Hi Everyone,

So I was really careless last year and used my knees a lot. At my job we package a lot of stuff and since the boxes where usually heavy I had to get to their level and use my knees tons. Anyway now I have these dark spots on my knees that I've been trying to get rid of but they do not go away. I was told by a friend that it was bruising and she recommended some Arnica cream.. that did not work for me. Then I dried Mederma scar cream... that did not work. Then I tried Bio Oil.. that did not work. I tried exfoliating with a pumice stone to get rid of the dry skin... that did nothing but irritate my skin. Now I am thinking perhaps I need to whiten the area so that it matches up with my skin.

Would you guys recommend something that has the most potential to lighten the knee/elbow area? I also have super dark elbows from resting on desks at school.


Anyway this is how my knees look:
http://i45.tinypic.com/14id3pv.jpg
http://i45.tinypic.com/2z3yqeb.jpg
http://i45.tinypic.com/5l8i8n.jpg

You see the two huge dark patches? I would like to lighten those to match up with the other parts of my knee.

Help!:(

& thank you

Take Vitamin D, 4,000 IUs a day (in two doses).

I don't understand what taking a multivitamin is going to do? Will it get rid of the marks?

I should also point out that I've had these marks since September 2009 and I've tried everything under the sun and I feel like lightening them is my last stop. :(

I said Vitamin D, not a multivitamin.

I had rough elbows that had seriously darkened from leaning on my computer table at home and all day at work. Coworkers commented on them and said, "Ewwwww." About four months ago, I started taking 4,000-5,000 Vitamin D per day. My elbows are now smooth and are my normal skin color. A friend had the same problem and had done the same thing with the same result.

Read up on Vitamin D. It's a vitamin for skin (and other things). Medical scientists are just starting to realize that we don't take nearly enough of it. The recommended daily dose used to be 400 IUs. Now a dose of 4,000-10,000 IUs per day is suggested. It certainly would be a lot safer than a skin lightener, and cheaper too. Please try it for two to three months.

Wow where did get this information from? People keep saying vitamin C is for the skin... Now I'm hearing vitamin D works?

Have you seen any difference after taking the vitamin D? my knees are a lot like yours and I have tried lemon, Nur76 and a Palmers skin lightener all over different periods but I haven't seen any change, I really want them to be light for this summer so I need something that will work quickly and effectively

I kind of have the same problem but it doesn't bother me too much! MOST people do have black knees but I guess I'd like to get rid of it too. :o) My mom always tells me to cut a lemon in half & rub it on that area before you go to sleep, however this would probably take really long!

Hi there - I know it's been a year since you posted this, but just in case you get updates re: replies to your post, I just wanted you to know that I too suffer from the same thing as you - I am Asian, and I have those quarter-sized dark patches on the knees due to being on my knees a lot, as well as a really dark patch on my left foot from putting my foot underneath me when I sit sometimes. I have always had knees that were a little darker than the rest of my skin, but these small spots from being on my knees these past couple of years really bother me. Nothing has helped! I even stopped wearing shorts in public. This year, though, I decided to just do the best I can and stop being self-conscious about it so that I can wear shorts again - because dang it, summers are pretty brutal here, LOL! What I have done with moderate success (having started a couple months ago) is moisturize the heck out of my knees several times a day, drink lots of water, do the best I can to keep from kneeling on my knees, and apply Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula and Palmer's Skin Therapy Oil in addition to moisturizer. I bought Meladerm (pretty pricey) but haven't seen any results, so I can't recommend it (though I still have some, so I'm going to continue using it - it can't hurt!). I don't know about Vitamin D, but I have read that Vitamin C can help brighten / lighten skin, so I am going to add that to my regime. Good luck! I definitely understand what you're dealing with. It may seem trivial to some folks, but I understand how self-conscious it can make someone feel.