[SmileyGoDance]

I know it's due to being extremely overweight, but when does it go away? It makes me feel super embarrassed. Also, does anyone else have dark underarms too? TMI warning: does anyone else get boils on their inner thighs and just below underarms?

I can deal with the dark colour, but how can I make the boils go away? They're really painful and make it difficult to walk sometimes.

[DezziePS]

Yes, I get the boils, too. After years of trying to figure out what my problem was, I think it is this: http://www.hs-support.uni.cc/hidrade...ppurativa-faq/. I think it is made worse by being heavy, and weight loss helps considerably, but I don't think it will ever completely go away. One thing that has helped me DRASTICALLY is turmeric (like the yellow spice) capsules. The active ingredient in turmeric is called "circumin"- it is a really amazing anti-inflammatory and really good for you. You can buy bottles of it on amazon.com or at the health food store for a few bucks. Also, when I have a breakout, one of the only things that really helps is Campho-Phenique. It's sold for bug bites, but it is really good for boils and helps them heal quicker than anything else I've used (like sometimes overnight).

It totally sucks, though. Hope this helped!

[devnet]

The weight has something to do with it - it's called Acanthosis Nigricans. I have it too, really bad between my thighs, some under my breasts, a bit with my under-arms. It's partly the weight, and is also often caused by insulin resistance. Losing the weight usually improves or 'cures' it, so they say.

[DCHound]

Wow, I used to have that when I was close to 400 lbs but haven't had it in years. For me, I guess it went away when I had lost about 100 lbs and haven't had it since. Didn't know it had a name.

I was on a virtually no-carb diet the first 100 lbs so perhaps removing all the yeast, carbs, etc. from my diet had a positive effect on it. If it's caused by insulin resistance, that would make a lot of sense.

[SmileyGoDance]

Thanks soo much guys I've noticed that the boils became less of a problem when I began to eat healthier

[tkdtara84]

I don't have boils, but when I was pregnant, I got the darkening of the underarms. When my obgyn was doing a breast exam after I had the baby, he asked if I had always had it (not sure-- I think it comes and goes, right now it's gone) and that it's an indicator for diabetes later in life. He had a name for it, but I can't remember. You could probably find it by googling. I don't think there was anything in particular to do about it, but he did say I should watch my weight and sugar, etc. in an attempt to prevent it down the road.

[rubidoux]

Ohmycrap, you guys! I have this and had no idea it was a *thing* till I saw this thread. It's possible I haven't had it for that long. I just noticed it in my pits in the last year (maybe even six months) and I have these rough grayish patches on my right elbow and right ankle (kinda like these, but fairly light, I guess: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/pcos...ns-fading.html ).

I'm not really sure about the ankle and elbow patches because aside from being a darkish gray (not DARK gray, but dark compared to my skin tone and gray), they are super rough and sometimes they itch like mad. I thought they were just age-related (I'm 40). And they seem to get a little better if I consistently rub oil into them. Hmmmm....

I definitely have to ask the endo next time I see him. I am so surprised because a quick google search says it's from too much insulin. I am a type I diabetic, so my body doesn't produce any insulin, I get it all from a bottle. For many years, before I got back into low carbing, I was doing somewhere around 100 units a day, but now that I've cut out almost all carbs I'm always under 20 and often down around 14 units a day, which I think is super low. And I've been doing this for about 4 months now, so it seems like it should be getting better.

Anyhow, OP, I don't know when it'll go away in relation to weight. Since I've just lost almost 40 pounds, I keep having to remind myself I'm not a skinny waif and still have 60 to go. I feel nearly normal weighted, though I know I'm not, my bmi is till in the mid-30s. Gah!