Type 2 Diabetes And Skin Health
What Is Type 2 Diabetes? Skin problems are often the first visible signs of diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. Type 2 diabetes can make existing skin problems worse, and also cause new ones. Type 2 diabetes is a chronic metabolic condition that affects how your body absorbs glucose (sugar). This happens when the body either rejects insulin or doesn’t produce enough insulin to maintain a normal blood sugar level. While it’s most common in adults, some children and adolescents can be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. According to the Mayo Clinic, risk factors include being overweight, having a family history of diabetes, and inactivity. While there is no cure, patients can manage their type 2 diabetes by eating well, exercising, and (in some cases) taking medications recommended by your doctor. Monitoring your blood sugar is also important. Sometimes even maintaining a healthy weight isn’t enough to manage this condition. In some cases, your doctor will determine that medication intervention is needed. Common treatments for type 2 diabetes include: insulin therapy (insulin “shots,” usually reserved for those who don’t do well with oral medications) sulfonylureas (medications that stimulate your pancreas to secrete more insulin) metformin (widely prescribed drug which increases the body’s sensitivity to insulin) DPP-4 inhibitors (medications which reduce blood sugar levels) Causes of Diabetes-Related Skin Problems Long-term type 2 diabetes with hyperglycemia (high blood glucose) tends to reduce blood flow to the skin. It can also cause damage to blood vessels and nerves. Decreased blood circulation can lead to changes in the skin’s collagen. This changes the skin’s texture, appearance, and ability to heal. Damage to the skin cells can Continue reading >>
Say Goodbye To Dry Skin
Say Goodbye to Dry Skin Everyone gets dry skin from time to time. But for people with diabetes, it can be a chronic problem if your blood glucose levels are regularly high. High blood glucose causes the body to lose fluids at a faster rate. Skin can also become dry when nerves are damaged from years of diabetes and don't get the message to sweat. For people with diabetes, dry skin can become more than an irritation -- it can be dangerous. When skin is dry, it sloughs off easier, and often the outer layer is lost. This outer layer is your skin's first defense against bacteria and acts as a barrier. And because bacteria feed on glucose, people with diabetes whose blood glucose isn't in control have a higher risk of bacterial infection -- the bacteria are literally on a feeding frenzy in the higher glucose levels. That's why even the tiniest cut can become a major infection when your glucose levels are regularly high. Experts say it's vital to keep a close eye on your skin. If you identify a cut, scratch, or burn early, it's possible to avoid major complications such as an amputation. "Don't wait! Even if a skin condition appears to be minor, see your doctor," says Fran Cook-Bolden, M.D., clinical professor of dermatology at Columbia University in New York City. Signs of Skin Problems Many skin conditions associated with high blood glucose levels cause changes in your skin's color, texture, or pigmentation. Watch for: Dull red raised areas. Light brown scaly patches, rashes, and depressions or bumps at injection sites if you take insulin. Dry skin. Skin on your legs that becomes hairless, thin, cool, and shiny (signs of thickening arteries and poor circulation). Moist, red itchy areas surrounded by tiny blisters and scales (sign of fungal infection). Controlled Glucose Mea Continue reading >>
Diabetic Dermopathy Symptoms
What is Diabetic Dermopathy? This is a common skin condition that is found in diabetic people on their lower legs. The word dermopathy refers to all complications and skin problems that occur with diabetes. They are also referred to as pigmented pretibial patches or shin spots. Up to fifty percent of people with diabetes may have or have had diabetic dermopathy with it being more common in ones who have diabetes that is poorly controlled or have had diabetes for ten to twenty years and older than the age of sixty. They have appeared after an injury in people who do not have diabetes. Although it is more common after the age of sixty it can affect diabetics of any age, race, or sex. Although you find it primarily on the lower legs it can appear on your thighs, forearms, shins, and sides of your feet. Initially diabetic dermopathy will appear as patches that range in color from tan to dark brown or pink to red. Other symptoms you may have include: The patches are usually slightly scaly. They can be oval or round in shape. The patches may become indented faintly if they are long-standing, which is called atrophic. There can be a number of these spots and will cover a big area. Very seldom do these patches sting, itch, burn, become open sores, or hurt. In some people with diabetic dermopathy they look like age spots. Causes Diabetic dermopathy lesions will usually appear more often after trauma or an injury in the area where you see them the most but there is not specific reason. The reason is that this medical condition is all related to the blood vessels and nerve damage that happens when a person has diabetes. It is also thought to happen when there is minor leakage of blood products from the vessels into your skin and also there could be changes in the small blood vesse Continue reading >>
Diabetic Foot Pain
by Kenneth B. Rehm, DPM Includes photo of Dr. Kenneth B. Rehm, DPM Diabetes is one of the most common reasons people seek relief for painful feet. With diabetes, four types of foot problems may arise in the feet. Nerve Problems due to Diabetes The most common contributor to diabetic foot pain is a nerve problem called Peripheral Neuropathy. This is where the nerves are directly affected by the disease process. There are basically three types of peripheral neuropathy: sensory, motor, and autonomic neuropathy. A large percentage of pain diabetic patients complain of is due to sensory neuropathy. This can show up as "sensitive pain," where the amount of pain is not proportional to the amount of insult that is causing it. For instance, just touching the skin or putting a sheet over your feet in bed could be painful. This can be present at the same time as numbness in the feet. Sensory neuropathy symptoms can include burning, tingling or a stabbing pain. Relief is foremost on someone's mind when painful neuropathy has raised its ugly head. The first thing to do is to check your blood sugar for the past several weeks to see if there has been a trend toward high blood sugar (Editor's Note: The A1c test is traditionally employed to determine this, and should be repeated about every three months.) Persistent high blood sugar can contribute to this type of pain. Massaging your feet with a diabetic foot cream, or using a foot roller, often takes the edge off the pain. Vitamin B preparations are often recommended; and there are a variety of prescription medications that do work. Using cushioned, supportive shoes and foot support inserts is always needed to protect the feet from the pounding, rubbing and irritating pressures that contribute to neuropathic pain. Motor neuropathy can Continue reading >>
Diabetes And Your Skin
Protecting Your Outermost Layer The phrase “feeling comfortable in your own skin” is usually used figuratively to describe a level of self-confidence or self-acceptance. But when your skin itches, hurts, flakes, breaks out, changes color, or just doesn’t look or feel the way you’d like it to, the phrase can take on a new, very literal meaning. Diabetes can affect the skin in a number of ways that can make a person feel less than comfortable. In fact, as many as a third of people with diabetes will have a skin condition at some point in their lifetime. While some conditions may appear uniquely in people with diabetes, others are simply more common in people with diabetes. The good news is that a fair number of these conditions are treatable or can be prevented by maintaining blood glucose control and taking good daily care of your skin. Dry, itchy skin Dry skin can occur as a result of high blood glucose. When the blood glucose level is high, the body attempts to remove excess glucose from the blood by increasing urination. This loss of fluid from the body causes the skin to become dry. Dry skin can also be caused by neuropathy (damage to the nerves) by affecting the nerves that control the sweat glands. In these cases, neuropathy causes a decrease or absence of sweating that may lead to dry, cracked skin. Cold, dry air and bathing in hot water can aggravate dry skin. Dryness commonly leads to other skin problems such as itching (and often scratching), cracking, and peeling. Any small breaks in the skin leave it more exposed to injury and infection. It is therefore important to keep skin well moisturized. The best way to moisturize is to apply lotion or cream right after showering and patting the skin dry. This will seal in droplets of water that are present on t Continue reading >>
Diabetes Living With Diabetes? How Eucerin Can Keep Your Skin Healthy.
Did you know that diabetes affects more than one in four locals in the GCC population? In fact, researchers predict that more than 35.4 million people in the MENA Region have diabetes and by 2040 that number will rise to 72.1 million – that’s a 100% increase. Living with diabetes requires special care, and a relatively unknown side effect is that skin irritations are quite frequent in diabetics: four out of five people will be bothered by dry and itchy skin. In fact, skin sensitivity and irritation can be one of the first signs that a person has diabetes. Follow the simple tips below to relieve many common skin care concerns, giving you the confidence in knowing your skin looks and feels its best. Talk to your dermatologist or doctor for further information. As many as four out of five people with diabetes will have a skin disorder caused by their disease. Most of them will develop dry skin, especially on their legs and feet, as skin loses its ability to bind moisture and its function as a barrier is impaired. Dry skin can set the stage for even more serious skin infections and diseases such as eczema and ulcers. If you have diabetes, you may have noticed that your skin tends to be more sensitive. Skin irritations are quite frequent in diabetics. Why is that? Diabetic skin cannot restore moisture like healthy skin and thus it gets dry and cracks more easily. The elevated blood sugar affects small nerves and vessels as well as sweat glands. Therefore, the perspiration of your skin is reduced, which normally helps to keep your skin soft and moist. To keep your skin moist and healthy, you should look after it carefully. Eucerin® supports you and your skin with selected dry skin products, which replenish what your skin is lacking. Most common skin problems are: Dry, fl Continue reading >>
Diabetes Skin Care – What You Need To Know And What You Can Do
Taking care of our skin is always important, but in diabetes skin care requires more consideration. The skin, our body’s largest organ, is a vital physical barrier between the outside world and everything inside us. Although it seems like a pretty simple thing, there are many blood vessels, nerves and various other structures within it. These all affect the integrity of our skin, and influences how well it does its job. It’s in Your Blood One primary cause of medical complications in diabetes is high blood glucose levels, especially if levels are consistently high over a prolonged period of time. High levels of circulating glucose can lead to damage to the body’s blood vessels. Since all organs in the body rely on blood perfusion from these vessels, any damage to them can lead to problems for the respective organs. People with diabetes may thus be at risk of various complications if their blood glucose levels are not adequately controlled. These may include eye problems (such as retinopathy), kidney damage (nephropathy) and, of course, skin issues. The cells of our skin need good blood flow to maintain its integrity. Other factors, like high blood pressure and high cholesterol, may also increase the risk of blood vessel damage. For people with diabetes, it’s important for blood pressure and cholesterol to also be monitored regularly. If you have concerns about these, you should talk to your doctor about appropriate monitoring and management. Nerves Know the Problems Nerves in the skin detect things like heat and pain to let us know when there are problems or danger present. Over time, high blood glucose can cause damage to the body’s nervous system, affecting the body’s ability to detect when something’s amiss. For example, in many patients with diabetes, Continue reading >>
9 Natural Cures For Dry, Itchy Skin
Got ashy, patchy, red, peeling, itchy, flaking or just plain ‘ol uncomfortable skin? Regardless of your exact skin ailment, dry, itchy skin can drive you insane. And unfortunately, slathering on moisturizers can only help so much. If your condition is truly troubling you, you may want to make a dermatologist appointment (especially since there are some conditions that no amount of home TLC can fix). Here are some top home skin-soothers you can give a try: Like what you’re reading? Then LIKE us on Facebook! 1. Don’t use anything that says “soap.” The problem: Washing your dry skin with soap and water strips away the skin’s protective natural oils along with dirt and grime. The natural solution: Switch to cleansing creams, gentle skin cleansers or bath or shower gels with moisturizers, not harsh soap. Your skin should feel soft and smooth after washing, never tight or dry. Experiment with several brands until you find the right one. “Use fragrance-free, non-detergent, neutral-pH products to cleanse your skin,” says Monica K. Bedi, M.D., a Florida-based dermatologist. An extra natural tip: Try aloe or a tepid water-oatmeal mixture on the irritated area. 2. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize The problem: About 75% of dry skin problems can be solved with one step, says dermatologist Morgan P. O’Donoghue: “After bathing in tepid water, moisturize immediately to help trap water in the surface cells, then pat dry.” The natural solution: Try using thicker creams – like Eucerin, Cetaphil or Lubriderm – which can work better than lotions. Also, look for cosmetics with moisturizers. If your skin is extremely dry, apply cocoa butter, almond or vitamin E oil right after your shower or bath, while it’s still moist. Oil has more staying power than moisturize Continue reading >>
4 Subtle Signs You’re Developing Diabetes
Diabetes can sneak up on you. That’s what reportedly happened to Rob Kardashian, the 28-year-old reality TV personality, this week. According to TMZ, he was rushed to an L.A. hospital and diagnosed with the condition. Rob had put on weight recently, but he no idea he had diabetes. And he’s not alone: 25 percent of people with diabetes don’t know they’re afflicted, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Paying attention to prediabetes warning signs could save you from an ER visit like Kardashian’s—and prevent you from ever developing full-blown diabetes. Here are the top silent alarms. (If these sound familiar, exercising and losing weight can reduce your risk. Try The Get Back in Shape Workout: A 28-Day Program That Will Transform Your Body!) 1. You know what the bathroom looks like at night. Because you visit often. As blood sugar levels go up, diabetes symptoms like frequent urination worsen. “If 4 months ago you were getting up once in the middle of the night to pee and now you’re getting up three times, that’s a clue you need to get checked out,” says Andrew Bremer, M.D., Ph.D., program director at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. This may also be a symptom of prostate issues (such as an enlarged prostate). Either way, it’s best to bring the issue up with your doctor so he can rule out potential causes. 2. Your skin looks dirty. You notice dark patches of skin on the back of your neck, but no matter how hard you rub, they won’t come off. How come? Insulin resistance can cause a condition called acanthosis nigricans, which may appear during pre-diabetes. The dark, velvety patches can ring your neck and also appear on your elbows and knees. Once you get your glucose under control, the p Continue reading >>
Do You Recognize These 11 Early Warning Signs Of Borderline Diabetes?
What You Need To Know- Borderline Diabetes Diabetes does not just develop overnight. Borderline diabetes may have no symptoms at all, or you may experience 1 or more of the symptoms described below. You can prevent diabetes if you identify borderline diabetes early. What You Need To Do- Borderline Diabetes If you have any of the symptoms described below then get checked out by your health care provider. If you are in a high risk group than you also should be screen for prediabetes, even if you do not have symptoms. I was stopped at a local function recently and the person I was speaking to told me she was recently diagnosed with borderline diabetes. My acquaintance was very concerned because she read and heard about many of the complications of diabetes; and she wanted to know what this meant for her. She asked me things like “do I need to check my blood sugar all the time now,” “do I need to eat differently,” and “am I going to have to start taking medications?” While I discuss the answers to many of these particular questions in a previous post, I am always struck, in this day of the news coverage of obesity and the diabetes epidemic, how many people have not heard of borderline diabetes and its complications. What Is Borderline Diabetes? Actually, there is no medical diagnosis called “borderline diabetes.” Rather, borderline diabetes refers to a medical condition called prediabetes. This is when your blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed with type II diabetes. People with borderline diabetes or prediabetes are more likely to develop type II diabetes and may already have some of the signs or symptoms of diabetes. Many times patients with borderline diabetes (prediabetes) will not have any signs or symptoms. Continue reading >>
Skin Conditions
It is estimated that about one-third of people with diabetes will have a skin disorder at some time in their lives caused by the disease. Diabetics are more susceptible to bacterial and fungal infections; allergic reactions to medications, insect bites or foods; dry itchy skin as a result of poor blood circulation; and infections from foot injuries for people with neuropathy. There are a number of diabetes-specific skin conditions: Acanthosis Nigricans. A slowly progressing skin condition, which turns some areas of skin, usually in the folds or creases, into dark, thick and velvet-textured skin. Acanthosis nigricans often precedes the diagnosis of diabetes. It is sometimes inherited, but is usually triggered by high insulin levels. It can occur at any age and usually strikes people who are obese. There is no treatment for the condition except to reduce insulin levels. Prescription creams may help lighten the affected area. Diabetic Blisters. Rare blisters that appear on the hands, toes, feet or forearms that are thought to be caused by diabetic neuropathy. Diabetic Dermopathy. Round, brown or purple scaly patches that most frequently appear on the front of the legs (most often the shins) and look like age spots. They are caused by changes in small blood vessels. Diabetic dermopathy occurs more often in people who have suffered from diabetes for decades. They are harmless, requiring no medical intervention, but they are slow to heal. Digital Sclerosis. This condition appears as thick, waxy and tight skin on toes, fingers and hands, which can cause stiffness in the digits. Getting blood glucose levels back to normal helps alleviate this skin condition. Disseminated Granuloma Annulare. A red or reddish-brown rash that forms a bull's eye on the skin, usually on the fingers, Continue reading >>
Skin Problems Associated With Diabetes Mellitus
Introduction It is estimated that 30% of patients with diabetes mellitus will experience a skin problem at some stage throughout the course of their disease. Several skin disorders are more common in diabetic patients, particularly those due to infection such as candida and impetigo. Patients with type 2 diabetes also have twice the risk of developing the common scaly disease, psoriasis, as non-diabetics. Specific skin conditions associated with diabetes mellitus are described below. Diabetics with renal failure are also prone to reactive perforating collagenosis and Kyrle disease. Diabetic dermopathy Diabetic dermopathy is a skin condition characterised by light brown or reddish, oval or round, slightly indented scaly patches most often appearing on the shins. Although these lesions may appear in anyone, particularly after an injury or trauma to the area, they are one of the most common skin problems found in patients with diabetes mellitus. It has been found to occur in up to 30% of patients with diabetes. Diabetic dermopathy is sometimes also referred to as shin spots and pigmented pretibial patches. What causes diabetic dermopathy? The exact cause of diabetic dermopathy is unknown but may be associated with diabetic neuropathic (nerve) and vascular (blood vessels) complications, as studies have shown the condition to occur more frequently in diabetic patients with retinopathy (retinal damage of the eye), neuropathy (nerve/sensory damage) and nephropathy (kidney damage). Diabetic dermopathy tends to occur in older patients or those who have had diabetes for at least 10-20 years. It also appears to be closely linked to increased glycosylated haemoglobin, an indicator of poor control of blood glucose levels. Because lesions often occur over bony parts of the body such Continue reading >>
Q: I Have Skin Tags Around My Neck And Now They Are Appearing At The Edges Of My Armpits. What Is Causing Them?
Skin tags A: Skin tags are strongly associated with prediabetes, also called insulin resistance, and Type-2 diabetes. In those with insulin resistance, insulin becomes ineffective at pushing sugar into cells and, as such, the blood sugar builds up and the body keeps producing more insulin in an attempt to normalize blood sugar. Eventually, the pancreas becomes exhausted and diabetes results. We have an epidemic of Type-2 diabetes and early detection can prevent the development of this deadly disease. Diabetics, on average, live 10 to 15 years less than non-diabetics. Dozens of studies show that as few as three skin tags on the body are linked to increased diabetes risk. Research has also shown that those with skin tags have higher cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar, and C-reactive protein (CRP) than those without skin tags (all risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease). Those people with elevated CRP, a marker for inflammation in the body, are four times more likely to develop diabetes. So although skin tags look bad, they are actually a warning sign for diabetes that we should not ignore. A nutrient derived from carob called Chirositol has been researched in over 30 studies at the Virginia Medical School, where it was found to normalize blood sugar and insulin quickly, thereby helping to eliminate those ugly skin tags. Chirositol has also been shown to reduce appetite and improve our happy hormone, serotonin. Reduced serotonin or poor metabolism of serotonin is linked to increased sugar cravings. So by balancing serotonin, Chirositol also helps control appetite. One woman recently remarked to me that she dropped seven pounds in four weeks using GLUCOsmart with Chirositol but the best part was, one day while she was rubbing her neck, her skin tags rolle Continue reading >>
5 Signs Of Prediabetes That Are Easy To Overlook
Prediabetes is a new word for a fast-rising problem around the world. It’s a diagnosis made when your blood glucose is higher than it should be, but not high enough to be called diabetes. “Prediabetes is this kind of grey zone,” says Dr. Stewart Harris, a professor in family medicine at the University of Western Ontario’s Schulich School of Medicine who specializes in diabetes. “Your body is metabolically losing the ability to manage blood sugars after eating, and they start to creep up.” As many as six million Canadians can be considered to have prediabetes. The trouble is, many of them don’t know it. Prediabetes often has no symptoms at all. Yet if these people don’t take steps to control their blood sugar now, a diagnosis of diabetes within the next few years is highly likely. Could you have prediabetes? Here are five signs that you might. 1. You’re in a high-risk group for type 2 diabetes. Researchers have identified certain people who are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. These folks are also at risk for prediabetes. If you have a family history of diabetes or an Aboriginal, South Asian, Asian, African or Hispanic background, you’re at higher risk for prediabetes. Other risk factors include being older than 45 and having a sedentary lifestyle. 2. You have a health problem linked to prediabetes. The condition of your body can sometimes point to high blood sugar. If you’re overweight or obese’that is, if your body mass index is over 25’you could have prediabetes. Same goes for having high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease or polycystic ovarian syndrome. If you had gestational diabetes, or diabetes diagnosed when you were pregnant, you could develop prediabetes after the baby’s born. 3. You have classic diabetes symptoms Continue reading >>
Diabetes And Foot Problems
Foot problems are common in people with diabetes. You might be afraid you’ll lose a toe, foot, or leg to diabetes, or know someone who has, but you can lower your chances of having diabetes-related foot problems by taking care of your feet every day. Managing your blood glucose levels, also called blood sugar, can also help keep your feet healthy. How can diabetes affect my feet? Over time, diabetes may cause nerve damage, also called diabetic neuropathy, that can cause tingling and pain, and can make you lose feeling in your feet. When you lose feeling in your feet, you may not feel a pebble inside your sock or a blister on your foot, which can lead to cuts and sores. Cuts and sores can become infected. Diabetes also can lower the amount of blood flow in your feet. Not having enough blood flowing to your legs and feet can make it hard for a sore or an infection to heal. Sometimes, a bad infection never heals. The infection might lead to gangrene. Gangrene and foot ulcers that do not get better with treatment can lead to an amputation of your toe, foot, or part of your leg. A surgeon may perform an amputation to prevent a bad infection from spreading to the rest of your body, and to save your life. Good foot care is very important to prevent serious infections and gangrene. Although rare, nerve damage from diabetes can lead to changes in the shape of your feet, such as Charcot’s foot. Charcot’s foot may start with redness, warmth, and swelling. Later, bones in your feet and toes can shift or break, which can cause your feet to have an odd shape, such as a “rocker bottom.” What can I do to keep my feet healthy? Work with your health care team to make a diabetes self-care plan, which is an action plan for how you will manage your diabetes. Your plan should inclu Continue reading >>
