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February 6, 2007

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Question from North Charleston, South Carolina, USA:

I have had type 1 diabetes for about 11 years. I have always had a lot of trouble controlling my blood sugars. I have been to a lot of diabetic specialists and none of them will answer my questions or address any other issues besides more frequent blood sugar checks. I have a lot of scarring on my arms and legs. The scarring on my arms is finally starting to fade after three years. (They were from career as a veterinary technician which ended about three years ago). I have dark, prominent scars from mosquito bites that I received last August, as well as a long scar on my shin from a tree branch that I received last Easter. I am very careful about treating my wounds and I am not prone to infection. I would like to know if there is anything I can do to aid in the fading of these scars. I’ve never had a keloid scar. Do they signify a more serious complication?

Answer:

From: DTeam Staff

It is known that wound healing is intimately associated with blood glucose control. When control is bad, the strength and organization of the scar tissue is decreased, compared to normal. In addition, many people get shin spots from recurrent trauma on their legs that result in hyper pigmented areas that are slow to heal. There are probably many reasons why these processes are not carried out normally. The ability to recruit white blood cells into the area of injury may be inhibited. There may be problems with signaling the cells that provide the scar tissue for healing. The best way to address this is avoid injury as best you can and work on improved blood sugar control.

JTL