A 38-year-old woman with Graves disease presents with progressive thickening and induration of the skin over the anterior shins bilaterally. On examination, the affected skin shows a characteristic pinkish-yellow appearance with a dimpled, orange peel-like surface. The structure marked **A** in the diagram demonstrates the hallmark physical finding of this rare extrathyroidal manifestation. Which of the following best describes the pathophysiological mechanism underlying this finding?