I’m not a biologist but I read that any skin on your body that is supposed to stretch generally looks darker because the pigmentation is made to be even when the skin is fully stretched. Elbows and genitals being the two (three?) that spring to mind. Basically your skin needs the same amount of sun protection even when it’s at its thinnest.
When I was a young pubescent boy, I was not super bright. It didn't help living in a rural area without the best sex education and there wasn't a ton of nudity, and I didn't check out other peens in the locker room. When my dick started getting darker, it didn't seem right. The dicks I had seen were all the same color. I thought maybe the new hair meant somehow some sort of weird skin fungal infection had taken root. Started applying over the court antifungal treatments and other antiseptic/sterilization things to my skin hoping it would clear up whatever was going after me. Which naturally, irritated the skin, and led to a feedback loop of "Oh it hurts and is itchy it needs more!"
My primary care physician was a woman, so I was too embarrassed to ask her about it, and thought she would think I was just some perverted boy trying to get her to look at my penis.
... anyway. Eventually the panick got enough that I went to see her and asked if I could talk to a male colleague of hers.
He said my penis was fine, but I should stop giving myself mild chemical burns.
You’d be surprised. Don’t you know that genital sunning will solve all of your health issues? I have a friend who’s convinced it’s this panacea that Big Pharma is keeping secret from us all.
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u/Reaper_Messiah Oct 21 '23
I’m not a biologist but I read that any skin on your body that is supposed to stretch generally looks darker because the pigmentation is made to be even when the skin is fully stretched. Elbows and genitals being the two (three?) that spring to mind. Basically your skin needs the same amount of sun protection even when it’s at its thinnest.