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DD has several areas of skin that appear to be dirty -- but they're not dirty. Her skin is discolored. It looks like the grime you might have on your skin from cleaning a garage or attic -- sort of a smudgy black. We've eliminated the possibility of actual dirt (soap and water do not remove them) and of fading bruises (the areas have not been bumped or injured and are not tender). There's no itching, soreness, or other symptoms directly associated with these areas -- just the discoloration. Her skin is naturally very pale. She has some freckles and a couple cafe-au-lait marks, but these areas are nothing like those, or warts, or keratoses (sp?). They look like somebody smeared dirt or ashes on her skin.
There are some on each upper arm, on her upper chest, and on her neck. The ones on her arms and chest are covered by her clothes, but the one on her chest was noticeable enough that a teacher commented on it.
She's going to the doctor tomorrow morning, but I wondered if anyone here might have any hunches. Googling large brings up references to skin conditions that afflict dark-skinned people.
I'm not usually a worrywart mom, but these spots worry me because they're so weird. Any ideas?
-------------------- How homophobic do you have to be to have penguin gaydar? - Lewis Black Posts: 8322 | From: Columbus, OH | Registered: Aug 2005
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Could be some kind of fungal skin infection.
-------------------- Brosandi. Hendumst í hringi Höldumst í hendur Allur heimurinn óskýr Nema þú stendur Posts: 694 | From: York, UK | Registered: Jul 2006
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Is it the back of her neck? Are the upper arm ones near the under arm area?
Posts: 1359 | From: Akron, Ohio | Registered: Aug 2005
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Is this something that just appeared out of nowhere ar did she have them all along?
I do have a mark on the back of my forearm just as you discribed. My older brother once remarked(i was about 10-11 yo at the time) if I was taking baths or not.
-------------------- And always remember....when life hands you Lemons, ask for tequila and salt and call me over !!!!! Posts: 521 | From: St. Louis, MO | Registered: Mar 2006
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Tzarina, the one on her neck is on the front. The ones on her arms are not near the underarm -- they're between the elbow and the shoulder, but on the top or side of the arm.
anna-boo-hly, these are new, and they didn't all appear at once. I think the one on her chest was first.
It's definitely not melasma -- the disocloration isn't brownish at all. It's more charcoal colored.
-------------------- How homophobic do you have to be to have penguin gaydar? - Lewis Black Posts: 8322 | From: Columbus, OH | Registered: Aug 2005
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You may want to look up acanthosis nigricans. It's a skin discoloration that can be caused by a number of things. I have had it since childhood, the Peanut has it now. It's an early symptom of PCOS, among other things.
Posts: 1359 | From: Akron, Ohio | Registered: Aug 2005
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Tzarina, thanks, I'll be sure to mention that to the doctor.
She's on several medications, too -- I wonder if it could be a side effect of one of them. Paging Sara. . .
Other things I've come across while googling are that asthma (which she has) can lead to skin darkening before an attack; and that hyperpigmentation can be caused by Hashimoto's thryoiditis (which runs in our family). Also some scary stuff about lupus and various malignancies , but I'm filtering those out for now.
-------------------- How homophobic do you have to be to have penguin gaydar? - Lewis Black Posts: 8322 | From: Columbus, OH | Registered: Aug 2005
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It appears the marks are dye transfer -- perhaps from her sheets. The visit wasn't a complete loss, though -- we got a prescription for some new acne medicine, too.
-------------------- How homophobic do you have to be to have penguin gaydar? - Lewis Black Posts: 8322 | From: Columbus, OH | Registered: Aug 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Julie0917: I am sorry, but I find myself laughing over this, because it is soooooo something that would happen to me!
Glad she is OK!
The doctor was nice enough to say, "I know she's clean. . ." And it did take some serious scrubbing with isopropyl alcohol to get it off.
I suspect her black sheets. They've been washed several times, but apparently not enough.
-------------------- How homophobic do you have to be to have penguin gaydar? - Lewis Black Posts: 8322 | From: Columbus, OH | Registered: Aug 2005
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Lainie, a friend of mine had a particular problem with this. It turned out to be cobalt, used in many blue dyes. It just clung to her. Excessive exposure also led to eczema.
It solved the mystery of why she only was itchy and blotchy every other week. Turned out it was only the weeks when her blue bed sheets were on...
Posts: 1157 | From: Westcountry UK "It's Bootiful" | Registered: Jul 2005
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I am so glad she id ok. It is kinda funny it was just dye, no that we know that's what is was.
-------------------- And always remember....when life hands you Lemons, ask for tequila and salt and call me over !!!!! Posts: 521 | From: St. Louis, MO | Registered: Mar 2006
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, but I'm filtering those out for now.![[Smile]](smile.gif)
