One of the most dangerous signs of fatty liver appears around the eyes.

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A sign of fatty liver disease can be xanthelasmas that appear on the skin around the nose and eyes.

Fatty liver disease is a slowly progressive condition that can eventually lead to scarring of the liver. Its symptoms, which are often absent at first, tend to worsen as it progresses. Doctors say that a sign of neglected fatty liver can be skin problems – in particular, xanthelasma, which appear around the eyes in the form of small fatty growths.

There is a strong link between progressive liver damage and hypercholesterolemia, a condition that means high cholesterol levels in the blood. People with high cholesterol often experience xanthelasma, but there is growing research suggesting that these growths can also signal a diseased liver – or more precisely, excess fat in it. For example, the Journal of Inflammation Research published a study that found that

“patients with more severe forms of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease had higher rates of xanthelasma than those without the disease.”

The researchers also noted that the condition is more common in women than men, usually affecting people between the ages of 40 and 50.

Scientists warn: most of the cholesterol the body gets from food ends up in the liver. If a person overeats foods high in cholesterol, it can increase their risk of developing fatty liver disease. What is especially dangerous is that excess cholesterol can turn fatty liver disease into a more serious and sometimes fatal condition known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. In steatohepatitis, fat builds up inside the liver, causing inflammation and cell damage that increases the risk of scarring. The appearance of xanthelasma can be a sign of this process.