Skin Complications
According to the American Diabetes Associate, those with diabetes are simply more susceptible to skin conditions, including bacterial infections, fungal infections, and itching. However, there are also several conditions linked specifically to diabetes.
Bacterial infections include styes (infection of glands in the eyelids), boils, folliculitis (infection of hair follicles), carbuncles (infection of the skin itself and of the tissue underneath), and infections around the nails. Infections cause tissues to become inflamed, making them hot, swollen, red, and painful. Diabetics have a higher incidence of bacterial infection, and it highly recommended they practice skin care to reduce the risk. It is recommended to see a doctor.
Fungal infections in diabetics is most commonly caused by Candida albicans, a yeast-like fungus. The infection occurs in warm, moist folds in the skin, usually under the breasts, around nails, between fingers and toes, at the corners of the mouth, and in the armpits and groin. It creates itchy rashes of moist, red areas surrounded by blisters and scales. It is recommended to see a doctor.
Itching, which can be caused by a yeast infection, can also be caused by dry skin or poor circulation. This can be treated at home by limiting bathing, especially in low humidity, using mild moisturizing soap, and applying skin creams.
Acanthosis nigricans is a condition where tan or brown raised areas appear on the neck, armpits, and groin, and sometimes on the hands, elbows, and knees. It particularly affects the overweight, and losing weight is thought to be the best treatment, though some creams soothe the raised areas.
Diabetic dermopathy is a condition in which light brown, scaly circular patches appear on the skin, often the front of both legs, because of changes in the blood vessel caused by diabetes. The patches are often mistaken for age spots and do not hurt, open up, or itch. It is harmless, and treatment is unnecessary.
Necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum (NLD) is also caused by changes in the blood vessels and creates spots that look similar to diabetic dermopathy but fewer, larger, and deeper. NLD starts as a dull, raised, red area and looks like a scar with a violet border in time. The blood vessels underneath may become easier to see. The spots are itchy and painful, and they may break open. It is a rare condition, most common in adult women. So long as the spots do not break open, it does not need to be treated. Otherwise, it is recommended to see a doctor.
Diabetic blisters, or bullosis diabeticorum, is a rarer condition occurring more often in those with diabetic neuropathy where blisters form on the backs of fingers, hands, toes, feet, and sometimes on the legs or the forearms. They resemble large burn blisters, but they are painless and have no redness. The blisters heal on their own, usually without scarring, in roughly three weeks. There is no treatment other than to bring blood sugar levels under control.
Eruptive xanthomatosis presents itself as firm, yellow, pea-like enlargements in the skin, appearing most often on the back of the hands, feet, arms, legs, and buttocks. Each bump may itch and has a red halo. It most often occurs in young men with type 1 diabetes and in those with high levels of cholesterol and fat in the blood. There is no treatment other than to bring these under control.
Digital sclerosis occurs when the skin becomes tight, thick, and waxy on the backs of the hands so that the finger joints become stiff and can no longer move as they should. Rarely, this occurs in the knees, ankles, or elbows. It appears in roughly one-third of type 1 diabetes cases. There is no treatment other than to bring blood sugar levels under control.
Disseminated granuloma annulare is condition in which sharply defined ring- or arc-shaped raised areas–red, red-brown, or flesh-colored–appear on the skin. These appear most often on parts far from the torso, such as the fingers or ears, but sometimes appear on the torso also. It is recommended to see a doctor.
