Skin Diseases and Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus and obesity alter skin physiology in ways that go well beyond cosmetic concern, producing a range of cutaneous manifestations—from the velvety hyperpigmentation of acanthosis nigricans, which can serve as a visible marker of insulin resistance, to rarer conditions such as granuloma annulare, scleromyxedema, and necrobiosis lipoidica whose precise mechanistic links to metabolic dysfunction remain incompletely understood. Chronic hyperglycemia, altered immune signaling, and the mechanical and inflammatory burden of excess adipose tissue collectively remodel the skin's barrier function, vascular supply, and connective tissue, making the skin both a diagnostic window and a site of genuine pathology. Researchers are actively working to clarify why only some patients with diabetes or obesity develop specific dermatological complications, and how the concept of an immunocompromised district—localized regions of impaired cutaneous immunity—may explain their atypical distribution and resistance to treatment. Better mapping of these relationships could strengthen early screening strategies and open targets for interventions that address skin disease alongside its underlying metabolic drivers.

Works

30,040

Total citations

157,553

Keywords

ObesitySkin PhysiologyCutaneous ManifestationsMusculoskeletal DisordersDiabetes MellitusAcanthosis Nigricans