Among other wellness problems, type 2 diabetes often comes with dry, itchy skin and poor wound healing. According to the American Diabetes Association, almost a third of all people with diabetes will have a skin disorder at some time in their lives, and if you are other otherwise healthy, a skin problem could indicate that your wellbeing is at risk of developing the disease.
So why does this happen? According to Shannon Knapp, RD, CDE, who is a certified diabetes educator at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation Diabetes Centre in Ohio, people with type 2 diabetes often have dry skin because of the dehydration that comes from high blood sugar and excessive urination.
Your high blood sugar also causes poor circulation and negatively affects your blood vessels, which means that your wounds will not get the antibody-rich blood that they need to heal. ‘If the wound is not getting sufficient blood, or the blood is so full of sugar that the infection-fighting cells don’t work well, there is increased risk of bacterial growth’ Knapp explains. ‘The wound won’t heal, and infection will set in. At that point, you need an antibiotic.’
You could also develop a kind of nerve damage known as neuropathy if you have high blood sugar. Neuropathy is a serious complication that often affects the feet, which means that you may not feel it or notice the early signs. Knapp warns ‘If you haven’t been checking your feet, you don’t even know you have a foot wound’ so you could be ‘walking on a wound and getting it dirty, and that leads to serious infections.’
So how do you prevent this from happening? You need to control your blood sugar first and foremost, but taking good care of your skin is critical, too. Knapp suggests that you keep hydrated by drinking 8 glasses of water every day, and moisturise your skin daily too. Also, use suntan lotion of SPF 30 or higher whenever you’re outside, as sun exposure dries and ages the skin, and this is true of winter sun too as both extremely cold and hot temperatures can damage skin.
When it comes to your skin care, carefully clean any cuts and scrapes with soap and water and cover wounds with a bandage if necessary. Clean and moisturise your feet every day and be diligent about checking for cuts, blisters and cracked skin. If you notice any injury that takes too long to heal, or skin that’s red, swollen, or warm to the touch, or has a foul-smelling drainage or pus, that’s the time to immediately call your doctor.
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