Look Young Again!

Home :: Skin Disorders :: Acanthosis Nigricans

Treatment fof Acanthosis Nigricans

What is Acanthosis Nigricans?

The first case of Acanthosis Nigricans was documented in 1889 and has since been discovered that most people that contract Acanthosis Nigricans are people who are obese. However this is not a proven fact, anyone can get Acanthosis Nigricans. But it just seems to be that people that are obese do seem to contract Acanthosis Nigricans more then any other type of person. The main showing of Acanthosis Nigricans will show that the patient has got to much insulin levels in their body, which then results in the insulin spilling over onto the skin and then causing Acanthosis Nigricans to show on the body. This skin disease will usually show up on the neck, under the arms and also around the groin area. You will discover black marks on your body that can spread overtime if they are not treated properly. The problem with this skin disease is that you may not even notice it is there first of all, especially if you have it around the back of the neck it make sometime for anyone to notice, long hair is also a problem for people that have this skin disease around the back of their neck.

Causes for Acanthosis Nigricans

The most common cause of Acanthosis Nigricans is from insulin resistance from type 2 diabetes. Eating too much of the wrong foods. Starchy foods and foods with too much sugar are all good contributors to Acanthosis Nigricans. This is why it has been more common for people that are obese to contract this skin disease. A healthy balanced diet will not contain as much unhealthy foods as this. Therefore people that eat a well balanced diet will not have to look out for this skin disease because of their diet. People that are overweight are at a higher risk of contracting Acanthosis Nigricans.

These causes are not definitely proven and there is said to be eight different types of Acanthosis Nigricans, I will only name the most popular types.

Who is in danger of contracting Acanthosis Nigricans?

People with darker skin, people that are overweight, and people that have diabetes are more likely to have Acanthosis Nigricans. However, this does not mean that if you don’t have any of these preexisting symptoms that you can’t get Acanthosis Nigricans. In fact anyone can get Acanthosis Nigricans. It just seems to be that darker skinned people as well as overweight people have complained about contracting this skin disease rather then lighter skinned people as well as people that eat a well balanced diet.

This skin disorder does however seem to favor African Americans for reasons unknown. Acanthosis Nigricans occurs in 1 percent of whites, 5 percent of Hispanic and 13 percent of African Americans. It is equal in both male and female. So anyone that is overweight should really reconsider their diet especially if they want to reduce the chances of them contracting this skin disease.

People who get or have Acanthosis Nigricans should be screened for diabetes especially if there is a family history of diabetes because Acanthosis Nigricans can be inherited from other members of the family. If you know someone in your family that has diabetes and you have contracted this skin disease then you should talk to the doctor and ask for an immediate diabetes screening test.

Symptoms of Acanthosis Nigricans

Acanthosis Nigricans usually appears on the back of the neck and under the armpit.
Acanthosis Nigricans is a dark, thick velvety patch of skin. Acanthosis Nigricans does nothing more than cause hyperpigmentation of the skin. But you should be screened for diabetes if found.

Treatment for Acanthosis Nigricans

There really is no treatment for Acanthosis Nigricans because there is an underlying symptom to Acanthosis Nigricans, like obesity, eating the wrong types of food, or diabetes. In most cases once the underlying cause of Acanthosis Nigricans has been put under control the discoloration of the skin will most likely disappear. This will then make you want to change your diet to make sure that you do not contract this skin disease again.