5 Tips You Should Know to Take Care of Diabetic Skin Problems

Why is skin care so important for diabetics?

When you have diabetes simple things such as skin care can’t be taken for granted. The disease affects every part of your body including your skin and can be very dangerous if you are not aware of and take precautions with your daily routines to avoid complications.

What skin problems do diabetics have?

There are two types of skin disorders common to diabetics.

Generic Skin Conditions/Disorders: These types of skin conditions are not a result of the disease but occur more frequently in people with high blood sugar. These include fungal and bacterial infections. Anyone can get them but if you have diabetes they present more often and with greater risk to your health.

Diabetes Related Skin Diseases: These are the types of skin problems that are directly caused by your diabetes and do not develop in normal, healthy individuals.

Generic Skin Conditions/Disorders Associated With Diabetes

The main reason these types of skin conditions are so much more problematic for diabetics is because the organisms feed off of sugars. With your increased blood sugar levels, your skin is the perfect breeding ground and the bacteria or fungus can flourish and multiply at a more rapid rate than on a non-diabetic subject.

Add to that the fact that most diabetics have decreased nerve sensation and impaired healing and you can see how something as simple as a stubbed toe can quickly become a health risk. Often the individual does not even feel the injury occur or the worsening of the infection until the infection is quite advanced.

Bacterial Infections. Diabetics are more prone to having conditions such as styes (infection in the glands of the eyes), boils, carbuncles (similar to boils but in the deeper tissues), folliculitis (infection in the hair follicles) and staph infections in minor cuts and scrapes.

Fungal infections. Jock itch, athlete’s foot, nail fungus on hands and feet, vaginal yeast infections and ring worm are all very common in people with diabetes. Many of the infections occur in the folds of the skin where it is typically warm and moist and this condition is referred to as intertrigo.

Continue reading more about tips for Diabetes Related Skin Diseases here