Thick Skin And Diabetes
Diabetes Mellitus or simply Diabetes is one of the many diseases in the modern world today. Diabetes is either a failure of the body to produce insulin, or a failure to use the insulin properly to control the amount of sugar, specifically glucose in the blood stream. As a result, this excess is eventually passed on to the person's urine. Diabetes will also cause a great number of other disorders, one of which would be the development of thick skin. Research shows that diabetes patients develop a comparatively thicker skin at certain parts of their bodies compared to healthy patients. It does not matter much when the diabetes occurred. It is known that most diabetic patients would have thicker skin at the forearm, hands and fingers, thighs and the lower limbs, most especially at the thigh area.
Diabetes is a very serious disease. There is no known cure to diabetes and it comes in with other disorders such as high blood pressure. It can also eventually lead to kidney failure and blindness. Aside from the many disabilities that a diabetes patient would have to endure during their lifetime due to the lack of insulin, they will have to combat the eventual thickening of their skin in many areas. Thickened skin in the hands and fingers would reduce mobility and flexibility. So does skin thickening in the thighs, lower limbs and the back. This skin thickening is clinically called "scleredema". Aside from the thickening and hardening of the skin, Scleredema will sometimes cause red spot on the skin.
To address the Scleredema alone, one should best consult a professional. Common treatment approaches would range from UV treatments, steroidal medicines called corticosteroids and other medicines called cyclosporines and methotrexates. If there are other skin infections involved, antibiotics should also help. Treatment would last for about half a year or up to two years. In the case of diabetic patients, combating thick skin will be a much more difficult task, lasting many years, and sometimes for the entire diabetic lifetime. Regaining mobility in arms and legs can be improved through regular exercise. Much better if one would undergo supervised physical therapy.
Diabetic patients should have regular checkups and much regulated activities and exercises. These activities usually require professional guidance of doctors and dieticians. Blood sugar should be checked regularly, as insulin intake would greatly depend on it. Usually, blood sugar can be determined using kits at the patient's home.
There are a great number of diabetic individuals, but they are not aware of it. Some take little regard of the lifestyle they choose to live, and the type and amount of food they take. Thick skin is only one of the many other diseases that may come along with diabetes. If you think having thick and hardened skin in certain parts of the body is problematic enough, then it is time to take a closer look at your health and diet because diabetes may already have struck you. More importantly, it is never a bad time to consult a doctor upon developing any skin disorder or any bodily disorder.