The skin around my ankles is getting darker and thicker over time. What causes this?

 

Why Is the Skin Around My Ankles Getting Darker and Thicker Over Time?

At first, it may look like an ordinary change in skin color.

You notice that the skin around your ankles seems slightly darker than it used to be. Maybe it's brownish, reddish, purple, or gray. You don't think much of it.

Then, gradually, another change appears.

The skin feels thicker.

It may become dry, rough, itchy, scaly, or harder than the surrounding skin.

If this is happening to you, it's worth paying attention to. Darkening and thickening around the ankles can have several causes, but one of the most common is a problem with blood returning from the lower legs to the heart.

This condition can lead to stasis dermatitis, sometimes called venous eczema or gravitational dermatitis. It often develops around the inner ankles when veins in the legs aren't moving blood upward efficiently.

But circulation isn't the only possible explanation.

Here's what may be happening—and why it's important not to dismiss gradual skin changes as simply a cosmetic issue.

The Most Common Explanation: Poor Vein Circulation

Your leg veins have tiny one-way valves that help blood travel upward toward your heart.

When these valves don't work efficiently, some blood can remain pooled in the lower legs instead of moving back toward the heart as it should.

This is known as chronic venous insufficiency.

Over time, increased pressure in the veins can contribute to fluid accumulating in the tissues around the lower legs and ankles. The resulting swelling and inflammation can affect the skin.

This is one reason the ankles are such a common location for these changes.

The American Academy of Dermatology notes that stasis dermatitis frequently begins around the inner ankles, where people may first notice swelling and faint discoloration.

Why Does the Skin Become Darker?

The color change isn't simply a matter of the skin becoming “dirty” or poorly washed.

Long-term inflammation and changes associated with venous disease can cause persistent pigmentation.

One contributor is the breakdown of red blood cells that can occur when blood vessels are under increased pressure. Iron-containing pigments can accumulate in the skin, producing a brownish or reddish-brown appearance.

Chronic inflammation can also trigger changes in skin pigmentation.

In people with darker skin tones, inflammation may cause particularly noticeable brown, purple, or gray discoloration. More generally, inflammatory skin conditions can cause post-