In acanthosis nigricans, the skin becomes thick and velvety. It may appear gray, brown, or black, and often appears in skin folds. It is often a sign of an underlying condition, such as insulin ...

Understanding the Context

Acanthosis nigricans involves dark, velvety patches of skin, often appearing in skin folds, and can sometimes be itchy or odorous. The primary cause is often high insulin levels, frequently linked to ... Acanthosis nigricans (ak-an-THOE-sis NIE-grih-kuns) tends to affect people with obesity. Rarely, the skin condition can be a sign of cancer in an internal organ, such as the stomach or liver.

Key Insights

Treating the cause of acanthosis nigricans might restore the usual color and texture of the skin. Squamous cells are flat, protective cells that form the surface lining of many parts of the body, including the skin, mouth, throat, esophagus, large airways, anal canal, and cervix. When these cells multiply and form extra layers, the tissue becomes thicker—a change known as acanthosis. Acanthosis nigricans is a skin condition characterised by a velvety papillomatous overgrowth of the epidermis. Darkening and thickening (epidermal hyperplasia) of the skin occurs mainly in the flexural areas, particularly the axillae, groin, inframammary region, and neck.

Final Thoughts

Acanthosis nigricans is a treatable skin disorder characterized by dark patches. WebMD explains what causes acanthosis nigricans, a skin condition, and how it can be treated. Acanthosis nigricans is a cutaneous finding characterized by brown-to-black, velvety hyperpigmentation of the skin, most often affecting body folds such as the posterior neck, axillae, groin and umbilicus. [1] What is acanthosis nigricans? Acanthosis nigricans (AN) is a skin condition that causes one or more areas of skin to darken and thicken. Often the skin with AN feels like velvet.

People who get this skin condition sometimes mistakenly believe that a dye or something else they touched has discolored their skin. They try scrubbing away the ...