Why is my penis darker than the rest of my body? - Moorgate Andrology

Ever wondered why your penis is darker than the rest of your body?

It’s not just in your head, penile discolouration happens so gradually that you might not notice it at first, but when you do see it, it can worry you.

So, what causes the penis to discolour?

Why can I see penile discolouration?

The important thing to remember, however, is that no matter the colour of your skin, the genitalia and areolas can naturally darken during puberty.

It affects both men and women, and includes the:

• Labia
• Scrotum
• Testicles
• Penis
• Areolae
• Nipples

Penile discolouration is usually caused by one, or a combination, of hormones, friction and inflammation, health conditions, and simple ageing.

No matter the cause, the colour change is generally caused by hyperpigmentation- which is the same process that creates freckles or age spots.

Hormonal changes

When teenage boys go through puberty, their body produces more of the sex hormones adrenal and androgen.

Androgen is responsible for secondary sexual characteristics, like facial and body hair and presents skin pigmentation. This happens when androgen responds to melanocytes or the skin cells that produce melanin, resulting in a darker-looking groin and scrotum.

As for our mouth and genital areas, the lips produce more pheomelanin – a reddish pigment found in redheads. This suggests that by simply looking redder, genitals also look darker.

Friction and inflammation

Aside from puberty, another factor that can influence penile discolouration, especially in the groin and scrotum, is friction.

Dr Evan Goldstein, anal surgeon and founder and CEO of Bespoke Surgical, explains that an increase in friction can lead to an increased potential for melanocyte hyperactivity. Which then leads to pigmentation.

This chafing can also alter the texture of the affected skin, causing it to become thicker and tougher as well as seeing darkening.

Health conditions

Several medical conditions can contribute to penile discolouration.

These include:

• Acanthosis Nigricans, a skin condition that is common with those living with diabetes.
• Melasma, a skin disorder caused by hormone imbalance and radiation from UV light, visible light, or Infrared light.
• Obesity, which causes the excess production of melanin and often comes with areas of chafing.

The ageing process

Ageing can produce a cocktail of hormones in the body, which can go on to affect melanocytes.

In some cases, the number of pigment-containing melanocytes can decrease leaving the remainder to increase. This can go on to cause age spots, also called liver spots, and cause other skin to look thinner, paler, and clearer.

Ageing then makes some skin look darker, including the face, arms, back, and hands, while leaving other areas of skin appearing colourless.

A darkening penis is nothing to be worried about

Penile discolouration is not uncommon and will affect most people over time.

However, it should be said that abrupt skin colour changes are not normal, and can point to the appearance of underlying conditions, such as jaundice, gangrene, or diabetes. If you think this is the case for you, then you should seek a GP appointment as soon as possible to obtain medical advice.

At Moorgate Andrology we offer a wide range of urology and andrology treatments, from circumcision to penile lengthening, penile girth enhancement and Peyronie’s Disease treatment. For more information about the services we offer, you can call us or fill in our online enquiry form, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

And, visit this link if you are looking for Penis Enlargement Surgery.