Diabetes often involves dermatological problems typical of those suffering from this chronic disease. Some precautions help prevent injuries and infections.
Spots, ulcerations, furunculosis, mycoses and pyoderma are the most common dermatological disorders that can affect those suffering from diabetes.
Together with proper therapy, following an adequate diet and doing physical activity allow you to control the balance of sugar metabolism and, consequently, prevent damage to the skin.
At the base of dermatological disorders related to diabetic disease, there are the alteration of enzymatic activities, the degeneration of neurons, vascular disorders and the weakening of the immune system that derive from hyperglycemia.
Specific treatments and products for cleansing and skin care are useful to prevent and deal with skin damage.
A problem on the skin
The first signs on the skin may result from the need to make insulin injections. The bad habit of not changing the needle or injection site can cause lipodystrophies, i.e. depressions in the skin. It is enough, however, to take care to always perform the injection correctly to avoid its formation.
It is also better to avoid exposure to the sun during the hours of maximum radiation intensity (noon and early afternoon) and always use creams containing sunscreens, because the healing of sunburn can be very difficult.
Those who take chloropropramide should pay special attention in this regard, because this antidiabetic can cause photodermatitis.
More consistent are the problems related to metabolic imbalance. To prevent them, it is necessary to protect the skin from external agents that can damage the skin: it is better to use mild soaps and disinfectant detergents such as those used to wash children’s clothes.
In case diapers are to be used, it is good to change them often and treat the skin with the same powders that are used for newborns or silver-based sprays. If the skin is too dry, it is advisable to use moisturizing, emollient and protective products.
The following table summarizes other measures to safeguard the skin in case of diabetes:
| Drugs | Avoid resorting to self-medication with cortisone creams that in case of infection aggravate the situation
Avoid the use of non-essential drugs that could generate cross-allergic reactions with other diabetic therapy drugs |
| Nutrition and lifestyle | Abolish or greatly limit the use of substances such as alcohol, nicotine and caffeine, which can have negative effects on microcirculation
Drink plenty of fluids to keep your skin hydrated |
| Clothing | Wear cotton clothing in contact with the skin
Avoid clothing that is too tight: compression and continuous rubbing can cause irritation that favors the onset of injuries |
Those strange spots
In diabetics, the formation of reddish papules on the legs is very frequent. These result from the alteration of blood circulation that can even cause the formation of foot ulcers.
Neurological complications of diabetes can also generate plantar ulcerations. Following these complications, in fact, the skin becomes oily and wet and can macerate or, vice versa, be extremely dry and dry, with the risk of cracking and becoming infected more easily.
To prevent ulceration it is good to wash your feet every day with warm water and dry them well, but without rubbing. The use of fluid moisturizers can be useful, while deodorants and talc are not recommended.
Avoid direct heat sources, such as radiators and hot water bags, cut your nails with blunt scissors and never walk barefoot. The socks (wool or cotton, never with annoying seams or elastics) must be changed every day and the shoes must be low, soft, with a round toe and without seams or studs (better to use shoes specially designed for diabetics).
For lesions that may appear on the back of the hands and arms, cosmetics based on dermoaffine and stable iodine substances are useful. Finally, the spots due to the degeneration of collagen fibers regress, in general, spontaneously.
Beware of fungi and bacteria
Infections with fungi and bacteria are very frequent. In addition to causing vaginitis and balano postitis (inflammation and infection of the penis at the level of the glans), fungi can colonize the submammary regions, the inguinal and intergluteal folds, the armpits or the spaces between the toes. These infections can possibly be treated with ointments based on petroleum jelly and salicylic acid.
The most frequent bacterial infections are, however, furunculosis, folliculitis and other problems caused by Staphylococcus aureus and beta-hemolytic Streptococcus.
If it expands to the subcutaneous tissue, furunculosis can cause necrotizing cellulitis or fasciitis. For this reason, when it is very extensive, the doctor can prescribe antibiotic therapy.
It is necessary to avoid squeezing the pus of the furuncle, because it could penetrate the subcutaneous tissue, while warm compresses with a saline solution and disinfectant may be useful. Finally, pus can be drained with scalpel and chlorhexidine-based soap or isopropyl alcohol.
Given, then, that the regions where the boils are most concentrated are the nape and neck, it is good that men always use disposable razors (even at the barbershop) so as not to damage the skin.
Joycelyn Elders is the author and creator of EmpowerEssence, a health and wellness blog. Elders is a respected public health advocate and pediatrician dedicated to promoting general health and well-being.
The blog covers a wide range of topics related to health and wellness, with articles organized into several categories.