black skin on forarms

[bueford2]

My forarms have turned black on the top.
What is the cause and what treatments will cure this embarrassing problem?
Thank you

[AnnieBrooke]

Are you taking any kind of medications? Are your forearms more exposed to the sun than the rest of you? By "black," do you mean the color of black ink, or do you mean darker than normal? Apparently taking too much iron can cause skin to darken, and there are other causes as well. Here's a link to an article about skin getting either lighter or darker than normal:
https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/symptoms/skin-abnormally-dark-or-light

[AnnieBrooke]

Also, the fact that it is only on your forearms might suggest that the sun has triggered it, either in conjunction with medications or by itself. (Another possibility would be repeated contact with something that is rubbing off onto your skin, like lead or graphite.) Again, if the color is black like ink, that is a different issue than if you just mean a darker skin pigment.