What comes to mind whenever we see someone with dark knuckles is, “oh! She has been bleaching.” Maybe…or maybe not. The essence of this article is to educate you the more on the issue of dark knuckles, dark elbows, dark knees, and whatever part is dark in your body.
Dark Knuckles And Skin Whitening Creams
Like I said earlier, dark knuckles are not always there because of bleaching. Although, using a melanin impeding cream (skin bleaching cream) can also leave the knuckles, toes, knees, elbows, and some other parts of your body darker than the rest of your body. So you have the stop the quick assumption of “she is bleaching” anytime you see a person with dark knuckles.
The skin around the elbow, knuckles, and knees are usually concentrated with high amount of melanocytes – cells responsible for producing melanin (the pigment that determines our skin, eye, and hair color).
Another fact is that these areas are the friction points. We tend to rest these areas on a platform, such as kneeling with our knees, making the areas darker than the rest of the body over time.
Causes of Dark Knuckles (Hyperpigmentation)
Let’s face it, dark knuckles are as irritating as a long queue in front of the ATM. Apart from bleaching, below are some of the prevalent causes of dark knuckles:
- Hereditary
- Fungal infection like Tinea versicolor
- Use of some medications like minocycline
- Exposure to sun – If you read my article on sun exposure and the dangers of sun exposure you’ll understand that the sun does more harm than good to the whole body. And when you even try to be cautious by applying your sunscreen, you tend to omit the elbows, knees, or these areas receive little of the sunscreen.
Also, we constantly make use of our hands for our day-to-day tasks. The moisturizer containing our protective sunscreen may not stay on the knuckles for a long period of time before they are washed off or wiped away. Hence, the exposure of these areas to the sun tends to tan it over time.
- Some skin diseases like psoriasis and eczema
- Obesity
- Exposure to harsh chemicals
- Scar from wound
- And a lot of other reasons.
In the next article, I’ll walk you through the DIY steps you can follow to remove your dark knuckles. In the meantime, don’t succumb to social pressure. Your body is your property, learn to appreciate and care for it.
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