Dark Spots on Skin
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Reviewed By:
Yukiko Ueda, MD (Dermatology)
Dr. Ueda graduated from the Niigata University School of Medicine and trained at the University of Tokyo Medical School. She is currently a clinical assistant professor at the Department of Dermatology, Jichi Medical University, and holds several posts in the dermatology departments at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Komagome Hospital, University of Tokyo, and the Medical Center of Japan Red Cross Society.
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Content updated on Jan 4, 2023
About the symptom
Dark spots on the skin, or hyperpigmentation, occur when some areas of the skin produce more melanin than usual. Melanin gives the eyes, skin, and hair their color.
When to see a doctor
Seek professional care if you experience any of the following symptoms
Facial edema
Edema
Infertility
Abnormal menstruation
Headache
Unexplained weight loss of 5% or more in 1 month
Recent weight loss
Easy fatiguability
Possible causes
- Atopic dermatitis
Allergic rashes. Risk factors include genetics, other allergic disease, new skin products, and allergic foods. Cases of childhood eczema can resolve by adulthood, however in some cases it can happen to adults too.
- Diabetes mellitus (DM)
A disease where blood sugar levels are abnormally high, due to problems with insulin production or resistance. There are often no symptoms until the condition has worsened, hence regular screening is important.
- Acanthosis nigricans
A skin condition characterized by dark patches on the skin with a thick, velvety texture, usually seen in the neck, armpits or groin region. It's usually seen in people with high insulin levels, ovarian cysts, thyroid or adrenal glands problems, certain drugs like birth control pills or steroids, cancer etc.
- Acromegaly
- Asteatotic eczema
- Hypothyroidism
- Cushing syndrome
- Friction melanosis
- Erythroderma
Related serious diseases
- Venous embolism
Venous embolism is the condition where a venous clot travels from one location to another. Most commonly this happens when a deep venous thrombosis (clot) develops in the larger veins of the leg and breaks off and travels to the lungs (clot is now called a pulmonary embolism). Causes of venous thrombosis include recent surgical procedure, spinal cord injury or other reason for immobility, fracture of hip or leg or other trauma, cancers, heart failure, stroke, obesity, and inherited risk factors like gene mutations causing blood to clot more easily.
Questions your doctor may ask about this symptom
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom
Do you have skin darkening?
Do you have itchy skin?
Do you have any pain or tingling in the affected areas of the skin?
Do you have skin redness?
Do you have a fever?
Other Related Symptoms
Similar symptoms or complaints
Symptoms from the same body system / part
Symptoms treated by the same specialty
Reviewed By:
Yukiko Ueda, MD (Dermatology)
Dr. Ueda graduated from the Niigata University School of Medicine and trained at the University of Tokyo Medical School. She is currently a clinical assistant professor at the Department of Dermatology, Jichi Medical University, and holds several posts in the dermatology departments at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Komagome Hospital, University of Tokyo, and the Medical Center of Japan Red Cross Society.
Just 3 minutes.
Developed by doctors.
Ubie is supervised by 50+ medical experts worldwide
Seiji Kanazawa, MD, PHD
Obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN)
National Center for Child Health and Development, Japan