People with diabetes can be more susceptible than others to a variety of skin issues, MayoClinic.com says. Although skin complications from diabetes often develop gradually, they may become severe, requiring medical treatment. Therefore, it is important for people with diabetes to contact their doctors as soon as they notice diabetic skin issues.
Dryness
Diabetes causes blood glucose to become too high, which prompts the body to turn water into urine to flush excess glucose from the blood. This increased fluid loss results in dry skin. Diabetes also damages nerves in the legs and feet that signal the body to sweat to prevent dry skin. Dry skin in diabetics can become red, sore and itchy. It sometimes cracks and peels, allowing germs to enter and cause infection, says the Cleveland Clinic.
Infections
Both bacterial and fungal infections on the skin can result from diabetes, according to MayoClinic.com. Diabetics often experience bacterial skin infections that affect the skin’s underlying tissue, as well as areas such as the hair follicles, the nails and the eyelids, the Cleveland Clinic says. Skin that’s been infected by bacteria tends to be painful, red, swollen and hot. A fungus called Candida albicans is common in people with diabetes, says the Cleveland Clinic, and affects areas of the body where the skin folds, such as between the toes, inside the thighs, near the genitals and on the trunk. Fungal skin infections in diabetics tend to cause itchy red rashes that are usually surrounded by scales and tiny blisters.
Blood Vessel Damage
When diabetes damages blood vessels by narrowing them, the vessels that supply blood to the skin can carry less oxygen in the blood to keep the skin healthy. This problem causes a condition called diabetic dermopathy, the Cleveland Clinic says. It often appears on the front of diabetics’ legs as brown or red patches of skin. Diabetic dermopathy is limited just to skin discoloration, however, and usually isn’t serious enough to warrant any medical treatment, says the Cleveland Clinic. Another common skin condition among diabetics that’s caused by blood vessel damage is atherosclerosis, which also affects the legs. Atherosclerosis happens when arteries harden, narrowing blood vessels. When this happens to the blood vessels that supply oxygen to skin on the legs, the legs become thin, shiny and cool, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
