5 Ways to deal with itching due to diabetes

Diabetes can affect every part of the body, including the skin. If you experience it, there's no need to worry. Itchy skin problems due to diabetes can actually be overcome easily, from using creams or ointments to regulating food intake. Find out how to get rid of itching on the skin due to diabetes from the following explanation.

Why does diabetes make skin dry and itchy?

Diabetes mellitus is a disease characterized by an increase in blood sugar levels in the body. Without realizing it, these changes in blood sugar can affect skin health.

High blood sugar will change how the nervous system works and produce more cytokines in the body. Cytokines are body hormones which, if produced in excess, can cause inflammation or inflammation.

Now, due to excess cytokine production, the skin will show an inflammatory reaction. Excess cytokine reactions due to diabetes are what make the skin of diabetics show dry, cracked, and itchy characteristics.

The characteristics of itching on the skin due to diabetes

The difference between itching on the skin due to diabetes and regular itching is marked by the skin turning black and thick. The skin texture becomes rough and scaly, like velvet.

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), this characteristic skin problem symptom is called acanthosis nigricans. This condition generally occurs in people with type 2 diabetes who are obese or insulin resistant, the symptoms begin to appear at the prediabetes stage.

In addition, higher blood sugar levels in diabetes can increase the risk of infection on the skin of the hands, feet, and the area of the intimate organs. Therefore, diabetes itching is more often accompanied by a fungal or bacterial infection of the skin than when experiencing regular itching.

This fungus and bacteria should grow naturally and normally on the skin. However, high levels of glucose in the blood make bacteria grow fast and start infecting the skin.

If blood sugar is not controlled, slowly the skin problems in diabetes can lead to diabetes complications in the form of skin diseases such as diabetic dermotherapy and eruptive xanthomatosis.

How to get rid of itching on the skin due to diabetes

Dry and itchy skin due to diabetes often makes you tempted to scratch it, however, no matter how itchy, you shouldn't scratch it. Instead of relieving itching, scratching the skin hard can actually injure the skin and trigger a prolonged infection.

Moreover, people with certain types of diabetes are prone to diabetes wounds that are difficult to heal. If the skin is scratched too hard, there may be sores that are difficult to remove.

As a solution, here are some ways to deal with itchy skin due to diabetes:

1. Use a moisturizing cream

After finishing the shower, use a moisturizer in the form of a cream or ointment to treat diabetes itching. Apply a moisturizer or lotion when the skin is still wet is much more beneficial than when the skin is dry.

Moisturizer can help lock in moisture in wet skin. With this, the risk of itching due to diabetes can be reduced.

To treat itching due to diabetes, choose a moisturizing cream or ointment that contains urea and emollient. These two ingredients can soften and moisturize the skin and relieve itching and flaking.

Apart from moisturizers that are sold in the market, you can actually use some natural ingredients at home to treat dry and itchy skin due to diabetes, such as oatmeal, aloe vera gel, milk, or olive oil.

Simply apply these natural ingredients to the itchy skin area, then let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Do it regularly before bathing for maximum results.

2. Don't shower too long

In fact, water is one of the easiest ways to restore skin moisture and treat dry skin. However, taking a bath for too long, for example for more than 15 minutes, can actually make the skin of diabetics drier and trigger itching.

Especially if you often take a shower using hot water, this habit can widen your pores and strip your skin of the natural oils that your skin needs.

Some experts say that the ideal bath time is at least 5-10 minutes. Use warm water, not too hot or cold, to keep your skin healthy.

3. Use tea tree oil

Tea tree oilhas ingredients that can relieve itchy skin due to diabetes. Apart from that, the substances that are inside tea tree oilcan also reduce inflammation (anti-inflammatory).

A study fromThe Archives of Dermatological Research compare usagezinc oxidewith clobetasone butyrate contained intea tree oilin people with dermatitis.

The result?Tea tree oilrated much better in reducing allergic reactions in patients with dermatitis compared to other topical drugs or itchy ointments.

4. Adjust the diet

Proper dietary intake is also important for maintaining healthy skin for diabetics so that it can relieve or prevent itching. The key importance is to increase the intake of omega-3 fatty acids in your diet.

You can get these omega-3 fatty acids through the following foods:

Fatty fish, for example salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel
Flaxseed and its oil preparations
Tofu
Chia seeds
Certain vegetables, such as spinach and basil

You can drink too smoothie avocado every day to keep your skin healthy. In addition to tasting good, avocados contain unsaturated fats which can keep the skin hydrated and moisturized. However, don't add sugar, okay.

5. Use humidifier

If the weather tends to be cold outside, install it humidifier to help humidify the air in the room. Cold temperatures make moisture levels decrease, so the skin has the potential to become dry and itchy.

These five ways to relieve itching can be immediately applied when the characteristics of skin disorders due to diabetes begin to appear.

In addition, live a healthy lifestyle to control blood sugar by exercising regularly and eating foods for diabetes. If you are able to keep your blood sugar normal, the symptoms of dry and itchy skin due to diabetes will certainly be easier to control.