Do you have dark patches in the creases of your neck and on your underarms and in the crease of your elbows? How about in between your thighs? Or a dark line across your nose? Roughened dark circles under your eyes? That hyperpigmentation can be due to several things like sun exposure (UV radiation causing overproduction of melanin), or post skin injury related inflammation (cuts, burns, bruises, pregnancy), or lowered hormone levels in menopause.
However, one other, very common cause for roughened dark patches of skin appearing in creases and folds of the body is the excessive consumption of sugar and sugary foods which can lead to high insulin levels in the body and the cells of the body becoming resistant to insulin.
People with endocrine disorders related to insulin resistance such as PCOS, Type 2 Diabetes, Perimenopause or Menopause or reactions to birth control pills may experience acanthosis nigricans. Acanthosis nigricans is a medical term used for the brown-to-black, roughned and sometimes spongey or velvety hyperpigmented patches of the skin found on the bottom, the back of the neck, the armpits, elbows, groin, navel, forehead and even around and under eyes and across the nose.
If you have darkened skin patches as described above, talk to your doctor about insulin resistance due to pre-diabetes or diabetes and treatment of hormone deficiencies or imbalances. A change in diet and daily mobility and weight training of muscles could help. So can hormone therapy to reduce inflammation which also causes hyperpigmentation. Ask a professional for guidance.
In the meantime, here are some suggestions for treating those dark patches.
- My advice is to first seek professional treatment for the root cause and to remove the dark patches. Get treatment to reverse pre-diabetes, diabetes (insulin resistance) or any endocrine-related issue. This will likely include a new diet, method of eating, weight training, and more mobility or therapy with hormone agonists or hormone supplements. Then, get the dark patches professionally removed. Attempts at darkened skin removal and maintenance will yield the best results when done in combination with professional treatment and maintenance thereafter. Professional treatment can be laser removal, microdermabrasion, and prescriptions chemical peels with salicylic, azelaic acid, mulberry extract, niacinamide, trentinoin or other skin de-pigmentation ingredients.
- Maintenance. Continuous maintenance skincare will be needed. Your doctor can tell you how to eat to eliminate your resistance to insulin with nutrition, for example. Also, use hyperpigmentation skincare topicals that work. For example, acids are not meant for long term used as part of your permanent skincare regime. They are meant to treat the pigmentation and lasting use may affect the strength, texture, elasticity of the outer layer of the skin. For a daily maintenance regime for having a uniform skin colour, keeping the skin well-hydrated can help with overall skin health and aid in its natural exfoliation process. This means using hydration serums, lotions, drinking lots of water (yes, this is said to help eliminate sugars from the body), and showering. You can also use topical skincare such as lotions, balms, body washes, scrubs, and creams with turmeric, licorice extract, vitamin C. You should also use skincare creams and serums with Retinol, particularly as part of your nighttime skincare routine.