Yes, it does get better. My color is not quite as dark as when I first started. My ankles get real dark, looks like dirt. LOL

I have terrible brown spots on my hands and some on my face. I always thought it was due to being a sun worshiper in my youth. Does anyone know if it is mostly overall bronze skin color or brown spots that the HH causes?

Thanks,
Pat

I think those may be age spots.

Bronzing is more than a spot. Google Hemochromatosis - Images.

When my Ferritin was lowered to 26, my skin went from a very dark olive to a very light olive. When I am loading my ankles get very dark.

Here in Kentucky, mostly from the country folks, I've heard them call the brown spots "liver spots". Over the past couple of years, I've been getting them, too. I'm 55, gone thru menopause & was diagnosed with HH this summer! Huh, go figure.

Yea zzzdj that is what we call it here in kentucky :-)

At first I thought I wasn't exfoliating enough on my skin but they just got worse. It would just be nice to see them lighten up some overall. So hopefully within the next year of phelb I will see a difference.

Hi Becka
Some people seem to go an even bronze all over others just get patches, others a mix.

I refer to them as spots but they are more like "splodges" or "blotches" really, they are not even in shape or shade. They are different to liver spots. I have only ever got some dark blotches on my shins, I believe many people get it on their faces or areas exposed to the sun. I think it goes darker in areas where the skin is more active, i.e. areas exposed to the elements, areas of dry skin etc. (my shins tend to be a bit dry)

You can have a look at this old post of mine on the Australian Hemo board, it has a couple of pics (I thought I posted it here also, but can't find it now?).
http://haemochromatosis.org.au/smf/index.php?topic=67.0

Yes the ones on my face are exactly like that...no where else just on my face. I was exfoliating away thinking it would fix it but that was right before I learned I had HH......They don't really bother me. I just call them my fighting wounds hehe but hopefully they will ease up and go away. my upper lips is really the only place that bothers me because it makes me look like I have mustache even though there is no hair there at all.

Hugs to you all

Hi Becka, from your description the patchy pigmented areas on your face face sound like Chloasma.
It is generally caused by hormones. Pregnancy or the taking of HRT or the oral contraceptive pill. I have had it for years due to the pill. It reacts to sunlight and gets darker with exposure. Commonly appears centrally on the forehead, nose area and top lip. Mine is always more noticable on hoilday even though I wear high factor sun cream to discourage it. People keep trying to rub what they think is dirt off the bridge of my nose!
Hope this helps.