Skin changes are one of the most common signs of diabetes. Diabetes can damage nerves and blood vessels, and the skin is full of both; when it shows on your skin, your blood sugar may have been too high for some time.
| Condition | What it looks like | Cause | What helps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acanthosis nigricans | dark, velvety patches in skin folds such as the neck, armpits or groin, sometimes on hands, elbows or knees | a sign of insulin resistance, and possibly of prediabetes or type 2 diabetes; common with obesity | treating the root cause; physical activity and a healthy weight can help reverse insulin resistance |
| Diabetic dermopathy (shin spots) | round red or brown patches or lines; they don't hurt, itch or open up | changes in small blood vessels that reduce the skin's blood supply | harmless and needs no treatment; ask your doctor if concerned |
| Necrobiosis lipoidica | small raised bumps like pimples that become yellow, reddish or brown patches of swollen, hard skin; rare, and can itch and hurt | unclear; linked to changes in fat and collagen under the skin, and more common in women | no cure; steroid creams early on can stop it worsening |
| Bullosis diabeticorum (diabetic blisters) | blisters like burn blisters on the lower legs and feet, sometimes arms and hands; painless | unknown; more likely with long-term high blood sugar | usually heal on their own without a scar; check skin and feet daily and bring blood sugar to target |
| Eruptive xanthomatosis | small reddish-yellow bumps, sometimes tender and itchy, on the backs of the hands, feet, arms, legs and buttocks; rare | high cholesterol and triglycerides (blood fats) | control blood fats; medicine may lower cholesterol |
| Digital sclerosis | tight, thick, waxy skin on the fingers, stiffening the joints; with continued high blood sugar the skin can harden and swell, and it can spread | more common in type 1 diabetes with high blood sugar | bring blood sugar into the normal range; physical therapy may help joint movement |
| Bacterial infections | inflamed, hot, swollen, red and painful tissue, often on the eyelids, hair follicles and fingernails | bacteria, commonly staph, thrive on excess glucose; people with diabetes get more infections | usually antibiotics; normal blood sugar helps prevent them |
| Fungal infections | itchy rashes ringed by tiny red blisters and scales in warm, moist skin folds: jock itch, athlete's foot, ringworm, vaginal infections | more likely when blood sugar is high | ask your doctor about medicine; keeping blood sugar normal is the best prevention |
| Dry, itchy skin | common in anyone, but in diabetes can come from poor circulation | excess blood sugar makes the body pull fluid from its cells to make urine that flushes the sugar out | keep blood sugar in range; shorter showers, mild soap, lotion afterwards |
The common thread: keeping blood sugar in your target range helps prevent or ease most of these conditions. Talk with your doctor about any skin change that worries you.
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Diabetes and Your Skin." https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/signs-symptoms/diabetes-and-your-skin.html
- The original's two stock photographs are not reproduced here.
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Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from www.cdc.gov
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