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Does anyone know if itchy scaling skin is a diabetes related problem? Its happening on my scalp and around my ears - I've had it now for several months-
apple123 said:Thanks for your reply chequers. I made it to the doctors and they diagnosed it as sebohrroeic (sp?) dermatitus and prescribed a shampoo and a steroid cream - basically its similar to when babies have cradle cap.
apple123 said:Does anyone know if itchy scaling skin is a diabetes related problem? Its happening on my scalp and around my ears - I've had it now for several months-
picklebean said:There are lots of skin conditions that it could be. I have psoriasis and vitiligo and my GP surgery were pretty awful at diagnosing them. It wasn't until I was referred to the dermatology department at my local hospital that the specialist saw me and gave me a conclusive diagnosis.... and also said GPs can be very bad at getting it right about skin conditions. My GP was insisting I had a fungal infection when it was actually an auto-immune condition. :roll:
There is a link between diabetes and skin conditions, especially ones that are auto-immune like psoriasis, which is also characterised by itchy scaly skin patches. And like someone else said, blood sugar levels running high can also make them worse.
The nature/look of the skin is all important when diagnosing so I hesitate to offer any opinion different from your doctor, but if it doesn't improve I would definitely ask to be referred to a dermtology specialist who can probably offer you different treatment options.
CatLadyNZ said:Excellent post Picklebean. I would add that in my experience, GPs are not good at diagnosing a lot of things, including skin conditions. They seem to do fine if it's a minor illness or if a specialist has made a diagnosis, then they know how to treat that (most of the time). Give them something complex and some of them just don't know where to start.
picklebean said:CatLadyNZ said:Excellent post Picklebean. I would add that in my experience, GPs are not good at diagnosing a lot of things, including skin conditions. They seem to do fine if it's a minor illness or if a specialist has made a diagnosis, then they know how to treat that (most of the time). Give them something complex and some of them just don't know where to start.
hehe, thank you... that really made me smile!
I have a whole host of medical conditions and on the whole, my GP has been bloomin' awful at diagnosing/treating them. If at all possible I would recommend asking to see a specialist. Having diabetes and any other condition on top can lead to all sorts of issues/complications, so the very fact that you are diabetic is reason enough to get to see a specilist in a lot of cases... just my opinion, but at least that way you get the best treatment from someone who has detailed knowledge of the area!