Diabetes and Skin Care- How to Have Healthy Skin When You Have Diabetes

Diabetes is a condition that impacts many different parts of the body, including the skin. While poor skin is not a common association with diabetes amongst the general public (like poor circulation might be), it is a very common side-effect. Having poor skin is quite common amongst individuals with all type of diabetes, but it is not a condition that can't be controlled. There are a few things that need to be done in order to improve skin conditions amongst diabetics, according to the American Diabetes Association and TypeFree.com:

Understand what leads to bad skin

One of the most important steps in helping to control skin conditions amongst diabetics involves understanding what factors lead to bad skin. Diabetics often suffer from poor blood circulation, which means that healthy blood does not circulate throughout the body in a way that it would in a healthy person. Also, blood many have a higher sugar content for a diabetic than for a non-diabetic. Sugar, in a sense, can be toxic for the body if blood sugar levels are too high.

Counteract the effects of bad circulation

There are several steps that diabetics can take to counteract the effects of poor circulation. First, they can massage their skin regularly manually or usually tools such as loofas or pumice stones. Massaging skin helps to stimulate blood flow to the surface of skin and tissues beneath the surface. This blood flow will also deliver fresh nutrients to the skin that will help to provide the skin with healthy oxygen, vitamins, and minerals.

Eating a good diet of vitamin and mineral-rich foods can also help to improve the quality of skin. By eating foods that are high in vitamins and minerals, diabetics can be sure that they are getting healthy amounts of important nutrients into their blood. The blood will deliver those vitamins and minerals throughout the body, including to tissues, organs, muscles, and skin. To have good skin, it's also important to eat enough fat, which will help to provide the skin with moisture.

Use moisturizers to prevent or heal dry skin. Not all moisturizers are the same, though. It's important to select a moisturizer that is rich in oil and not glycerin in order to avoid having dry skin. Also, diabetics with dry skin should avoid hot showers and should use soaps that are oil-based. It may also be helpful to sleep with a humidifier, which will add moisture to the air, according to TypeFree.com.

Sources:

http://www.imtypefree.com/taxonomy/term/469

http://www.diabetes.org/type-2-diabetes/skin-care.jsp