Dermatologic Signs Unmasking Insulin Resistance: Prevalence and Patterns

    July 2026 in “ Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology ”
    Melany Nahomi de la O Rendón, Jorge Ocampo‐Candiani, Adriana Sánchez García, Jose Gerardo Gonzalez Gonzalez, Cristina Naomi Álvarez López, Mariela Viviana Villagomez Estrada, Iván Dimitry Ruiz Esparza Ramírez
    TLDR Acanthosis Nigricans is the most common skin sign of insulin resistance.
    This study explored the prevalence and patterns of dermatologic signs that can indicate Insulin Resistance (IR) in a sample of 150 patients aged 18 to 45. The study found that Acanthosis Nigricans (AN) was the most common skin manifestation associated with IR, present in 94.7% of participants, followed by Keratosis Pilaris (64.7%), Skin tags (31.3%), and Androgenetic Alopecia (7.3%). The majority of participants were overweight or obese, with a mean BMI of 31.53. Using a HOMA-IR cutoff value of 2.5, 72% of the participants were found to have IR. The study highlights the potential of using skin manifestations as a minimally invasive method to detect IR, which could lead to timely interventions.
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