Brown spot on skin

[subway]

I have TWO BROWN SPOTS that have shown up in the last year. One was on my elbow and about the size of a dime. The second brown spot is below my kneecap and is a little larger than the size of a quarter. They are just dark brown or darker than the rest of my skin, there is no pain or itching or any visible symptoms other than the apperance. The brown spot on my elbow has faded somewhat over the last three months but is still noticeable on my skin. As for the brown spot below my kneecap it has not faded in color at all.NOTE:This one came up only three months ago. This spot is also has dead sking flaking off but the color stays the same. Neither spots are hard or cause any soreness at all. What are these spots? Are they Lesions of some kind? What can cause this or are they symptoms of something else? When I first saw them I thought I must have hit my arm or leg and they would just go away but know its starting to scare me. I have looked for pictures of lesions and all sorts of things on the web to compare to but havent seen anything that looks similar. If you can answer what it is can you direct me to where I can look on the web for pictures to compare to what my BROWN SPOTS look like. Thanks in advance for your help.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

They don't sound like much.  My guess is that in each place there was mild irritation of some kind, very possibly from hitting the area as you yourself suggest, that left behind pigmentation.  In any case, you are not going to be able to diagnose this on the internet.  Since the spots worry you, I suggest you see a skin doctor.  It should take one visit to clarify the matter, and then you can most likely forget about it.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff

[RobLit]

A related discussion, New Brown Spots have just appeared on my Knee and Elbow was started.