have you ever wondered why it's a little
bit darker down there than everywhere
else on your body well i'm dr rena malek
urologist and pelvic surgeon and today
i'm going to answer why exactly genitals
are darker than the skin in the rest of
your body if you're new here i make
urologic content every week monday and
friday on topics such as sexual health
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first off i'm going to tell you guys
that having darker skin in the genital
region is pretty normal in fact it
happens to every single person there is
it usually happens very gradually and
tends to become darker with age if you
notice a significant and sudden change
in coloration please see your doctor
immediately so getting down right to it
there are two main reasons why the
genital skin is darker than the skin in
the rest of the body the first reason is
hormones so your skin has certain cells
called melanocytes and these cells are
responsible for what gives your skin
your eyes your hair the color that it
produces and in your genital area in
fact the skin is more sensitive to
certain hormones particularly in women
hormones like estrogen and men hormones
like testosterone how these hormones
work is they regulate melanocytes which
are the cells that create this melanin
so as people go through puberty as they
age and for women as they go through
pregnancy they can notice that these
tissues will get darker in color and the
important thing to note is that this is
again a normal reaction that your body
has and it will not go back to the
lighter color it used to be prior to
whatever the event was whether it's
puberty having a pregnancy or just
generally aging the second reason is
friction so friction in this area causes
the melanocytes to become hyperactive
and create more melanin causing the skin
to become darker so things like shaving
hair removal products having intercourse
as well as just general daily rubbing
and friction of the skin all those
things can cause hyperpigmentation or
darkening of the skin so again like i
said this is completely normal if you're
trying to attain some appearance of your
genitals that may be like something you
see on pornography or somewhere else
realize that these are touched up edited
video products and they are not normal
if you'd really like to avoid having
darker skin in a genital area you can
try to avoid friction so you can try to
wear loose fitting clothing also try to
keep your skin moisturized and make sure
you're just putting moisturizer on the
skin itself and for women not inside the
vagina itself that area does not require
regular lotion you can use vaginal
moisturizers that are specific for that
area if you're having dry sensation in
the vagina or check out my video about
vaginal estrogen and how that can help
you if you're having recurrent urinary
tract infections or dryness in the
vaginal tissues you also want to avoid
hair removal with things like waxing or
shaving which can create friction and
then wear clothing that wicks away sweat
to keep the area dry as i mentioned
before if the change is all of a sudden
please go see your doctor changes in
coloration on your skin can be a sign of
things particularly if you're worried
about potentially having diabetes you
may notice that the coloration is a
little bit velvety or rough to the touch
also if it's itchy you may be having an
allergic reaction to some product that
you've used or the laundry detergent
that you're using on your underwear and
lastly if it's bumpy or spotted you want
to make sure you rule any sort of
sexually transmitted infections bottom
line having general gradual skin
darkening of the genital area is
completely normal so don't worry about
it and as always you want to take care
of yourself because you're worth it
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[Applause]
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you