My African-American Adult Niece' Has Had A Very Light Complextion

Posted on Fri, 2 Nov 2018

Question: My African-American adult niece' has had a very light complextion all her life but her skin has now turned jet black like a pair of black pants. She had beautiful light carmel vibrate skin but now she looks like an old lady. No one else in the family has this medical issue. What type of disease does my niece have, and is there a cure?

Answered by Dr. Olgeta Xhufka (3 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Normal change with ageing

Detailed Answer:
Hello dear,
Welcome to Ask a doctor service.
I read your query and here is my advice.

If there is no lesion on her skin there is no medical issue.
I don't think this is a disease but just the normal ageing of the skin that is more evident in the lighter black skin.

During the sun exposure with ageing, a light dark skin becomes darker.

She can help herself using chemical peeling with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide.
Also, she can use retinoic acid and glycolic acid to slow down skin ageing.
Also using sunscreen can help her to prevent further darkening.

Hope I have answered the question.
Let me know if I can assist you further.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Remy Koshy

Follow up: Dr. Olgeta Xhufka (35 hours later)

My niece is in her 30s. She is not old, and she does not have age spots. She had the skin color of XXXXXXX XXXXXXX Markle. My niece's skin color has changed to jet black, subsequent to her visiting Costa Rico and XXXXXXX She has no sun tan!! Please consult with your Dermatology colleagues to answer my question: What has caused my niece's skin to turn jet black???

Answered by Dr. Olgeta Xhufka (51 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Sun exposure may be the reason.

Detailed Answer:
Hello again. I consulted my dermatologist college and we both think it comes due to sun exposure. Knowing that she was in XXXXXXX and Costa Rica enforces this opinion.

If it is mainly in exposed skin area it is from the sun. We want to know if the skin is darkened even in covered/underwear areas or not?

There is not a specific condition when the skin suddenly turns black with no underlying disease like an infection...

We also want to know if it is uniformly black or with black spots on some areas or regions.
Did she suffer any skin infection there?

Could you kindly upload a photo of the affected area perhaps? You can simply upload/attach it to the reports section of this web page...

Regards

Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D