Hi, Im new to this thread. I have been following a thread by pilotgirl (you might want to take a look as this thread as its been going a while & is updated everyday by multiple members! 'How has Zero Carbing been of benefit to you.....'

My 15 year old daughter suffers badly too with AN having dark patches to her neck, arm pits, inner elbows, stomach, under bra line, inner thighs etc. She is on metformin and has only been on it for approximately 8 weeks. 500mg morning & evening...

Her AN was extremely bad (Only as little ago as 29 October 2009) having been diagnosed as Severely Insulin Resistant this September.

For the first 2 weeks of October she was following a Very Low Carb way of eating ie: 15/20grams a day, she is now mainly following ZERO carbing and now her AN is rapidly diminishing.

She has energy like she never has had, she doesnt have chronic pancreatic pain having eaten carbs, she is awake now more than she was, as she spent her life asleep and has missed schooling since May 09 this year. (Shes due to go back to school this week

I can really sympathise with you and how you feel as my daughter has had suicidal thoughts and has felt so low I was at my witts end.

I truly hope you can find comfort with this. I have researched just about everywhere about AN and most people are still in the dark about what they should be eating. Even the dietician my daughter was originally sent to said she should be piling on the bread, pasta, rice etc. Ridiculous I know , but now that we have found a remedy to this condition we can look forward to a better future, albeit with stretch marks, at least we know they will fade. Who really cares anyhow. If a man is so narrow minded to this condition then to heck with him. I am pretty sure there are a thousand fish in the sea for you, who will love you as you are....

Bytheway my daughter went to see Professor Barrett (The Top Dog!) senior Endocinologist at the Birmingham Childrens Hospital in ENGLAND only yesterday . He has commended her for following this diet and has said it is the best way for her to go. She just needs to include multi-vitamins within her diet and needs nothing else as she has fully grown now... If you feel like mailing me then do so, on sharon.ryan~sky.com - Your more than welcome to.... : the ~ sign is supposed to be the at sign but for some reason it is not showing as one when I save this update.... ??!

Well, I'm 33 years old, and have no diabetes. I am overweight now, but I can remember having this as a child I think around 7 years old...and I was actually normal weight throughout my childhood and all the way through highschool, but I always had this darkening of my armpits and innerthighs and neck area. I have a 13 year old girl and a 9 year old boy, and they both have it. They are not overwieight and have been tested for diabetes too. I have been through big depression over this, and totally hopeless. I just can't believe that there is no cure, not even anything to make it at least better. I have gone through many creams, some of which have only made it worse. .. I'm just hoping that my kids don't have to go through as much emotional pain as I have. All the doctors have also told me is sorry there is no cure.

I live on a border city to Mexico. I went to a dermatologist over there, which actually prescribed my son some creams that worked that she makes. However, it costed me $300 a month, and even if I had the money, the violence in Mexico is horrible, I would not risk my kids or my safety.

Hi Lizard!

AN isn't really caused by the amount of glucose running around in your system, it's actually caused by the amount of insulin you have running around. So you can have AN and not be a diabetic.
And Just like you, I've had AN both at a normal weight and when I've been overweight (but I've never been obese). And I've even had it when I was underweight!

I can tell you from my own experience that lowcarb (Atkins Induction levels) helped to lighten my AN noticeably after 3 months. So it's not something fixed over night, and the AN didn't disappear completely... but I wanted to give some of you hope.

* After those 3 months I fell off the wagon, and started eating lots of fruit. LOL Fruit may be healthy for some, but for me I guess my body treats it just like candy. My AN darkened again.
So now I'm back to eating very low carb, and if I get better results I'll be sure to let you guys know... but it might take awhile.

Unfortunately, I have it so bad on the back of my neck that I refuse to wear my hair up when I go out. I also have it mildly in my armpits and between my breasts. Since I've never been pregnant, I know in my case - it is definitely the insulin resistance. I am hoping it will lighten up and maybe even go away eventually now that I'm not stuffing my body full of carbs.

Yes reduce the carbs (at least half of your normally daily taking) & you will see a difference. Are you on Metformin?? My daughter has had her metformin increased to 2 x 500g morning & evening to improve her bodies sensitivity to Insulin - (Even though shes still NOT diabetic...)

Medication combined with a change in your diet will give you the desired effects - My daughter had to see her local GP yesterday & the first thing she said was that her overall skin complexion looked a whole LOT paler (on her first meet she asked if she was mixed race! - Were not racist but that will give you an indication of just how dark skinned she looked! )

The back of my daughters neck is still pretty dark, with corse ridges as are her armpits, but the rest of her inner elbows, tummy, inner thighs have practically gone, so since its early days in her treatment Im convinced they will be fading more as time goes by (as they are definately not as bad as they were) Her neck was VERY dark black/brown & irritated.... (Just like you she hasnt worn her hair up in years!)
Chin up, will try & watch this thread & help with any questions I can.... A 39 year old mom & her 15 Year Old Daughter - ENGLAND

Hi to all,

its been a blessing that i have found this site.. I think i have the same issues as everybody here in this thread. I would like to seek your help. I am a 26 years old, female, asian, fair skin complexion and has normal weight.No traces of diabetes in my family history or some sort of PCOS. But i think i am suffering from AN and i have this one since i was 14 years old. I am very ashamed about this condition, i used to join beauty contest when i was young and sad to say i stopped joining any of those due to my condition.
I have it on my armpits and groin area and its really horrible. I haven't been to a doctor to consult my condition because i am embarassed. Although i had a myself checked up with a doctor of Homeophaty (but not for AN) but for something else that makes me unable to sleep at night everytime i eat some sort of carbo and she found out that i have too much starch in my intestines... thats why she told me to stop eating pizza, pasta, breads and other stuff for a month and it was successful.
I came to connect the dots and did some research about AN and i came to a conclusion that I am suffering from AN.
i love to eat carbo (pizza, pasta, cakes and etc.) and i love chocolates very much....now, i would appreciate if somebody can help me with my condition???
i am getting married in June..i want to wear a nice wedding gown without showing up my dark pits....and my honeymoon will be at the carribean and i can't wear a bikini it would be horrible. pls. HHEELLPP!!!!

che26

From what you say it does sound likely that you have AN. AN is especially more common in Asian / Blacks. Its nothing that you want to hear but you will have to seriously cut back the carbs (as a permanent change of life rather than a temporary fix). This for the blackness & the intestinal starch problem...

Besides Carb reduction it would be really helpful if you could be seen by an Endocrinologist, who would arrange for bloods to be taken from you (whilst your fasted) to determine what your glucose tolerance levels are.

Depending on the severity (or if it is then medically confirmed you have AN) you would need to be taking Metformin which helps the body use the insulin it is making, reducing the need for it to be making too much in the first place, resulting in less blackness of the skin.

At the moment your body isnt using the insulin it is making, since the body believes it isnt making it enough it produces more, so eventually it spills over into the skin (creating those vile dark patches). Eventually so much insulin will be made it results in obesity & even darker patches (knee caps, stomach, even down the size of the mouth as was the case with my daughter).

Either way with or without seeing an Endocrinologist or having access to Metformin, 'your way of eating' would have 20-50 grams of carbs a day. Although me & my daughter have gone for Zero Carbohydrates as having a few carbs in the diet each day causes too many cravings for more carbs! Your carbs would need to be coming from vegetables & very low carb foods such as flax seed which can be cooked in the microwave for 2.5 minutes to create wonderful muffins etc - Foods like pizza, breads, sugary soft drinks, are a big no no...

I am also following this eating plan so as to support my daughter. It is NOT easy, but it does become a way of life and the results are brilliant for not only the dark skin patches, but my daughters added problem of excess weight due to her being Severley Insulin Resistant.....

I hope Ive not left you overwhelmed with too much information. I have had to research so much since May 2009 this year that Im bursting to the seams with all the info.... Sorry for not replying sooner but its been mad here with festive celebrations xxx

hi,
sorry it took me a while to reply on this thread. Thank you for the advice. I am now taking metformin and some dark areas are starting to lighten up. I am also lowering intakes of carbs but cannot go down for a zero carb. But i am happy with the results i hope by continuing taking of mets and changing my eating habits..i hope everything will be well. God Bless you all.. now i know that i am not alone with this fight.

Thanks,

che26

An interesting video on acanthosis nigricans.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rosQtcBEibk

"Acanthosis nigricans (AN) is a marker on the skin found on children or adults at risk for having or developing type 2 diabetes. There is considerable confusion about what it means to have AN as well as how it should be best managed. This short video explains AN using simple terms and visual images and answers common questions about how it is best treated."

Ive had this CRP or Gougerot-Carteaud syndrome for almost 5 years quite bad , it goes away with 100mg of minocyline but as it keeps coming back i get fed up with taking such a potent drug, it also leaves me with aches in body and discolored eyes, i have a long time to find out what works and what doesnt work, i find when i eat eggs and junk food i can wake up the next morning with lesions reappeaing on my chest, sulfur also make it 10 times worst if applied to the skin, but when i eat a diet rich in veg and fruit the CRP peels away and all on its own also i can't help feeling my weight gain since i was 12 has been a major contribution.

hey everyone. Im new :] I am sooo glad i came across this website. Ive been dealing with an since the 7th grade and im 18. It really can hinder your confidence. Ive always covered up the dark patches on my neck and chest. Its been soo hard, but ive decided to lose alot of weight and eat better. I wanted to start by doing brisk walking along with my LC diet. Is this a good idea?? :]

Ive started a new Page on Facebook, I have created it to raise awareness of this condition and to enable us to share experiences as well as advice & guidance :

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=16&uid=101001293274532#!/pages/Acanthosis-Nigricans/101001293274532

If the link dont work then search facebook for:
acanthosis.nigricans~hotmail.co.uk

Thankyou guys xxx

Wow! I'm so glad AN is on Facebook to create awareness and hopefully get some more info on this. Thanks!

I was hoping it was a bright idea ....

Well for it to be a good source of info it will need all our input. This way things that work for us will come from the horses mouth, instead of from the medical profession, who have us believe they know everything, when clearly they dont !

Acanthosis.Nigricans(use the at symbol)hotmail.co.uk to search for this page on Facebook.....

or otherwise enter Acanthosis Nigricans in the Search Field & It will come up... Add yourself as a Fan & spread the word...

Looking forward to sharing some experiences on FB with you all.... xxx

ok im tryin to figure out something even with weight loss i didnt experience lightning of my skin on my face or my neck and wen i gained all 20 pounds bac after my surgery it just got worse...any comments!