Diabetic dermopathy is a complication caused by high level of blood sugar, the reason for which is not studied in a proper way. The physicians think it occurs due to a range of problems with nerves and blood vessels. It can be in the form of diabetic sores (images 2) or various dermal diseases.
Diabetic dermopathy pictures
Diabetic dermopathy (picture 1) appears after injury or even without traumas but usually with patients suffering from diabetes during approximately 15 years. It tends to locate on bony parts of body like legs or more frequently on shins becoming diabetic foot problems, requiring a particular care, and sometimes on forearms and armpits. The patient notices round or oval reddish, light brown or dark brown patches, which can be confused with diabetic rashes (photos in gallery).
They differ from the latter being slightly indented instead of being above-skin. More than four spots should nearly always be considered as the sign of the disease. So, even if the high blood sugar level is not diagnosed, with such development on the skin there is a chance to find out about it after examination. As it progresses the skin becomes hard, swollen and diabetic foot rash may be added. By the way it happens more often with patients which already have diabetic retinopathy (pictures below) – the so called retinal damage of an eye.
What do diabetic sores look like
Having uncontrolled high glucose during a continuous period of time a person can get nerve damage and poor blood circulation, which cause round, deep diabetic sores (picture 2) hard to be healed. Especially they are often on the feet. Such conditions of foot skin are also known as diabetic ulcers. The slightest cut can develop in a serious problem and even result in amputations. The color of an ulcer with puffed border is pinkish red to dark brown.
Even without damage the skin becomes thinner and even dragging on shoes can lead to diabetic wounds (pictures in gal.), which usually swell, and further inflammation can start. The doctor sometimes has to remove the upper tissue in order to prevent or to cure an infection if it penetrates and will recommend keeping a sore clean changing protective bandage. It should be mentioned that there is a popular term diabetic legs including wounds appearing from diabetic blisters (images below). The blisters look like irregularly-shaped bumps with clear fluid inside mostly painless but itchy.
Diabetic skin conditions pictures
So, the skin of a patient becomes woundable but even when it is undamaged there are other unpleasant conditions of diabetic skin (picture 3). They develop on toes, fingers, legs and other parts of the body. It can be hard and waxy skin of the hands, when fingers can hardly bend. This thick and swollen-looking skin can spread all over the body even to face. It looks like an orange peel and shows that there is too much insulin in blood.
People suffering from high glucose level tend to get skin infections causing pain, tiny blisters with white discharge. Besides, there are several types and reasons for diabetic rash, which can be of various colors, sizes, and forms. For example diabetic yeast infection rash (pictures below) can be result of thrush, systemic candidiasis, and others. So, what does diabetic skin look like? The answer depends on the type of affect.
Diabetic rash pictures
We offer to consider several common kinds of diabetic skin rash (picture 4). More often the patients have the little bumps looking like pimples but of yellow color. They are itchy and can appear on thighs, elbows, buttocks, knees or any other place. The doctors know this sugar rash (photo bottom) as eruptive xanthomatosis. The good news is that they can clear quickly if the blood sugar becomes normal.
Also most people having diabetes can deal with granuloma annulare – reddish-brown or even purple skin rash (pictures in gallery) spreading on the ears, toes, and fingers. These bumps come and go then come again but more often. Sometimes the doctors prescribe steroid medications to treat them. There is also rash sugar allergy (pictures below) meaning the particular reaction of organism connected with intolerance to sugar of any kind including lactose, glucose, sucrose, and fructose. This condition causes overstrain of the adrenal and pancreas glands, which just stop working properly.
Diabetic dry skin on legs pictures
Diabetic dry skin on legs (picture 5) is a very frequent complication of diabetes as far as the level of blood sugar is very high. In this case the derma becomes itchy and can crack easily welcoming the infection of different kinds. Here the deep sores can develop, which are discussed above. Sometimes one can observe diabetic rash on legs (pictures below) of small size and various colors: light yellow, or reddish, or even purple. In addition the spots can appear.
Anyway diabetes (pictures bottom) reduces blood flow to the skin damaging blood vessels, nerves and decreasing the blood circulation that causes the changes in collagen development and as a result in skin texture and other its features. The abnormal state of derma irritates, diabetic skin rash (images in gal.) appears, it itches and leads to slow healing diabetic foot ulcer becoming deep and large involving all the other heavy consequences.
Diabetic blisters pictures
Sometimes people suffering from diabetes can find diabetic blisters (picture 6), which usually appear from nowhere and can clean just in couple weeks when blood level is again well-controlled. It can be one large blister or a group of them or both at the same time in different places. They develop on diabetic dry skin of feet, hands, more rarely on legs and forearms. Such lesions of diabetic skin (pictures below) have a lot in common with the blister after a severe burn, but they are not painful at all. It is very important not to break them so that the diabetic wounds do not appear and none infection can penetrate inside.
All images of diabetes mellitus
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