Diabetes-related skin conditions

The following are skin problems that happen mostly or only to people with diabetes. Many of them are very rare.

Dermopathy of diabetes

This condition is caused by diabetes-related changes in the small blood vessels.

Dermopathy often looks like light brown, scaly patches, which may be oval or circular. Some people mistake them for age spots. They most often occur on the front of both legs. But each leg may not be affected to the same degree. The patches do not hurt, open up, or itch. The condition is harmless and does not need treatment.

Necrobiosis Lipoidica Diabeticorum (NLD)

This is similar to dermopathy of diabetes. However the spots are fewer, but larger and deeper.

NLD often starts as a dull red raised area. After a while, it looks like a shiny scar with a violet border. The blood vessels under the skin may become easier to see. Sometimes NLD is itchy and painful. Sometimes the spots crack open.

NLD is rare. Adult women are the most likely to get it. As long as the sores do not break open, you don't need treatment. If you do get open sores, see your doctor for treatment.

Atherosclerosis

Thickening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) narrows them and affects the skin on the legs. People with diabetes tend to get atherosclerosis at younger ages than other people do.

Thickened blood vessels have less blood flowing through them. Atherosclerosis causes the skin to become hairless, thin, cool, and shiny. The toes become cold. Toenails thicken and discolour, and exercise causes pain in the calf muscles because the muscles are not getting enough oxygen (this calf pain is called intermittent claudication).

Because blood carries the infection-fighting white cells, affected legs heal slowly if the skin is injured (less blood flowing through blood vessels means fewer white cells are getting to where they are needed). Even minor scrapes can result in open sores that heal slowly.

If you have lower limb or foot neuropathy (nerve damage) as well as atherosclerosis, you are more at risk of developing injuries that don't heal on your legs and feet. If you can't feel a part of your body it is more prone to get injured. Learn more about diabetes and your feet . . .

Blisters of diabetes (Bullosis Diabeticorum)

Blisters of diabetes can occur on the backs of fingers, hands, toes, feet, and sometimes, on legs or forearms. Fortunately it's extremely rare.

They look like burn blisters. They sometimes are large. But they are painless and have no redness around them. They heal by themselves, usually without scars, in about three weeks. They often occur in people who have diabetic neuropathy. The only treatment is to achieve healthier blood glucose levels if your blood glucose levels are high. You should see your doctor quickly if they happen as they can get infected.

Eruptive Xanthomatosis

This condition is usually caused by long-term high blood glucose levels. It consists of firm, yellow, pea-like enlargements in the skin. Each bump has a red halo and may itch. This condition occurs most often on the backs of hands, feet, arms, legs, and buttocks.

The condition usually occurs in young men with Type 1 diabetes, especially if they have high levels of cholesterol and fat in their blood. Like blisters of diabetes, these bumps usually disappear when blood glucose and blood cholesterol levels are in a more healthy range.

Digital Sclerosis

Sometimes people with diabetes develop tight, thick, waxy skin on the backs of their hands. Sometimes skin on the toes and forehead also becomes thick. The finger joints become stiff and can no longer move the way they should. Rarely knees, ankles, or elbows also get stiff.

This condition happens to about a third of people who have Type 1 diabetes. It can improve when blood glucose levels are in a healthy range.

Disseminated Granuloma Annulare

In this condition, the person has sharply defined ring-shaped or arc-shaped raised areas on the skin. They can be red, red-brown, or skin-coloured. These rashes occur most often on parts of the body far from the trunk (torso), for example, the fingers or ears. Sometimes, though, the raised areas occur on the trunk.

See your doctor if you get rashes like this. There are drugs that can help clear up this condition.

Acanthosis Nigricans

This is a condition in which tan or brown raised areas appear on the sides of the neck, armpits, and groin. Sometimes they also occur on the hands, elbows, and knees.

Acanthosis nigricans more commonly occurs in people who are very overweight. The best treatment is to lose weight. Some creams can help the spots look better.

It can also be a marker of an unusual form of diabetes called MODY (Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young). If you have this skin condition you should draw it to the attention of your doctor if it has not already been noticed.