Dark Spots on Knees

You have been preparing for the gala at your office for months now. You have chosen your dress and accessories with great care. But a week before the event, you notice that you have started developing dark spots and pigmentation on your knees.

Panic sets in as you realize that you may not be able to wear your dress, which is a knee length designer creation. Don't worry! There are several remedies available which will help you get rid of the dark spots on your knees.

Developing dark spots on one's knees is a common skin pigmentation problem wherein you may experience continuous darkening of the knees. This is a condition that is often seen on one's elbows as well.

The most common reason for these dark spots on one's knees and elbows is the constant friction that these parts of the body are subjected to. Constant wear and tear results in the roughening of the area and this causes dark patches.

These dark spots are often caused due to lack of proper skin care. Without proper moisturizing, your skin can become tough and this can lead to darkening of the skin.

Though not normally attributed to health conditions, there are some disorders which can result in darkening of knees and pigmentation.

The various reasons for the occurrence of dark spots on your knees are given below.

• As mentioned earlier, constant friction and wear and tear is the most common cause of dark spots and pigmentation on knees. If you kneel a lot or have a tendency to lean on your elbows, then it may cause dark spots on your knees and elbows.

• Exposure to the sun without proper protection or use of sunscreens/sunblocks can also result in dark spots on one's knees.
• Improper care of your knees and elbows and irregular moisturizing can result in roughening and darkening of your knees and elbows.

• During pregnancy, many women experience pigmentation due to alteration in hormonal levels. This pigmentation can also happen on one's knees and elbows.

• Dark spots on one's knees can be, in rare cases, a symptom of Addison's disease which is a disorder caused due to the functional failure of the adrenal gland cortex. A patient of Addison's syndrome often displays development of patches of dark skin (which looks like tanned skin) even in areas shielded from sun exposure.

• There are also some types of medication which have side-effects that cause discoloration of skin.

There are many treatment options that one can use in order to decrease the pigmentation on one's knees. Natural skin care is one of the best remedies for treating darkening of knees and elbows.

Exfoliating your knees with a good scrub can help in the removal of dead skin cells that have built up, and also make the skin smoother. Choose a gentle scrub that contains natural ingredients. Take a small quantity of the scrub and apply it on your knees. Keep massaging in circular motions.

Rinse it off after some time. Regular exfoliation will definitely help in reducing the dark spots on your knees. A homemade remedy for dark spots is an exfoliating paste made from sugar. Add olive oil to half a cup of brown sugar and make a paste that has the consistency of a toothpaste.

Apply on your knees when having a shower and scrub the area. The dead skin cells will be scrubbed away and your body will obtain moisture from the water and the steam.

It is important to regularly moisturize your knees to prevent rough knees and eventual darkening. Choose moisturizers and skin creams that are made of natural products like cocoa butter or Shea butter, as they are thicker, better softeners, and more effective as compared to regular moisturizing lotions.

Apply coconut oil or olive oil on your knees and elbows as they help in maintaining the suppleness of the skin. Apply moisturizer before sleeping, and cover your knees and elbows with sock wraps. You can make sock wraps by simply cutting off the toes of old socks.

Cut a lemon into half and rub it on your knees for approximately ten minutes. The acidic content of lemon helps reduce the darkness of knees. You can also use lemon added to milk for reducing darkening.

Add the juice of one lemon to a cup of milk and make it warm. Ensure that it is lukewarm and not boiling hot. Dip a cloth in this milk bath and spread the cloth on your knees. This will soften your knees and help in lightening them.

There are several skin whitening and bleaching lotions available over-the-counter in the market. Most of these products contain 2 percent hydroquinone, which helps in lightening and evening the skin tone. They can help in the removal of dark spots on one's knees by prohibiting the production of melanin.

Aloe vera is also an effective treatment. Cut the aloe leaf and rub the green fresh extract on your knees. You will notice a significant improvement in the smoothness of the skin.

While these methods can definitely help in reducing the dark spots that have appeared, for more permanent respite, it is important that you take proper care of your skin. Use a sunblock with a minimum of SPF 30 to protect your body from UVB and UVA rays as overexposure can result in dark spots.

This is also important because a tan will only make dark spots more noticeable. If all these remedies fail to remove dark spots on knees, then it is advisable to consult a dermatologist who will suggest a course of treatment depending upon the cause of pigmentation.