Four Ways Diabetes Affects Your Skin

Diabetes is really a whole body issue. It affects many systems in our bodies, and skin is one of those systems. So the four things are we'll start with acanthosis nigricans. This is where you develop a dark patch or band around the neck, in the armpits, on the groin. And this darkened skin is usually from either too much insulin or high blood sugar.

Second skin infections. People who have diabetes that is not well controlled, often have skin infections. And why is that? Well, when you have a lot of sugar in your blood, you're going to have a lot of yeast.

Now, some of these skin infections are going to feel … they're going to feel hot and painful and swollen. They might also be like an itchy rash, and might have some small blisters in it or dry, scaly skin. So if you discover those things, it could be because your blood sugar is high or your insulin is high. And these infections can be anywhere. And especially between the toes and around your nails, your toenails and your fingernails, and they can be other places as well.

Three - poor wound healing and a development of diabetic ulcers. Okay. So what does that mean? Well, because of poor circulation and the pressure that we have on our feet, right? Cause our feet, we walk around, it carries our body everywhere. We might develop on the bottom of our feet, a small sore, and because we might have circulatory problems or nerve damage, you might not feel that as pain and the more you walk on it, the more it's not treated, the more it turns into an ulcer and that ulcer will get bigger and deeper.

And again, you might not feel the pain because of the neuropathy. So the nerves aren't working, right? So what you're going to need to do is definitely check your feet all the time. Because once those ulcers start, they're very difficult to treat.

Four skin tags. Now we all have skin tags here or there, but if you have a lot of them this could be a sign of pre-diabetes or diabetes and blood sugar that is not controlled. And these might show up around your eyelids in your armpits and in your groin. So these are like places where, you know, there's some rubbing, a lot of rubbing going on. Okay. So what are you going to do about this?

First, go to your doctor, have some blood work done and see where you stand. Do you have high blood sugar or you pre-diabetic, or are you in the diabetic range? Where are you? And what is your blood sugar?

Two. If you have sores and ulcers on the bottom of your feet, have them taken care of as soon as possible. And every time you get out of the shower or the bathtub or whatever in the morning, take a mirror and look at the bottom of your feet, really stay on top of that.

And finally, the most important thing is get your blood sugar under control. And this is the key to all the systemic problems that you might have.

I have a free 30 day guide that I encourage you to download. It can give you some tips on where to start and how to get your blood sugar under control.

Second, please sign up for a free diabetes assessment call. We can talk about your situation and I'll see if there's any resources I have or some way I can support you. And the links are below for both of those.

Thank you so much for listening.

Download my free 30 day guide to managing or reversing your type 2 diabetes to get started on reducing your blood sugar, link is below.

Schedule a Free Diabetes Assessment Call. We’ll discuss your situation and see what resources I have and how I can support you. This link is also below.

Dr. Elaine

Download my free 30 Day Guide to Manage or Reverse Type 2 Diabetes 

Schedule a Free Diabetes Assessment Call

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider for advice about a specific medical condition.

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