How to Lighten Dark Spots on Inner Thighs

Skin is the indicator of your health. There are quite a few skin conditions that make you uncomfortable though they may not have serious implications on your health. One of such common skin conditions is dark pigmentation or hyperpigmentation of the skin. Pigmentation may surface as small dark dots, dark circular spots, dark uneven spots or darkening of the skin in specific areas. One of such awkward area is your inner thighs! Yes, dark spots on inner thighs are not uncommon.

Some people suffer from dark inner thighs but dark spots on inner thighs is a different issue. This is different from the condition when the whole of your inner thighs appear darker than the skin on other areas of your body. When you encounter this specific problem, you just have patches of dark skin that are commonly called dark spots on the inner thighs. They may sometimes look like brown spots or even black dots or patches. Those who have black or dark spots on arms and legs are more likely to get dark spots on their inner thighs and vice versa.

Dark Spots on Inner Thighs Vs Dark Inner Thighs

Changes in the overall skin color over a specific area differs a lot with changes in skin color in the form of circles, dots, patches or spots. Dark inner thighs are very common. It is caused due to numerous factors such as poor hygiene, obesity, friction and hormonal imbalance etc. While a person might have a complete dark inner thigh, there are others who just have dark brown spots on inner thighs. Some of the common characteristics of such dark spots on inner thighs include the following.

• Dark brown spots are formed generally on both the inner thighs
• These spots usually don’t hurt
• Some are light brown and yet others are darker brown spots
• They are flat spots and not raised ones
• They start off with only a few brown spots but with time the number and darkness of the spots keep on increasing

You cannot try just any skin lightening remedy to lighten the dark spots on your inner thighs. As mentioned above, it is a different condition from dark inner thighs. Understanding the causes of the dark spots on inner thighs might help you find the appropriate solution.

What are the Causes of Dark Spots on Inner Thighs

Some of you may feel, “I have dark spots on my inner thighs, but my thigh skin isn’t so dark!” That’s fine because both are different conditions, having different causes. However, some causes might be similar for both dark inner thighs and dark spots on inner thighs! Sometimes you  might have dark inner thigh as well as darker spots on inner thighs! It may appear like blackheads on dark thighs.

Some of the common causes for dark spots on Inner thighs include the following.

Hormonal Imbalance

Hormones impact our lives in many ways. Hormonal imbalances are many a times reflected through the skin. The following are some of the conditions when hormonal imbalance occurs.

Pregnancy

Pregnancy is one of the major causes of dark spots on inner thighs. You may also develop dark spots on the neck, under your breasts and other such awkward areas. Post delivery, the dark spots usually vanish on their own. You can just ignore these dark spots on inner thighs during pregnancy as long as you never had such spots before pregnancy and also when these spots remain flat.

Menstrual Cycle and Menopause

Not every woman or girl who undergoes menstrual cycle get dark spots on inner thighs. It is associated with hormonal disturbances as well as improper hygiene during menstruation. Poor hygiene leads to allergic reactions and/or friction that leads to rashes on the delicate skin of the inner thighs. These rashes then manifest in the form of dark patches and spots. Similarly, during menopause, a woman’s body undergoes a roller-coaster ride due to hormonal fluctuations. This may be a cause for dark spots on inner thighs in aged women.

Other hormonal imbalances that may cause dark spots on inner thighs include,

• Hypothyroidism – Underactive thyroid glands may also cause dark patches on the neck along with inner thighs
• Oral contraceptives – prolonged or frequent use of birth control pills may also lead to hormonal imbalance and finally dark spots on inner thighs along with many other health issues.

Infections

The skin at thighs may get affected by infections. Following are some of the common infections that lead to dark patches and spots on the inner thighs.

Folliculitis

It refers to recurrent infection of the hair follicle. Folliculitis is the major cause of dark spots on inner thighs (accounts for 50 percent of the population who suffer from black or dark spots). This infection is also associated with poor genital hygiene.

Bacterial Infection

When your inner thighs are moist or you sweat a lot, it leads to bacterial buildup. The bacteria grow rapidly in the skin folds of the thigh area and end up causing dark spots.

Fungal Infection

This condition is called Tinea Versicolor. This specific infection occurs in various parts of the body, not just on the inner thighs. However, there is also the risk of infection in the inner thighs and subsequent dark spots there.

Yeast Infection in Women and Men

Almost all women suffer from vaginal yeast infection at some point of time in their life. When the yeast infection spreads to the inner part of the thighs, it affects the skin and leads to discoloration.

Similar kind of infection also affects men and is referred to as penis yeast infection. Thus, men too may have dark spots on their inner thighs.

Sexually Transmitted Infections

About 20 percent of the total population who suffer from dark spots on inner thighs, is affected due to sexually transmitted infections. Remember, this is not Sexually Transmitted Disease, rather it is Sexually Transmitted Infections. Thus, dark spots on inner thighs in both men and women can be caused due to sexual relationship.

Scars of rashes, razor bumps or boils

Many times, the dark spots on inner thighs are nothing but the scars of the rashes you developed in the past. Due to excessive perspiration or poor hygiene, you might have developed rashes or boils on inner thighs. Any injury to the skin such as razor bumps, may leave a temporary or permanent mark on the skin.

Acanthosis Nigricans

This condition is characterized by thick and dark velvety patches or spots on skin caused by an increase in insulin levels in the body. It causes dark spots on inner thighs, neck, underarms and back. Sudden onset of dark patches is also a sign of diabetes.

Poor Care of Genital Area

Poor genital care or simply poor hygiene may cause dark spots on inner thighs. Poor hygiene can cause fungal growth on your skin. This, in turn, may lead to de-pigmentation. However, these are not dark spots but light patches that resemble spots seen in vitiligo disease.

Other causes of Dark spots on inner thighs:

In addition to the above, the following are some other causes that may lead to dark spots on inner thighs:

• Sudden friction in the thighs affect the skin and causes dark patches (it can be caused due to obesity, running, cycling, etc.)
• Constant or frequent rubbing of thighs due to improper clothing may also cause spots on inner thighs  
• If you had a Brazilian wax, you are more likely to get dark or brown spots on inner thighs as one of the common side effects.

How to remove dark spots from inner thighs depends mostly on addressing the root cause. When you can identify the cause, you can easily find the right solution.

Why shouldn’t you ignore the Dark Spots on Inner Thighs?

While darkening of skin can be due to lifestyle or poor hygiene, onset of dark spots sometimes may involve serious health implications. One of the warning signs of melanoma, a form of skin cancer is, random dark spots on the body and it also includes inner thighs. Besides, dark spots on inner thighs are also associated with some other health conditions.

Check your hormones and make sure you don’t suffer from serious diseases that might be causing your dark spots on thighs. Don’t panic though. If you notice a dark spot on inner thighs, act immediately.

If it’s not anything serious, take help of home remedies to lighten and remove dark spots from inner thighs. Here are some such remedies for you.

How to Lighten Dark Spots on Inner Thighs

There are many skin lightening remedies you can try to lighten the dark spots on inner thighs. The first one that we will discuss here are the scrubs that can lighten the dark spots on your thighs.

How to Lighten Dark Spots on Inner Thighs with Scrubs

You can lighten the dark spots by scrubbing your thigh skin. Scrubbing softens the skin by removing the dead skin cells. Gradually, it lightens the skin by exposing newer, cleaner and fresher skin. Following are some of the simple DIY scrubs you can try at home to get rid of dark spots on inner thighs.

Almond Scrub

Almond is rich in vitamin E which is responsible for good skin health. Topical application of almonds improves your skin tone. The skin lightening properties of almonds gradually treat the discoloration of the skin.

Get this:

• Almond- 5-6
• Water- few drops

Do this:

• Peel 5 to 6 almonds and make it into a coarse paste.
• Add a few drops of water if required.
• Apply the paste on dark spots and patches.
• Wash it after 15 to 20 minutes with warm water.
• Do it regularly.

Walnut Scrub

Similar to almonds, walnuts are loaded with essential minerals and vitamins. Walnuts nourish the skin, make it soft, improve the skin texture and also retain the moisture there. It is used as one of the major ingredients while making skin lightening scrubs and creams. Walnuts also exfoliate the skin by removal of dead skin cells. Blending walnuts with sour curd (anti-bacterial properties) provide even better results.

Get this:

• Walnut- 5-6
• Sour yogurt- 1 -2 tsp

Do this:

• Crush about 5 to 6 walnuts coarsely and mix with sour curd.
• The scrub should be dense and coarse.
• Apply it on the dark spots of inner thighs.
• Let it dry for 30 minutes and wash off with warm water.
• Try it every alternate day or thrice a week.

Oats Scrub

Oats is known as fiber rich super food which aids in weight loss. But did you know, oats is a natural and an effective skin exfoliator too! Oats contain a lots of healing properties and can transform your dry and chapped skin into soft and smooth skin providing an even skin tone. When you exfoliate your skin at thigh using an oats scrub, you help it slough off dead cells and expose new clean skin devoid of any dark spots.

Get this:

• Oats- 1-2 tbsp
• Water or plain yogurt – to make paste

Do this:

• Grind the oats to get its powder
• Mix it with water or curd to make a fine paste.
• Apply the paste on the spots on inner thighs.
• Wash it with warm water after 30 minutes.

How to Lighten Dark Spots on Inner Thighs with Simple Ingredients

There are many common household ingredients you can use to lighten the dark spots on inner thighs. Find them in your kitchen or cupboards and get rid of dark spots on inner thighs.

Turmeric Paste

It is an anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal ingredient, loaded with unimaginable healing properties. If you have some rough, dark spots or black patches on inner thighs, just apply the paste of turmeric powder

Get this:

• Turmeric powder- 1-2 tsp
• Water- to make paste

Do this:

• Add water to the turmeric powder and make a paste.
• Apply this to your dark spots on inner thighs.
• You can leave it overnight and it won’t harm your skin. If not, leave it for few hours.

Remember, turmeric causes temporary stains on the skin. So, wear such clothes that you don’t worry about getting stained!

Sandalwood Paste

Sandalwood is one of the cooling and soothing ingredients that can improve your skin tone. It reduces skin irritation, prevents dryness, addresses discoloration of the skin, and makes your skin soft and supple.

Get this:

• Sandalwood powder- 1-2 tsp
• Water- for making paste

Do this:

• Mix sandalwood powder with water
• Apply the paste on dark spots.
• You can leave this overnight and wash it next morning.

It enhances the overall color and texture of your thigh skin.

Glycerin

Glycerin is a wonder ingredient for skin that prevents loss of moisture from the skin cells. Lack of moisture not only cause rough and patchy skin leading to discoloration but sometimes also lead to other skin problems such as infections.

Get this:

• Glycerin- 1 tsp
• Water/ Rose water- 4-5 tsp
• Lemon juice (optional but recommended)- few drops

Do this:

• Mix all the ingredients.
• Apply the glycerin mixture on the affected spots and massage the skin gently. If you feel sticky, add some more water to the glycerin.
• You need not wash off the area. Leave it as it is.
• Do this daily 2-3 times, particularly after taking bath and before going to sleep at night.

How to Remove Dark Spots from Inner Thighs

Removal of dark spots is different from lightening the dark spots on inner things. Some spots would be very deep, hard and bumpy to remove. You should consider removal of spots when the dark spots are black and rough on skin.  If you have rough and dark spots, you can try the following remedies.

Exfoliate the skin everyday to remove the dark spots from inner thighs

Exfoliation of the skin daily is not a recommended practice. However, the dark and deep spots in a rough tone are not something that developed overnight. So, you can go for mild exfoliation of the dark spots every day before bath. Just get some sugar or salt and rub it on the pigmented spots. Use a little water for easy scrubbing. Be gentle on your sensitive skin of thighs. Being too harsh may lead to various other problems like rashes etc.

Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera contains a lot of healing properties for skin. It soothes the rough and dark spots on the inner thighs and gradually lighten the skin tone. With time, you will be able to lighten it to a level that it would feel like as if you have removed the dark spots from your inner thighs. Apply the fresh extract of aloe leaf on your dark spots. The enzymes of aloe vera gel have been known to form new skin cells. You can do it almost daily.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is a lesser known miraculous skin ingredient. It is commonly used to remove acne and treat hyper-pigmentation of skin. Mix baking soda with plain water or a few drops of rose water and apply it to get rid of dark spots on inner thighs.

Orange Peel

If you have dry and rough patches at inner thighs along with dark spots, look no further than applying orange peel to the affected area. Orange peel contains more vitamin C than its pulp. Vitamin C is essential to lighten the skin and treat the dark spots, all thanks to the natural acid present in the orange peel!

Grind the orange peel in a mixer along with a few drops of water and apply it on your dark spots on inner thighs. Alternatively, you can also dry the orange peel and make it a soft powder. Then add some water to make a paste and apply to your dark spots.

Balance Skin Dryness and Moisture to Get Rid of Dark Spots on Inner Thighs

Remember, your inner thigh skin should neither be completely dry nor moist. Dry skin leads to dark patches or spots, whereas wet skin leads to fungal or bacterial infection. So, if your skin is dry, regularly massage the thigh skin with coconut oil or vitamin E. If your skin is wet or moist, apply some talcum powder to absorb the excess moisture.

OTC and Prescription Creams to Get Rid of Dark Spots on Inner Thighs

Here are some creams and ointments that you can either buy over-the-counter or get them prescribed by a physician after he checks your dark spots thoroughly and rules out any serious health issue!

Retin-A Cream

This is commonly used to treat acne. However, you can also use it to remove the dark spots on inner thighs. Retin-A cream reduces the roughness of the skin and enables managing even skin tone and texture. This cream removes the top layer of the skin and generates a fresh layer, just like the exfoliating agents. The fresh layer of skin usually grows without any spot or unevenness.

Since it can affect the healthy skin of your thigh negatively, don’t use Retin-A cream over all of your thighs or for lightening the dark inner thighs. Just apply a dab of Retin-A cream on the dark spots (take care not to apply it on the healthy skin surrounding your dark spots).

Although you can get the cream without any prescription, it is recommended to get a prescription from a dermatologist or a physician for Retin-A cream.

Hydroquinone

It is like a bleaching agent and usually applied before a chemical peel. To remove the dark spots, you can buy a prescription hydroquinone with no more than 4% concentration to apply on the inner thighs. Talk to your doctor and try to get the cream with Vitamin C as an additional ingredient. Don’t buy this without consulting a physician.

Topical Steroid Creams

If you notice that the dark spots on inner thighs are spreading fast, consult a dermatologist immediately. In most cases, topical steroid creams prevent spreading and help lighten the dark spots. However, a prescription is mandatory.

Chemical Peel or Laser Treatment to Remove Dark Spots from Inner Thighs

With proper diagnosis and recommendation of a dermatologist, you can get rid of dark spots on inner thighs with chemical peel and laser skin lightening treatment. Both these skin treatments need utmost caution. Make sure you choose the professional and expert treatment centers to avoid complications. Never ever go for these treatments on your own unless they are recommended by an expert dermatologist or a cosmetic surgeon.

Other Tips to Get Rid of Dark Spots on Inner Thighs?

• Check your hormone levels and make sure your hormones are intact.
• Wash your genital area more often to avoid infections, cysts, rashes, etc. Also ensure to dry it properly.
• If you are obese, try to lose weight to reduce fat at thighs. It avoids friction, a major cause of dark spots on inner thighs.
• Use a mild antibacterial soap to cleanse your inner thighs.
• Follow a healthy skin care routine including genital care.
• Remove hair on your thighs using safe options. If possible go for natural remedies for hair removal.
• You may also consider applying some prescription skin lightening creams to lighten the dark spots.

If you are unable to find any improvement in the dark spots on inner thighs, visit a dermatologist immediately to identify the cause and get appropriate solutions to get rid of dark spots on inner thighs.