part of the online doctor team at Superdrug, warned shiny skin on the legs can be a sign of various underlying conditions, including peripheral artery disease (PAD).

The condition causes a build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries which restricts the blood supply to bodily tissues, including the leg muscles. 

Although the condition on it’s own is not immediately life-threatening, if the deposits build up in the walls of the arteries it can stop the flow of blood to the heart and brain, resulting in heart attack and stroke.

Dr Ashrafi explained shiny legs can also indicate fluid retention or deep vein thrombosis, which is where a blood clot forms in a deep vein in the body, usually a leg of thigh. Both of these conditions can be signs of dangerously poor blood circulation.

‘When circulation is impaired, it can reduce the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the skin cells, causing the skin to appear smooth, tight, and glossy in texture,’ Dr Ashrafi told The Sun. 

Several health conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure and lifestyle factors such as smoking, can put people at risk of shiny legs caused by poor circulation. 

Dr Ashrafi stressed that while shiny skin can sometimes be simply the result of moisturised skin, you should get it checked by a GP to rule out any concerns if you have recurring leg pain during exercise, swollen legs or notice persistent changes in your skin. 

NHS surgeon, Dr Karan Raj, who has more than 5.3 million followers on TikTok, has also warned about the symptom.

Responding to a video of a man showing his ‘shiny, reptilian skin’ on his shin, Dr Raj explains if he had a patient with skin like this he would ‘investigate whether they had any issues with blood flow.’

‘Specifically due to peripheral arterial disease due to plaque building up in the arteries so they become narrow,’ he added. 

He said: ‘Reduce blood flow means that the skin can become tight and thin due to tissue wasting and shiny because of hair loss due to lack of nutrients and oxygen naturally.

‘There might be other things associated with this like reduced pulses and maybe even leg pain depending on the severity of the problem.’