Dark and calloused knuckles

[Diamond28]

Hi everyone. I noticed rough, calloused and dark skin on three of my knuckles long before my diagnosis. I Googled what it could mean and it was suggested that it could be a sign of diabetes. I am pre-diabetes and yet still got this symptom. As my diet improves and Ive lost weight, they are gradually going back to normal. Has anyone else noticed this symptom?

 

[kokhongw]

Yes. That is actually a sign of high level of insulin. There can also be darkening and thickening of skins around the neck, folds around various joints.

Moving to a insulin lowering diet will reverse that.

 

[kokhongw]

https://www.healthline.com/health/acanthosis-nigricans#causes4

Overweight people tend to develop resistance to insulin over time. Although the pancreas is making insulin, the body can’t use it properly. This creates a buildup of glucose in the bloodstream, which can result in high levels of both blood glucose and insulin in your bloodstream.

Excess insulin causes normal skin cells to reproduce at a rapid rate. For those with dark skin, these new cells have more melanin. This increase in melanin produces a patch of skin that’s darker than the skin surrounding it. Thus, the presence of acanthosis nigricans is a strong predictor of future diabetes. If too much insulin is indeed the cause, it’s relatively easy to correct with proper diet, exercise, and blood sugar control.