Skin cholesterol test measures the levels of cholesterol in the skin and researches found it very useful as means to diagnose the early stages of atherosclerosis or heart disease and the need to lower cholesterol to eliminate the risk. Unlike blood test, skin cholesterol test takes less then five minutes to be conducted. Skin test should not come in place of a blood test for cholesterol levels, though, since it functions merely as a warning sign of early stages of coronary disease or atherosclerosis.

One of the benefits of the skin cholesterol test, besides the speedy results, is that it non-invasive and doesn’t require any fasting prior to the test.

Skin cholesterol test measures the amount of cholesterol in the skin. The procedure is very simple and quick: liquid is dropped through small “wells” in a small foam pad that is placed in the palm of your hand. The color of the well alters during the test, indicating your blood cholesterol level in the skin. To read the color of the well, an electronic wand is used. The wand or spectrophotometer is being passed over the wells of the foam and translates the results to numeric values.

A recent study conducted at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center has found a strong link between people who were diagnosed with high cholesterol levels through skin cholesterol test and the HDL, LDL and triglycerides levels in the blood of 222 adults who participated in the research.

Because most people are not aware of the risk involved with high cholesterol, and high blood cholesterol shows no symptoms, testing skin cholesterol is a very effective and non intrusive way (and therefore make it easier for most people to take action) to quickly diagnose a risky blood cholesterol level and taking action including dietary and lifestyle changes to lower the blood cholesterol level and prevent a coronary event and other symptoms related to atherosclerosis.