Skin Conditions

[TishTosh]

Hiya

This is my first day on this site so I apologise if I have posted this on the wrong page. Not great at this sort of thing but here we go.

I have Necrobiosis Lipoidica on my leg and was wondering if anyone else has the same thing? I have to say it dosent usually bother me, it's not painful, just not very pretty to look at. I have been to various hospitals over the last few years and tried several different treatments, none of which have done any good. The area on my lower leg seems to be increasing in size. Has anyone had any luck with treatment? I was advised by one Doctor that the patches can reduce and sometimes even disappear with time, has anyone experiance this?

Thanks in advance for your help.

TT

 

[Dennis]

Hi TT and welcome to the forum. I'm afraid I know very little about Necrobiosis Lipoidica but I found this website that explains it very well. Hope this helps.

http://www.bad.org.uk/public/leaflets/necrobiosis.asp

 

[Diabolical]

Hi TishTosh,

Not got anything to add. Just thought I'd say 'welcome'.

Give it a day or so and I reckon someone more useful will turn up.

Take care, and all that.

x

 

[totsy]

hya tt,
cant help u this time but welcome and hope u soon get an answer

 

[beckmeghan]

Hi
I have Necrobiosis Lipoidica as well. Was diagnosed in July after having a skin biopsy. I am not diabetic although had a high reading at the chemist so am going for the blood test tomorrow at the doctors to recheck as I've been told that having HLD usually means you have/or will have diabetes.

I have one lesion on my left shin which has grown considerably since July but seems to have stopped now. I have been going to the hospital every 2/3 months for steriod injections - last time I had about 10 and they were inserted quite deeply directly into the lesion which is pretty painful. These are meant to stop it spreading and fade the colour so it's not so noticeable. It does seem to have stopped it spreading but the colour fades and then comes back, also the steriods make the dip in my leg more pronounced as well!! I was also told on my last visit to wear a surgical stocking or a tubular bandage all the time to protect it and also to avoid any build up of fluid which can aggravate it - looks nice!! Also, the consultant said that if the injections didn't work I could have steriod tablets but apparently that is the last option so hopefully won't get that far.

I have spoken to someone else with NLD who knows of someone else .... and apparently he had a skin graft to get rid of it and it came back on the skin graft!! Don't think it ever really goes away, seems to be one of those things you learn to live with. Have you got diabetes as well?

Anyway, nice to talk to someone else with NLD - take care xx

 

[sugarless sue]

Another link about condition.

http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/40000053/

 

[martinbuchan]

I might have it on my bad leg (above osteomyelitis and charcot foot). It might be a bit of psoriasis.

Controlled well on epaderm ointment. Flares up if my foot swells or I forget to put epaderm on it. Its a strange skin problem.

 

[chickbabes]

Hello,

I have Necrobiosis, I was diagnosed 9 years ago but I have had the lesions for around 11 years - it went undiagnosed for ages!! I have two lesions, one on my left shin about 18cm by 4 cm at widest and a small 2cm circle on my right leg. I am not diabetic but I am checked regularly.

I have been treated with steriod injections, oral steroids, light treatments, ciclosporin, some tetra-something or other steroid creams, silver treatments etc etc, basically I have tried everything over the years, seen all the specialists and no success in reducing the lesions. Two years ago it severly ulcerated and got a staph infection, this took approx 9 months to clear up and for the skin to grow back.

In the last couple of months the bottom of the larger lesion has become inflamed again but the top of the lesion is losing all its colour and the skin seems to be growing back over the edges - dermatologist is quite excited. I have now found that the only thing that really makes any difference is to treat the active areas with dermovate morning and night and just ensuring that it is moisturised keeps it at bay.

I have tried carrying out surveys on the yahoo support group but can not find any link between the people. I am 24 years old and from the logistics I have looked at I seem to be the youngest person I have found with the condition.

Would love to hear from anyone else with the condition and any info they have about it.

 

[Malcolm.Smith]

Hey

I have had these legions on both shins now for about 7 months now and was told by my doctor that glucose adheres itself to the fat under the skin on the thin covering part of your body ie your shins. I don't think it ever goes away but it can be reduced by religious blood glucose management and regular moisturizing with E45 or the likes. When mine first turned up i thought i was going to loose my legs because it left a big depression on my shins and it looked like i had some sort of flesh eating disease! But now its almost cleared up, the depression is gone and the redness has faded somewhat. I also had some lumps under my skin around my ankles but they to have gone and i do find that if my blood sugar goes up my shins go red the next day so keep a check on your test meter, eat healthy and jump on a bike and go for a cycle cause i found getting the heart pumping and the circulation going seems to help although that's just my opinion but it cant be a bad thing either way eh?.
All the best
Mal

 

[broads]

Don't know if this has anything whatsoever to do with the issue but a few years ago I had an insect bite close to my ankle. It refused to heal. This was ages before I became diabetic. At the time I worked full time apart from Friday afternoon. I was given an appointment with the practise nurse to have the wound treated. One of the two nurses present, an older lady, immediately said that I needed a zinc dressing on it but the other one who was in charge decided to treat it in a different way. I gave up my Friday afternoon, the only time of the week I was not working, to go to the nurse FOR A WHOLE YEAR. Round about a year later the same older nurse appeared again on the scene and put a zinc dressing on my wound. I came home. Within about 4 days I could clearly see the wound was 100% better. Within a fortnight i was signed off. I now have a scar on my leg of about 2cm x 3.
Sorry don't know what I am saying here other than Zinc is fantastic. Best wishes Mal

 

[broads]

Sorry best wishes to you Mal but should have been to Tish tosh

 

[nessa-lou]

hey im the one who put the post about the nicrobiosis, iv got one on my leg and i hate it! i have my appoint for the make up on wednesday im so excited you dont understand how long i have waited for this. i had a biopsy and iv had various creams and ointments etc i never got the option of the injections it was all very rushed in my opinion and i would love a second opinion on it but i think it would just bring all the upset back up, they told me it wud never go away but may fade in colour but it still looks the same to me. its very disstressing and iv had it for hmm about 3years now. i have acircle on my left shin and a smaller circle underneath it, its not massive but its bright red, reading other posts i feel very lucky that mine is not really really big, if i measure with my fingers its three fingers by two and i have normal width fingers. i think i must be the youngest person i know who has this. this has effected my confidence dramatically! so hopefullly this make up will make me happy again i will let you all know how it goes.

 

[nessa-lou]

i have to say that second website scared the hell out of me. my leg looks nothing like that! so im counting my blessings right now mines nothing compared to that!! x

 

[nessa-lou]

just like mal said that it gets inflamed on the level of sugar, my levels have been fab this week and my leg colour has changed and its lighter!! one reason to keep my sugars down! x

 

[nessa-lou]

hey all, just a quick message to say my appointment at the camouflage clinic, i went and she matchedd my skin tone with the make up, and i get the make up on repeat prescription, and i get it freeeeee lol, also ladies if you wear fake tan the nurse said to me when i go to my next appointment in july put fake tan on and she can give me another colour make up to match my fake tan for wen i go out, so it was great, only down side i have to wait two weeks for the make up to be delivered dont no why coz its only from london haha, never mind, but finally i can master the make up and build back my confidence which an 18 year old girl should have x

 

[cugila]

Hi nessa.

So glad you are getting all the support you need now.

Ken

 

[nessa-lou]

thank you Ken x

 

[catherinecherub]

Hi nessa,
I'm glad that your team have listened and given you the tools you need to boost your confidence. The world is your oyster, enjoy.
Catherine.

 

[TishTosh]

Hi All

I'm so sorry for not responding to anyone. I logged on and off for the first month after I had posted this and apart from some really nice 'hello's' nobody else knew much about it. 2009 was a real medical frustration so after a while I just forgot to login and check things out. How rubbish am I?!

It's reassuring to know that there are others out there but I do feel for you guys too. It's interesting to see how the different NHS Trusts deal with these things. I have seen two now, the 1st wasn't the most helpful but where I live now is fantastic and they do as much as they can with all my medical conditions.

Hello Mal - your right, I do find that when my blood glucose is well controlled the patch seems to fade in colour. Plus, as we all have drummed into us :roll: , we should be trying our best to do that anyway. Keeping it well moisturised does seem to ease the itching too. I have to say the one on my right shin has grown quite a bit (now 4inch) since I last posted my comment; but, on a good note I had a small patch (about 2cm) at the top of my left thigh which has pretty much disappeared. The trouble with this skin condition is they know what it is but don't know what causes it so as a result the treatment is a bit hit and miss! At least that is what they told me and what some of the websites say.

Hi Nessa - so glad that you have managed to have some positive help now. I've got some of that make up too, it's fab and lasts forever which is always good . I know it's sometimes easier said than done but try not to let it get you too down.

If it helps any of you guys I also had some ultraviolet light treatment which really seemed to help. The doctors also told me to get it out in the sun during summer. I decided it should only be let out in the privacy of my own garden after a girl tripped up which staring at me in town, he he. I also had a period when I put steroid cream on my leg for 24hrs which had to be covered by a bandage but didn't see any real results. I guess we are all different though, so might be worth a try.

I promise in 2010 to be much better at checking messages and try and help others with stuff that I have learnt over the years. Hope everyone had a good Christmas and wish you all a fab 2010.

Thanks again and good to hear from you all.

Tish Tosh xx