Skin Darkening around Neck, Eyelids, and Inner Arms
KnitOrMiss
Posts: 10,103 Member
Ladies,
I don't know how many of you have doctors you really like, but I wanted to share something. I had a doctor I saw literally once who was a total @$$, and I swore to myself that I would never again see him, but he did teach me something.
I have mild skin darkening in my more "delicate" skin areas...primarily on my eyelids, around the base of my neck, and in my inner elbows. According to the doctor, that skin darkening has something to do with skin changes in some ways that accompany overtaxing our pancreas. I thought he was crazy. I've always had this, as long as I could remember. My mother has it far more severely than I do, but she's full on auto-immune and won't even consider that she has PCOS despite having a huge number of the major symptoms... But alas, that's another story. Being genetic, I just thought it was normal.
Since changing my way of eating, in just a few weeks, albeit in conjunction with Metformin ER - which I believe I have increased the efficacy of by altering said food plan, as the changes hadn't happened in the months before I was just using the Metformin without food changes, in just a few weeks, this discoloration is fading. It is utterly surreal.
I was looking at myself in the mirror this week and thinking I looked so very pale and needed some eye makeup not to fade into the background. It took me a couple days to realize why... And I was shocked when I did. If nothing else (not the renewed energy, the mental clarity, or the loss of inches, etc.), this is one more reason for me to continue on my new way of eating.
(For those of you who may ask, it is LCHF/low carb, high fat, moderate protein, I just didn't want to make this post all about that. I feel like MOST of my recent posts have been obsessing/harping on it...so forgive me...)
Anyway, I just wanted to share this in case anyone has the same type of issues but didn't know or understand why...
Hugs,
Carly, aka Knit
I don't know how many of you have doctors you really like, but I wanted to share something. I had a doctor I saw literally once who was a total @$$, and I swore to myself that I would never again see him, but he did teach me something.
I have mild skin darkening in my more "delicate" skin areas...primarily on my eyelids, around the base of my neck, and in my inner elbows. According to the doctor, that skin darkening has something to do with skin changes in some ways that accompany overtaxing our pancreas. I thought he was crazy. I've always had this, as long as I could remember. My mother has it far more severely than I do, but she's full on auto-immune and won't even consider that she has PCOS despite having a huge number of the major symptoms... But alas, that's another story. Being genetic, I just thought it was normal.
Since changing my way of eating, in just a few weeks, albeit in conjunction with Metformin ER - which I believe I have increased the efficacy of by altering said food plan, as the changes hadn't happened in the months before I was just using the Metformin without food changes, in just a few weeks, this discoloration is fading. It is utterly surreal.
I was looking at myself in the mirror this week and thinking I looked so very pale and needed some eye makeup not to fade into the background. It took me a couple days to realize why... And I was shocked when I did. If nothing else (not the renewed energy, the mental clarity, or the loss of inches, etc.), this is one more reason for me to continue on my new way of eating.
(For those of you who may ask, it is LCHF/low carb, high fat, moderate protein, I just didn't want to make this post all about that. I feel like MOST of my recent posts have been obsessing/harping on it...so forgive me...)
Anyway, I just wanted to share this in case anyone has the same type of issues but didn't know or understand why...
Hugs,
Carly, aka Knit
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Replies
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Yep, the skin darkening thing is a common symptom of insulin resistance. It's called Acanthosis Nigricans. Your mom probably has it, because she's probably also insulin resistant.
Awesome to see it fading, though! That means what you're doing is helping at least that much!0 -
I had this very bad before my initial diagnosis of PCOS, staying low carb had taken this symptom away and it's never returned. My weight has fluctuated but I've not dark skin has never returned.
And BTW, I think more doctors are @$$'s than not when it comes to PCOS
I think more doctors are *kitten* than not when it comes to just about any chronic disorder. It's sad, really.
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Dragonwolf wrote: »I had this very bad before my initial diagnosis of PCOS, staying low carb had taken this symptom away and it's never returned. My weight has fluctuated but I've not dark skin has never returned.
And BTW, I think more doctors are @$$'s than not when it comes to PCOS
I think more doctors are *kitten* than not when it comes to just about any chronic disorder. It's sad, really.
DW yes I think you're absolutely right!0 -
Oh, no, ladies. This doctor was an @$$ not because of a disorder or because of my condition or anything. He basically told me that I was a fat @$$ and doomed to stay that way unless I was willing to embrace his diet plan theories and commit myself 1000% to it, no matter what. I wasn't ready for all that then (few years back) and I was completely honest about it, but he was just hateful. I'm pretty sure he embraced the DASH and low-carb/low-fat premises... And he was supposedly a licensed dietitian/nutritionist who specialized in helping women with unusual health conditions... It was years back and the memory still annoys me. I guess he was part of the reason I decided to do it my way, and to spite his unholy judgment...0
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I have the same thing around my neck and have always wondered.. Thanks for letting us know.0
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I have had like a dark "ring" around my neck since I could remember. I mentioned it to my doctor when I first noticed it at 15/16 - and he just dismissed it and said it was "normal." Once I started to learn more about PCOS after my diagnosis, I realized it was related to that and the insulin resistance. Mine fades away with weight loss =D Thanks for the post - it feels good to know that we are not alone!0
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This is an old thread but maybe someone will read this. I have AN in the skin of my underarms, have for years. A few months ago I started having laser hair removal there and after 2 sessions thought my dark patches looked lighter. I thought it was just in my head but when I went in for my 3rd session the tech said she thought it was lighter (without me mentioning it) and said she saw that happen with another patient with PCOS. At that time in my life I had not changed my diet or anything else I can think of. Has anyone else experienced this? Obviously eating healthier is a better option (which is why I'm back on MFP) but I'm just curious if anyone else experienced this bonus side effect of laser hair removal?0
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@jguldi11
I haven't ever had laser hair removal, so I can't speak to that, but getting insulin resistance to improve lightens the skin in this condition.0
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