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Dark skin in the underarm area is a very common problem, and is quite harmless, although people tend to be a little embarrassed about what they see as a discoloration or abnormality. In fact, a large majority of people experience the same problem, so you should not worry too much about your son.
The problem is sometimes caused by shaving the underarms - you have not mentioned whether your son shaves his underarm hair, but if he does this could be the reason.
In this case, it is not really that the skin has become dark. What happens is that when shaving, only the portion of hair that is above the skin is cut off. As you know, some part of the hair, along with the root, is under the skin.
This hair that remains under the skin, along with the stubble that starts to grow, is what makes the skin appear darker in this area. If your son shaves his underarm hair, he should consider some other hair removal technique, such as waxing. This is of course a lot more painful than shaving, especially for men, who tend to have thicker underarm hair, but some men do wax their underarm hair. Of course, it may be that your son is not particularly bothered about this problem, in which case he can continue to shave; there is no harm in this, as mentioned.
Another common reason for the skin in the underarm area to turn dark is constant friction. This is rather normal, as the underarm are is naturally exposed to a lot friction between the arm and the torso, but this friction is sometimes compounded by tight clothing, that rubs against the skin even more. If you think that this may be the case, then your son needs to stop wearing clothes that are this tight. Shirts and t-shirts need not be baggy, but they should fit comfortably, so as not to rub against the skin constantly. Apart from this, cosmetic products that are used could also be responsible for the darkening of underarms skin. Deodorants and antiperspirants can sometimes disagree with the skin, causing it to react over a period of time, with constant use. Antiperspirants are in any case bad for the skin and should therefore be completely avoided; in addition, if your son uses deodorants, he should spray them on clothing rather than directly on the skin.
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