Diabetes has many symptoms including increased thirst, frequent urination, and weight gain. One of the signs that not very many people associate with diabetes is a variety of skin issues including diabetic dermopathy.
What is Diabetic dermopathy?
This condition usually involves circular, reddish, or light brown patches which appear on the skin, most commonly on the shins or other bony parts on the body.
Approximately 39% of people with type 2 diabetes will develop diabetic dermopathy (source https://clinical.diabetesjournals.org/content/33/1/40)
Diabetic dermopathy is sometimes referred to as shin spots or pigmented pretibial patches.
How is this caused?
Like many of the skin conditions caused by type 2 diabetes, high blood sugar tends to be associated with inflammation as well as poor circulation, which reduces blood flow to the skin. It can also cause damage to blood vessels and nerves. The ability of the white blood cells to fight off infections is also decreased in the face of elevated blood sugar.
Decreased blood circulation can lead to changes in the skin’s collagen. This changes the skin’s texture, appearance, and ability to heal also.
How can you treat your skin conditions?
A healthy diet is absolutely key to reverse/prevent skin complications such as skin tags, acanthosis nigricans and diabetic dermopathy. With ProLongevity’s bespoke service, our team works with you to establish what foods and drinks are truly healthy for you, as well as the ones to avoid.
We help you establish and introduce healthy lifestyle choices. These are a series of small, incremental life-style changes to improve your diet and general wellbeing, including your skins health. There is none of the typical calorie counting or hunger associated with normal dietary advice. Instead we gradually replace the foods which spike your sugars with others that don’t but are full of essential vitamins and minerals.
If you would like to find out more about the program, click HERE or give us a call at 01727 834 365.
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