Cutaneous Manifestations of Obesity in Adolescent Age Group: A Clinical Study

Obesity is currently a major epidemic and has lead to a significant increase in the number of obese adolescents attending dermatology OPD. obesity is implicated in a wide spectrum of dermatologic diseases including acanthosis nigricans, acrochordons, keratosis pilaris, hirsutism, striae distensae, adiposis dolorosa and fat redistribution, lymphedema, chronic venous insufficiency, plantar hyperkeratosis, bacterial infections, skin infections, hidradenitis suppurativa, psoriasis and tophaceous gout. The aim of this study was to determine the various cutaneous manifestations in obese adolescents and analyse the relation with body mass index (BMI). The various cutaneous changes seen in our study included infections, acanthosis nigricans, skin tags, plantar hyperkeratosis, striae, and chronic lymphedema.