What should I do if I notice?
If you get diagonal wrinkles on your earlobes, there’s no need to panic. But it’s worth telling your doctor or health care provider, especially if you also have other heart-related risk factors.
“Many people in the United States still have unmanaged risk factors such as high blood pressure, (high) cholesterol, (high) blood sugar, lack of physical activity, and excess weight, all of which are far more important to pay attention to than wrinkles in your earlobes,” says Dr. Khandelwal.
You can reduce your risk by getting regular checkups, taking necessary medications, and making lifestyle changes. Dr. Bisognano says Frank’s sign doesn’t mean anything special, but if you have creases on the diagonal of your ears, it’s a good idea to be on the lookout for heart health symptoms.
“All data is potentially useful data, and there is no need to ignore franking signs as a risk predictor,” he says.
