The adrenal glands secrete the hormones we need for life. Sometimes adrenal glands are not working well.
Maybe the adrenal glands themselves are turned off. This is called primary adrenal insufficiency.
Maybe the pituitary gland in our head is not able to heat up the adrenal glands, and they also work poorly. This is secondary adrenal insufficiency.
So, with primary adrenal insufficiency, when the adrenal glands themselves are damaged, people have pigmentation on the skin.
Pigmentation appears due to a special hormone that is responsible for the color of the skin. It is secreted by the pituitary gland. Right next to where the hormone that stimulates the adrenal glands is secreted.
In fact, these two hormones have one common ancestor. This grandfather has a very difficult to pronounce name - proopiomelanocortin. This old man himself is not capable of anything, but if he is soaked in special enzymes, then they will wash off the whole husks and unnecessary crusts, and the result is a radiant and hormonally active peptide that can turn adrenal glands.
The trick is that with adrenal insufficiency, the pituitary gland begins to panic and, in an unsuccessful attempt to stir up the adrenal glands, makes a whole army of old people.
These inactive grandfathers climb over the edge, step on each other's heads, overturn all the buckets and bottles with enzymes, they themselves drown in them, and a whole set of different active hormones is obtained, among which there will be a hormone responsible for pigmentation of the skin. Just by mistake. From it, the skin begins to become covered with spots.
Where the light is
Pigmentation easily appears on those places that are exposed to the sun: on the face, neck, back of the hands.
Friction
Everyone remembers that frayed areas can be pigmented. So in the case of primary adrenal insufficiency, the elbows, knees, abdomen, back and shoulders under the bra straps are covered with spots.
And vice versa
Many people already have pigmentation, but it comes off the other way around from friction. Have you heard how age spots on the face are reduced by peeling? Here is the same story with other spots. In skin folds, pigmentation is covered from abrasion and lasts longer. This will be best seen in the folds of the palm. Well, the life line and all that. Have you presented? The lines on the palm will be dark.
Ordinary places
Pigmented spots can appear where we are usually accustomed to meeting them: under the armpits, in the perineum, in the navel.
If we have not met this person before, then we will think that he has the usual pigmentation in the usual places. But in fact, he did not have anything like that there before.
Family
Some people are naturally dark. On such and you will not see spots. Therefore, you need to compare them with family members. Against the background of the same dark-skinned relatives, they can stand out with additional spots.
Other places
Pigment can be deposited with a border around the edge of the lips and even spots on the inside of the lips - where the teeth touch. The spots can be under the tongue and on the gums (especially if they are sick).
Pigmentation will also appear on similar places where the mucous membrane passes into the skin.
Old freckles can get brighter.
New scars and scars can darken.
Hair and nails will also darken.
With a favorable outcome, the spots on the skin will disappear in a few months.
Hair and nails grow more slowly, so they will fade more slowly.
Scars and scars will remain pigmented forever because melanin becomes entangled in the rough connective tissue.
