What Causes Dark Skin Around the Waist?

It is the color of an individual, which differentiates one human being from another. For an example, a Native American’s skin will be white in color whereas the skin of an African-American will be black in color. Thus, color is an important aspect of the existence of human being and is of great value. The skin color or the skin complexion is not uniform throughout the body. In fact the skin color varies and is different in areas which are exposed to the atmosphere, more specifically the sun than the areas which are covered. This is because of a pigment present in the body called melanin. Melanin is responsible for the skin color of an individual. The more melanin present in the body the darker will be the skin complexion and vice versa.

The reason for the skin color on the exposed part of the body being different from that of the covered part of the body is the exposure to the sun. The sunlight when it falls on the body increases melanin production in that part of the body, which is exposed to it and hence, the skin complexion is slightly darker than the body which does not come under direct sunlight. While this common for all individuals, it happens sometimes that the unexposed areas of the body become darker in color such as the abdomen or the waist area.

This area is not exposed to the sun on a daily basis unless when you are in a beach relaxing under the sun. This raises an alarm that something is not quite right in the skin around the waist area and a cause for this dark pigmentation of the skin around the waist area needs to be investigated and treated. There may be many causes for dark skin around the waist and in this article we have covered a few potential causes for dark skin around the waist.

As stated, there may be many causes for dark skin around the waist, of which some are common while some are specific. Persistent irritation, severe inflammation, or chronic skin problems in the waist area can cause dark skin around the waist, there are also some other causes. These causes for dark skin around the waist are not the only causes. Below mentioned are some of the more potent causes for Dark Skin around the Waist.

Mechanical Trauma: A mechanical trauma to the waist area can be caused by tight fitting clothing, in which the skin around the waist area constantly rubs against the fabric of the clothing. The clothing may be a tight jeans or tight fitting underwear. An extremely tight belt may also cause the mechanical trauma to the skin around the waist area causing dark skin around the waist. A mechanical trauma to the skin of the waist can also be caused due to being overweight or extremely obese as obesity causes formation of various skin folds, especially in the waist area and these skin folds rub against each other constantly causing trauma to the skin resulting in dark skin around the waist.

Allergic Reaction: This is yet another cause of dark skin around the waist. This allergic reaction is most often due to the fabric of the cloth to which you may be allergic to. This fabric when it comes in contact with the skin sends the immune system into an overdrive triggering an allergic reaction causing dark skin around the waist.

Irritant Dermatitis: Irritant contact dermatitis is a condition in which the skin gets inflamed and irritated when it comes in contact with a potential irritant, which in this case could be clothing, skin care products like lotions and creams when used in the waist area can trigger an inflammation causing Dark Skin around the Waist.

Skin Infections: There are various skin infections that may also result in dark skin around the waist. These infections may be bacteria, viral or fungal. The more severe the infection is, the darker will be the skin color. Fungal infections like ringworms are the most common cause of dark skin around the waist due to skin infections.

Inflammatory Diseases: Certain inflammatory diseases may also cause dark skin around the waist. Some of the inflammatory diseases that may cause dark skin around the waist are atopic dermatitis and psoriasis.

Dry Skin: Having excessive dry skin may also tend to cause dark skin around the waist.

Some of the Other Causes for Dark Skin Around the Waist are:

• Stretch marks after pregnancy.
• Acanthosis nigricans.
• Moles and lentigo.