882-7000 to make an appointment with a University of Missouri Health Sciences Center physician. I am an African American with spots or freckles on my legs. I'm not sure what causes them or why, but it seems that I developed them when I was a teenager. I have seen these spots on other African Americans, usually women. My mother has them also.
Skin color is the result of melanin pigment created in the skin cells.
Occasionally, something happens to this coloring mechanism and the skin starts producing too much melanin, thereby causing some areas to become darker. Sometimes they are fewer or less active than usual, causing a pale area that does not tan. Alternatively, they may be more numerous or active, resulting in darker areas. Most of these conditions are harmless. You can find a number of nonprescription depigmenting creams for lightening skin, but follow directions carefully and do not use such preparations for more than a few weeks.