What Causes Shiny Skin on Legs?

If you’ve noticed that the skin on your lower legs looks shiny, it may be time to visit our vascular specialists in Houston and Dallas. You see, shiny skin on legs can be a symptom of Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD), a condition that develops when built-up plaque narrows your arteries, restricting blood flow to your extremities. Often not diagnosed until the condition is quite advanced, detecting early symptoms such as changes in the appearance of the skin on your legs can help you seek earlier intervention.

Causes of Shiny Skin on Legs

Once PAD begins to develop in your body, your lower legs are likely to be one of the first areas impacted by limited blood flow since it’s farther away from your heart. While the skin on the lower leg may appear to be shiny, this effect is caused by thinning and tightening of the skin secondary to reduced blood flow to the tissues . Additionally, the hair on your legs may slow its growth or stop developing entirely due to reduced blood flow, translating to reduced nutrients and oxygen.

Additional PAD Symptoms

In addition to shiny skin on legs, and loss of leg hair, warning signs of PAD can include:

• Leg weakness or numbness
• Claudication (leg cramps that come on with activity and improve with rest)
• Toenails that grow slowly or become brittle
• Changes in the color of the skin on your lower legs (It could be pale or take on a bluish-tint)
• Erectile dysfunction in men

Diagnosing and Treating Shiny Skin on Legs

When you come into one of our six Texas Endovascular locations in the Houston and Dallas region with any of the symptoms of PAD, we can check your blood flow using the simple Ankle Brachial Index (ABI) test. This non-invasive medical procedure compares blood pressure in your ankle to pressure levels in your arm; a low score can suggest reduced circulation in your leg arteries, helping us diagnose PAD. Afterward, we may order a Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) or Computed Tomography (CT) to determine PAD progression, helping us guide your treatment options.

Fortunately, our interventional radiologists have multiple ways we can treat PAD; they are minimally invasive and don’t require overnight hospital stays. And treating PAD is important, since the condition is progressive and can result in serious complications. So, if you notice shiny skin on legs or other symptoms of PAD, don’t delay seeking treatment. Reach out to our experts today and request a consultation.