diabetes and skin color

[Babycakes1]

My 12 year old seems to have some changes in his skin color. we live in Alabama so sometimes in the summer it's hard to tell. Should we be concerned? He has type1.

[miagi72]

I also had darker skin on my neck growing up. We didn't think anything of it then. I played alot of baseball growing up so everyone assumed it was a tan. Now I'm 35 and have just been diagnosed with diabetes. What a coincidence.

[jdrf team dm]

My son also had what looked like dirt on his neck when he was younger. It didn't last long and I never related it to diabetes.
Being active in sports, it wasn't a big concern to me.  This was very informing to me as a mom.  Thank you all for the information.

[Babycakes1]

Thanks again. Live can be strange.

[Babycakes1]

looks like neck dirt... I feel better now! Thanks!

[JDRF-Team-sgg]

I am a type 1 diabetic who has lived with the disease successfully for 33 years. I, too, was diagnosed at age 12. So when I see articles about type 1 diabetes, I do take note. The one I read about the neck discoloration was very interesting to me... I read it about 3 years ago when a study was published linking this discoloration to type 1 diabetic kids. The article did seem to think that it is merely an odd thing that just shows up frequently in these kids, but does not harm them. They said that it frequently is seen on the back of the neck, but not always. Some of the issues talked about in the web site I sent you about dermatology and diabetes may or may not explain it. Your son is lucky to have a Dad that notices little things and tries to find answers.

[JDRF-Team-sgg]

There is a Dermatology web site that explains some skin color changes that are sometimes seen in diabetics. The site is: http://www.telemedicine.org/dm/dmupdate.htm
While much of this site's information is written for physicians and will be over the heads of the common lay person, an interesting note is that at times a diabetic's skin may appear either discolored due to the heavier concentration of thicker red blood cell membranes or because of buildup of other results of high blood sugar, and that control of the diabetes over an extended period of time can affect changes to that discoloration. If your son is newly diagnosed, he may be lowering his blood sugars for the first time in many months, and the changes you see may be some of those discolorations which may have been occurring unnoticed while he was developing the disease actually improving. Again, I would consult his physician to make sure that nothing more serious is happening if he appears yellowish or has obvious discoloration, especially to areas where small blood vessels are present.

[Babycakes1]

PS- he was just diagnosed 2 1/2 months ago

[JDRF-Team-sgg]

Please specify what types of changes in skin color he is displaying. It is difficult to answer without specifics. I can generally state that unusual palor or jaundiced yellow appearance to skin or whites of eyes would indicate a need to see a physician for further tests to make sure nothing is going wrong. I have also read that some diabetic children seem to at times display a discoloration on their necks that looks very much like just neck dirt, but won't wash out. If this is what you are seeing, it is not a cause for alarm. Just an odd phenomenon that some diabetic children seem to show and that researchers are just beginning to test. At age 12, some inflammation such as beginnings of acne could be showing up as red or inflamed areas, too. Changes to skin color is not a typical symptom of diabetic problems.