Why are the areolas brown?

The normal areola color of women is light pink, especially for little girls, it may also appear pink-brown. However, the areola color of pregnant women and breastfeeding women is dark brown, which is different. If we find that the color of the areola has changed in our life, it may be that there are some endocrine problems in the female body, or it may be that pregnancy is occurring. This article introduces the color changes of the areola. If you want to know more, you can take a look.

What color is the normal areola?

The normal color of a woman's areola is light red or pink-brown. If the color of the areola changes, it may indicate certain physiological or pathological changes in the woman's endocrine system. The following is some relevant knowledge about areola color for your reference.

The areola refers to the darker ring-shaped area around the nipple formed by skin pigmentation. Generally, the diameter of the areola is about 3 to 6 cm. During female puberty, the color of the areola is generally light red. During pregnancy and lactation, the color of the areola will gradually deepen to dark brown.

The darkening of the areola color is a problem for many women, because pink areola is more attractive to the opposite sex and symbolizes the purity and youth of women. In some backward areas, there are even men who judge that women have extensive sexual experience just because their areola is dark in color and large in area.

It has been scientifically proven that the color of the areola is closely related to the individual's pigmentation. Some girls have poor pigment excretion function, and the color of the areola will be correspondingly darker. Therefore, the color of the areola cannot fully represent whether a woman has sexual experience.

In addition, the color of a woman's areola will become darker after giving birth and will not fade.

Reasons for darkening of the areola

In life, many women's areolas have become darker, so what is going on? The following is a detailed introduction to the reasons that cause the areola to become darker for your reference.

1. Pregnancy

Hormonal changes cause the areola to become larger and darker. Even if hormones gradually return to normal after delivery, the size of the areola will never return to its pre-pregnancy state. During pregnancy and after childbirth, women's livers constantly eliminate fetal toxins, which leads to liver function weakening. Coupled with the influence of hormonal balance, melanin increases dramatically and settles in strands, causing the areola to darken and deepen.

2. Sunbathing

Wearing a bikini without sun protection will make the fabric more transparent after entering the water, allowing the sun to have a chance to attack your breasts. Or if you like to wear thin and transparent cute clothes, don’t wear underwear, and don’t use sunscreen, all of which will cause your areola to darken.

3. Wearing rough underwear

The underwear material is rough and constantly rubs the areola, which can also cause melanin deposition. Girls' progesterone is secreted in large quantities during their menstruation, and melanocytes, stimulated by progesterone, also secrete large amounts of black pigment, so the areola becomes darker and deeper.

4. Overstimulation

Excessive sexual activity, babies sucking breast milk, and the habit of sponging the body and improper exfoliation can cause melanin deposition. Due to the changes in the physiological functions of the human body after adulthood, the body's melanocytes are stimulated by progesterone, which promotes the secretion of a large amount of melanin in the body. Therefore, the areola will change from pink to dark brown and then from dark brown to black and gradually deepen.

5. Higher levels of estrogen

Women with higher estrogen levels will have dark nipples, areolas and labia minora, which is a healthy female characteristic. For women after menopause, due to low estrogen levels, the nipples, areolas and labia minora will appear pink. Increased melanin pigment, physiological dysfunction, menopausal production function factors, and slow metabolism of epidermal cells.

What to do if the areola turns dark?

The skin around the areola is very delicate and tender, so you should be careful when choosing to avoid choosing inferior areola creams that may cause irritation and allergies. It is recommended to choose areola creams containing natural herbal ingredients such as arbutin, rose essence, and pomegranate extract.

1. Arbutin

It is called "plant gold" and can quickly and effectively inhibit the activity of tyrosinase in the nipple and areola, block the formation of areola melanin, and accelerate the decomposition and excretion of melanin.

2. Rose Essence

It promotes local blood circulation in the nipple and areola, strengthens microvessels, invigorates blood circulation and removes blood stasis, and can lighten the dark color of the nipple and areola, making the breasts delicate and rosy.

3. Pomegranate extract

Powerful antioxidant ingredients promote the metabolism of areola cells, have the effect of whitening, anti-inflammatory, shrinking pores, and making the areola delicate and smooth.

Be careful: Never choose products containing pigments, flavors, chemical synthetics, heavy metals, hormones, kojic acid and salicylic acid, as they will seriously damage the skin of the areola.

In addition to the knowledge about areola introduced above, the editor reminds you that the areola may also have problems such as pimples, enlargement of the areola, and hair growth on the areola. Some of these are physiological causes, while others are pathological causes. For the sake of health, women should go to the hospital for examination in time after finding abnormalities in the areola to avoid worsening the condition.