Small-hairless-black-leathery patch of skin?

Question
Hi Ms Perry
 Thank you for making yourself available to pet owners.. I really appreciate it. I was thinking you might have some thoughts on my dog due to your grooming and general dog knowledge...
My dog has small hairless, black, leathery patch of skin on his front leg. About the size of a dime. It looks very scarlike to me but I dont recall him having a wound there.  Have any thoughts on this or skin conditions that might be something to consider here?
Thanks so much for your brainage! =)

Answer
Hi,
Of course, without seeing it I cannot give you an accurate answer, but groomers do see skin that we call "elephant skin"  this is skin that has been chewed or aggravated by some condition the dog has or had... It could be fleas or a fungus or bacteria, really anything that might have made the dog chew or lick the area or even just rub the area until the hair follicle gets damaged.
The hair never grows back there and the area may or may not become inflamed at times.

There are other types of things this could be also.  Some of these are: moles, warts, mange, cysts, ingrown hairs or growths.  Because your dog hasn't always had this, it would be wise to get a skin scraping to put yourself at ease and also practice preventative medicine.  It is always cheaper to spend a little now, rather than a lot later.

Nancy