“Why are the genitals darker than other
body parts,” queried Segun Oluwole as he
munched the last piece of the fried chicken
in his hand at a drinking joint on Thursday
evening.
Segun’s enquiry from his friends and others
who cared to listen could have been
dismissed as mere beer parlour talk, but for
the truth in it. Expectedly, and being
something that had to do with sex, some
other persons present added their voice to
it, each providing their own reasons, which
range from laughable to ridiculous.
While some said that was the way God
created it to be, some others said it could
be due to the “excessive usage” of the
organs in question, among other
postulations.
Regardless of nationality and skin colour, it
has been observed that human genitals; the
male sexual organ, female sexual organ,
nipples and the areola, which is the circular
area surrounding the nipple, are darker in
colour than other parts of the skin.
Even though the different colouration does
not symbolise danger, a consultant
gynaecologist, Dr. Olanrewaju Ekujumi,
tracec it to hormones, but noted that
friction also plays a role in the darkening of
those body parts.
He explained that apart from the hormone
that the body secretes when a person
reaches puberty, which could influence the
colour of those body parts, anywhere the
skin rubs against itself, there would be
friction.
He added, “For example, if you look at the
armpit, because the skin rubs against itself
in that region, it tends to be darker. Same
thing happens between the legs. For the
nipples, it has to do with the hormone
mainly, but for people who are sexually
active, friction contributes more. That is
why if you look at the nipples of a woman
who has had a baby before, you would
know because the melanocyte in them are
much higher; it goes up during pregnancy,
and so the colour never returns back after
pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Meanwhile, a dermatologist, Dr. Lindsey
Bordone, explained that at puberty, sex
hormones tend to increase in the body, and
that in the process, the melanin hormone,
which is responsible for skin and hair
colour, would also be produced.
He said the production of melanin
alongside the sex hormone, estrogen for
women and testosterone for men, would
make the penis, nipples, areolas and labia to
darken respectively being the sex organs.
“When girls are young, their nipples are
light. And as they get older, hormones have
an effect and the nipples darken. It’s very
similar for boys,” Bordone told Mail Online.
Also, a clinical dermatologist, Dr. Cameron
Rokhsar, explained that hormones could
influence the colouring of the skin at
puberty, saying the sex hormones; estrogen
and testosterone, regulate the melanocyte
that produces melanin cells. He said the
effect would be more in women, which is
the reason why pregnant women, nursing
mothers or those using contraceptives,
have darker nipples and areolas than those
who are younger because they have higher
level of estrogen.
He added, “Hormones regulate the way
melanocytes produce their pigment, which
can have an effect on the way the skin in
that area pigments. So, generally that area is
darker.”
Buttressing what Ekujumi had said, Rokhsar
explained that external factors like friction
could also have an effect on the colouring
of the skin after puberty, saying when the
skin experiences friction, it naturally
thickens to protect itself, which is partly
reflected in the colour.
He however warned that the darker colour
of the genitals would be more intense in
men who wear tight pants, shave their
genitals regularly or have itches that could
result in scratching or rubbing. According
to him, athletes and people who are obese
are more likely to experience same because
of friction.
Thus, the next time you are scratching your
genital area, you might be increasing the
likelihood of that area getting darker.
It is equally worthy of note that when the
colour of a body part gets darkened
excessively, experts say it could be a
symptom of excess sugar. Bordone said,
“Your skin can darken in certain areas
when your sugars are very high, and you
are developing diabetes. If someone notices
darkening in some areas, they should get
checked out, especially if it is in the neck or
armpits, because it can be a sign of
diabetes.”
On his own part, Rokhsar said, “When a
person gains weight, he or she can
experience acanthosis nigricans, which is a
skin condition that leads to velvety
discolorations in the groin and other
areas.”
How to keep armpits healthy
No doubt, one of the keys to attractiveness
is good personal hygiene. This explains why
people who exude a pleasant aura are
attractive to others.
However, suffice it to say that any enclosed,
hairy part of the body stands a chance of
harbouring some unpleasant smell. This is
often a product of unhygienic practices or
negligence. This implies that apart from the
genital, one body part that is critical when it
comes to body hygiene is the armpit.
There are ways to care for the armpits to
avoid unpleasant smell. Medical experts
have advised that the hair in the armpits
should be trimmed to reduce the incidence
of odour. They stressed that during sex, the
armpit is one of the body parts where
sweat is secreted, thus, people should have
a shower after sexual intercourse to wash
off the sweat.
According to a post on wikihow.com,
washing that part with water and soap
frequently, like twice a day, would protect
the armpits against odour and bacteria. It
adds that wearing fabric that would enable
the skin to receive fresh hair or keep the
place aerated is better than wearing nylon
materials. The essence is to enable sweat to
dry up and keep the temperature under
control.
According to the post, certain food items
can also worsen the sweat from that part.
These food items include onions, garlic,
spices, coffee and cigarette. Beyond these,
using deodorant after having a shower
could control the smell that emanates from
the armpits, as it prevents body odour
caused by the bacterial breakdown of
perspiration in armpits. However, it should
be noted that deodorants or
antiperspirants do not eliminate the cause;
it covers it up with pleasant fragrance.
One other measure to address this is to
shave regularly. Apart from the attractive
outlook, having a clean shaven armpits
enables the underarms to dry faster,
prevents the presence of dust and dirt and
ultimately reduces the likelihood of odour.
Above all, it was gathered that keeping the
region aerated as much as possible and
avoiding wearing clothes on which sweat
had dried on without proper washing
could aggravate the odour.
www.punchng.com/why-genitals-are-darker-than-other-body-parts/?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

Cool...... Good to know

You tried. But my genital is not black,if in doubt you can come and check it yourself.

end time genetials.....

My genitals and armpits are very dark due to regular shaving. No time to check time. They can be as dark as the smoke from hell as far as they don't emit offensive smell.

Talking of gen.italia; what else can be used to shave the hairs in the pubes because the stubble that usually accompany a new hair growth when I use shaving stick is starting to piss me off.