What is your naked body telling you?
Checking yourself in the mirror is not vanity – experts
STANDING naked in front of the bathroom mirror may be the sort of thing only the vain or uninhibited are brave enough to do.
But taking off your clothes and carefully studying your reflection could be good for you, helping you spot early signs of a health problem.
With the help of experts, we look at what your naked body may be trying to tell you.
A LUMP IN YOUR GROIN: This could be a sign of a hernia, when part of the body pushes through a weakness in the muscle or surrounding tissue, producing an externally visible lump.
“You may only see the resulting lump when you’re standing up because gravity and abdominal pressure will make it protrude,” says Dr Anton Emmanuel, a British gastroenterologist.
The problem may require an operation to push the protruding part back into place. The weakness in the muscle wall is then surgically closed.
DARK SKIN PATCHES IN THE ARMPITS: Known as acanthosis nigricans, these darkened, thickened patches of skin can be an early sign of type 2 diabetes, says Dr Nida Chammas, an endocrinologist.
Typically a hand span in size, the patches tend to be dry with a slightly rough feel (a bit like velvet) and may also itch. Lifestyle changes such as losing weight, reducing carbohydrate intake and exercising more may help to restore the original skin colour. A GP can prescribe medication, such as metformin, to reduce insulin levels, which can also help reduce the colour of the patches.
A BULGING VEIN DOWN YOUR CHEST: Could be a sign of an inflammatory condition known as Mondor’s Disease, says John Scurr, a vascular surgeon in London.“This is due to inflammation of the vein under the skin of the breast or chest wall which can happen arbitrarily or because of injury.”
Mondor’s disease, a rare condition, doesn’t cause breast cancer, but on rare occasions, it can be a sign that there is a tumour in the breast. It can resolve itself or it can be treated with anti-inflammatory drugs.
DARK SKIN ROUND THE ANKLES: May be the beginnings of a leg ulcer.They occur when veins become weakened, losing their ability to push blood back up toward the heart, explains Eddie Chaloner, a vascular surgeon.
This leakage causes an inflammatory reaction: haemoglobin, the protein molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the body’s tissues, leaks into the area, creating the discolouration. One theory is that this then affects skin growth or repair, leading to the ulcer.
NECK VEINS STICK OUT: Can be a sign of heart failure. This is when the heart cannot pump enough blood around the body at the right pressure, explains cardiologist Dr Glyn Thomas. This tends to happen in the neck – and sometimes in the leg – as these are furthest away from the heart. Prominent veins are normally present with some other symptoms of heart failure, such as feeling unusually short of breath or having swollen feet and ankles, because if the heart isn’t pumping efficiently, then blood can pool in those places, too. Causes of heart failure include high blood pressure, as this can damage the heart muscle, and heart attack.
UNEXPLAINED BRUISES: Frequent unexplained bruises that take a week or more to clear can be a sign of a liver disease such as hepatitis.”If the liver is diseased, the number of platelets in the blood can drop,” says liver specialist David Lloyd. “As platelets are needed to clot the blood, a reduced number can result in internal bleeding, which causes the bruising.”
Bruising can also be a sign of leukaemia as the blood cancer also causes a drop in platelets. Always report any unusual bruising to your doctor.
SWOLLEN OR LUMPY KNEES: A fleshy lump in the knee could be a precursor to gout, a type of arthritis which leads to painful swelling of the joints.
Gout is caused by uric acid, a naturally occurring chemical in the body, forming small crystals in and around the joints.
These crystals can also build up under skin, leading to small white or yellow lumps known as tophi, says Kailash Desai, an orthopaedic surgeon.
These visible lumps could appear around other joints such as the foot, but are most noticeable around the knee. Untreated, they can grow to the size of a golf ball and damage the bone. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can help fight pain and inflammation in an actual gout attack.
Medication called uratelowering therapy can reduce uric acid levels and may then reduce the lumps.
Taking regular exercise and avoiding foods containing high levels of purine, such as red meat, offal, oily fish, seafood and foods containing yeast extract may reduce attacks.
MOLES ON YOUR LEG OR BACK: Most moles are harmless clumps of cells called melanocytes, which produce the pigment in skin. But in rare cases they can be a melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer.
Most commonly in women they form on the lower leg, while in men they are most common on the back – which is why you need to check yourself in the mirror or you may miss them. According to dermatologist John Ashworth, melanomas have the appearance of very dark moles or look pale with a darker spot on them that slowly gets larger.
“Also be aware if you spot a mole where there wasn’t one before, or a pre-existing mole that changes size, shape or colour and bleeds,” he warns.
This is because it is possible for moles you were born with to become cancerous.
FLUID RETENTION ON THE THIGHS: Swelling of one or both thighs can be a symptom of testicular cancer, says urologist Professor Christopher Eden.
“Testicular cancer can spread to the lymph nodes in the pelvis which affects the lymphatic system in this area, a drainage system that helps the body get rid of excess fluid and waste products.
“As a result, fluid builds up around the upper thigh,’ he says. This is different from peripheral arterial disease, where fatty deposits block the leg arteries, where the swelling tends to be in the calf area.Another sign of testicular cancer is when one testicle appears to be lower than the other.
RASHY ELBOWS AND BOTTOM: A severely itchy red, blistering rash could be a sign of gluten intolerance or coeliac disease, says Parveen Kumar, a gastroenterologist. Gluten is the protein found in grains such as wheat, rye and barley. “This rash is known as dermatitis herpetiformis, and appears on the elbows but can appear on the trunk and knees. Switching to a gluten-free diet can help.”
PUCKERING OF THE BREASTS: Unusual dimpling on the surface of the breast may be a sign of breast cancer. “When a cancer forms in the breast, the tumour cells cause the surrounding tissue to form collagen – a protein which provides strength and structure to the skin and which is produced by the body as a reaction to change or injury,” says Tony Howell, a professor of medical oncology.
“The collagen draws the skin tissue inward which is why it creates this dimpling or orange peel-like effect.”
Nipple inversion – where the nipple retracts into the breast – is another potential sign, also caused by collagen in the surrounding tissue pulling the nipple in.
Dimpling and nipple inversion can also be due to causes other than cancer but changes should be checked by your doctor, adds Howell. – Daily Mail