Diabetes - darker skin in between upper legs?!
Question: when i went to my OBGYN for my annual she told me that something you see in diabetics is the darker skin in between your upper legs. the skin inside my upper legs has always been dark. has anyone ever heard of this?
Answers: when i went to my OBGYN for my annual she told me that something you see in diabetics is the darker skin in between your upper legs. the skin inside my upper legs has always been dark. has anyone ever heard of this?
Yes, this is a sign of diabetes and a couple of other conditions. Its called Acanthosis nigricans. It may look like your skin is just dirty, but its a condition common in someone who is insulin resistant or diabetic. Its also common with PCOS.
There's an article here concerning Acanthosis nigricans
http://diabetesmonitor.com/b313.htm
with photos.
You should probably ask your doctor to test your fasting glucose and also your HbA1c to determine if you are pre-diabetic, or diabetic, or insulin resistant. If you are, the sooner you get treatment the better.
i'm not sure. but if you pull the skin on your neck down and you see velvety lines on your neck that means you have diabetes.
Darker patches there as well as on the neck and underarms can be a sign of diabetes, but that's not always true. Sometimes it's just a genetic trait with people of African descent . People with darker skin in those areas may not necessarily be diabetic, or they can be diabetic and not show that particular sign.
The only real way to know for sure is to get tested for it. The blood test will prove it for sure.
Your doctor probably mentioned it though because African Americans do have a higher risk of diabetes especially if overweight/obese and over the age of 40, and over the past few years there's been more of an emphasis on early intervention to lower the risks of diabetes and pre-diabetes in several high risk groups that had been previously ignored by the medical profession.
I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes back in 2003, but controlled it with diet and exercise. My doctor checked me 6 months after the diagnosis and my blood sugar showed as normal and I was declared no longer at risk for diabetes, but I still watch out just the same since I'm approaching 50.
So get yourself tested, and then see what happens from there. Better safe than sorry.