Shereene IdrissBoard Certified Derm, Founder and Chief Nerd

3 skin signs you shouldn’t ignore if you care about your health — from a dermatologist

6 Jun 2026 · 2 min

Watch on YouTube

1:53

In this concise health‑education video, dermatologist Shereene Idriss highlights three skin‑related warning signs that can indicate serious underlying health issues. First, she describes androgen excess (also referred to as polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, PMOS) manifested by hair thinning, jaw‑line breakouts, increased facial hair, and irregular periods, recommending a hormonal panel and lifestyle changes (more protein, resistance training) to improve insulin resistance. Second, she explains acanthosis nigricans—thick, velvety, darkened skin on the neck or armpits—as a visual cue of insulin resistance, prediabetes, or diabetes, advising increased fiber intake and a hemoglobin A1c test. Third, she warns that generalized yellowing of the skin and mucous membranes signals jaundice caused by bile‑duct obstruction, which can be life‑threatening (e.g., pancreatic cancer), urging immediate medical evaluation. She ends by inviting viewers to request a follow‑up video.

Chapters

Did you know that your hair, your eyes, and your skin reveal so much about your health? I'm going to share 3 signs you absolutely should not ignore, starting with number 1. If you notice some hair thinning, but you also have some breakouts along your jawline and increased hair along your jawline, and maybe some irregular periods, you might have excess androgen levels. And this is also known as polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, PMOS. You want to make sure that you go to your doctor to check a hormonal panel. What you could do to help yourself though is increase your protein intake and increase your resistance training to help to minimize insulin resistance, which is usually part of the picture. Number 2, if you have thickening of your skin at the base of your neck or in your armpits and you notice your skin looks thicker, it feels velvety, it looks darker, this is something known as acanthosis nigricans, which is a sign of insulin resistance, prediabetes, or even diabetes. Other clues you can look for are increased skin tags, which also tend to appear. So one thing you could do right now that could help you is increase your fiber intake, because fiber is going to help to minimize your blood sugar spike and help with overall insulin sensitivity. But make sure when you go to your doctor that they check for your hemoglobin A1c, which is going to be a marker of your sugar over the past few months, and it's a good screening test for diabetes and prediabetes. And last and the most important, and this one could save your life, if you notice yellowing of your skin all over your body, make sure to look at your mucosal membranes in your eyes and under your tongue because those areas tend to get yellow too if you are jaundiced. And jaundice is a sign when your bilirubin levels are increasing due to a blockage of your bile system. Something within your liver, your gallbladder, or your pancreas could be causing this blockage, and this is an emergency that you want to get checked. Unfortunately, this one is near and dear to my heart because it was the first sign that my grandmother, who passed from pancreatic cancer, had. So please do not ignore this one and go get checked ASAP. If you found this video helpful and if you want a part 2, let me know below.