Skin Presentations Common in Obese Patients

Obesity is a public health epidemic associated with cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetes, but the presence of obesity is also linked to numerous dermatological presentations related to the increased amount of skin and to the pathophysiology of obesity.
“Obesity can lead to skin tags,” explains Benjamin Barankin M.D., F.R.C.P.C., a dermatologist based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and Co-Founder of the Toronto Dermatology Centre. “People who are obese have more skin tags, in more areas, and they are bigger skin tags. Stretch marks also appear more often in obese individuals.”
Dr. Barankin notes another condition linked to obesity is acanthosis nigricans, a thickening and darkening of the skin in sites like the armpits, groin, neck and other intertriginous areas. General thickening of the skin and darkening of the elbows and knees is common in larger patients compared to patients of normal weight, Dr. Barankin adds.
Infections, both bacterial and fungal, are also more common in obese than non-obese patients, he says.
Read more at Dermatology Times.