See your family doctor regularly to be sure your diabetes is in good control. Have your doctor look at your feet at every visit.

Step #2. Wear the right shoes and socks.

Don’t wear shoes that fit too tightly or pinch your feet. Choose thick cotton socks and well-cushioned shoes with plenty of room in the toes. (Look for shoes with a high toe box.) They will help keep your feet healthy. Never go barefoot.

Step #3. Check your feet every day.

Look at your feet very carefully every day to be sure you have no cuts, scrapes or blisters. Look at every part of your foot, even between your toes.

Step #4. Treat cuts, scrapes and blisters. See your doctor if a wound does not heal.

If you get a small cut, scrape or blister on your foot, wash the area gently with soap and water. Don’t break the blister. Put an antibiotic cream on the wound several times a day. If the wound does not heal in a few days, see your doctor.

Step #5. Keep your feet clean.

Gently wash your feet with soap and water every day. Pat your feet dry. Put on a moisturizing cream or ointment (for example, petroleum jelly). Don’t put too much moisturizer between your toes, however.

Step #6. Cut your toenails correctly.

Cut your toenails straight across the top, not curved at the sides, to prevent ingrown toenails. Ask your doctor for help if your nails are too thick or if they crack when you try to cut them.

Step #7. Treat athlete’s foot.

Athlete’s foot is more common in people who have diabetes, and it can cause problems. If you have athlete’s foot, wear a different pair of shoes every other day. This lets your shoes dry out. Always wear absorbent cotton socks. See your doctor if over-the-counter treatments don’t clear up your athlete’s foot.

Step #8. Get proper treatment for thickened skin, calluses and corns.

Many people with diabetes get thickened skin, calluses or corns over the bony spots on their feet. Don’t trim or cut these spots at home with razor blades or other sharp tools. Ask your doctor how to treat these spots.

Step #9. Avoid heating pads and hot water foot soaks.

Because diabetes can hurt the nerves in your feet, you might not be able to tell if something is hurting your feet. It’s best not to use heating pads or hot water soaks, since you could burn your feet without knowing it.

Step #10. Take action to improve your circulation.

High blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and smoking can harm the circulation in your feet and keep sores from healing. Ask your doctor for help if you have any of these problems.

To read more about the conditions and prevention practices for diabetics go to American Academy of Family Physicians.

This common but persistent condition is considered a nuisance to most people but can become a more serious problem to anyone if not treated correctly. To the diabetic however, it is always a serious matter and extremely important to have early diagnosis and effective treatment.

One of the reasons diabetics are susceptible to infection and disease is their immune system is less able to counter the attack. The diabetic has a better chance of getting athlete’s foot (tinea pedis) and other fungal type infections then someone without diabetes due to the bodies inability to fight off the problem.

The Invasion

Once the infection has invaded the skin and started to attack the area of entry another problem occurs for the diabetic. In many diabetes cases there has been nerve damage from the years of wear and tear on the body. This makes it harder for the diabetes sufferer to recognize the symptoms of a foot disorder when it first starts. With a problem like athletes foot, if the symptoms are recognized early and treated consistently with an effective antifungal medication, in most cases it can be cured. If it is not treated early and allowed to spread it then becomes a much more difficult problem to overcome.

More Problems

Last but not least there is again one more reason why these minor infections are major problems for the diabetic. The process of healing the infected area is hindered as the reduced blood flow to the extremities does not keep a fresh supply of blood circulating to replenish the blood in the affected area. People without diabetes have fresh blood circulating to the leg, feet and other extremities, cleansing and replenishing blood from the affected areas. Because the diabetic does not have this normal blood flow it increases the odds of a more serious infection and conditions such as gangrene developing. This is one of the reasons why consistent inspections of the feet and extremities is vital to a diabetics health.

The Conditions & Affects of Nail Fungus

What is Nail Fungus?

Nail fungus occurs when fungi infect one or more of your nails. The medical term for this infection is Onychomycosis. This is caused by a fungi called dermatophytes also known as tinea unguium (tinea of the nails). Nail fungus is not the same as athlete’s foot, which affects the skin, but at times the two may coexist.

Symptoms & Affects of Nail Fungus

The infection may begin as a white or yellow spot under the tip of your fingernail or toenail. As the nail fungus grows it feeds on the the keratin that makes up the surface of the nail and in this way spreads deeper into your nail. This may cause your nail to discolor, thicken and develop crumbling edges and distort in shape.

Infected toenails may also develop a condition called onycholysis where the nail separates from the nail bed. This can be an unsightly and potentially painful problem.

Causes & Conditions of Nail Fungus

The problem affects about 6-8% of the adult population and usually develops on nails continually exposed to warm, moist environments. The fungi organisms invade the skin through invisible cuts or a small separation between the nail and the nail bed. This becomes a problem only when the nails have continuous exposure to conditions perfect for the growth and spread of fungu – warmth and moisture.

Risk Factors for Nail Fungus

For several reasons nail fungus tends to be more common among older adults. Some of these reasons include a slow in blood circulation and with aging the nails grow slower and thicken making them more susceptible to infection. Men are affected more than women and a family history of this infection increases the possiblilty of a lack of resistance to nail fungus.

These factors also can increase your risk of developing nail fungus:

1. Perspiring heavily
2. Working in a humid or moist environment
3. Wearing socks and shoes that hinder ventilation and don’t absorb perspiration
4. Walking barefoot in damp public places, such as swimming pools, gyms and shower rooms
5. A minor skin or nail injury, a damaged nail or another infection
6. Diabetes, circulation problems or a weakened immune system

Complications of Nail Fungus

Nail fungal infections can lead to other serious infections that can spread beyond your feet especially if you have a suppressed immune system due to medication, diabetes or other conditions.

Fungal infections of the nail pose the most serious health risk for people with diabetes and for those with weakened immune systems, such as people with leukemia or those who’ve had an organ transplant. If you have diabetes, your blood circulation and the nerve supply to your feet can become impaired. Therefore, any relatively minor injury to your feet — including a nail fungal infection — can lead to a more serious complication, requiring timely medical care. See your doctor immediately if you suspect nail fungus.

What is cellulitis and what are the symptoms?

Cellulitis is a common bacterial infection of the lower layers of skin (dermis) and the subcutaneous tissues (areas underneath the skin). Cellulitis sometimes develops around wounds in the skin or surgical incisions. It usually begins as a small area of tenderness, redness and swelling. In other cases it arises without an obvious source for the bacterial infection. As the infection begins to enlarge, the person may develop a fever – sometimes with chills and sweats – and swollen lymph nodes near the infected area.

Who is at risk for cellulitis?

Anyone may develop cellulitis. However, people whose immune systems are weakened for any reason (including from chemotherapy for cancer or other immune-suppressing drugs) and those with diabetes are at highest risk for developing cellulitis.

Cellulitis may appear in areas where the skin has broken open, such as the skin near ulcers, such as those caused by athletes foot fungal problems. Surgical wounds can also create the conditions that allow the bacteria to enter the body. The infection can also occur in areas where there is no break in the skin at all, such as with chronic leg swelling (edema).

What causes cellulitis?

The majority of cases of cellulitis are caused by either staph (Staphylococcus) or strep (Streptococcus) bacteria.

Staph (Staphylococcus aureus) is the most common bacteria that causes cellulitis. There is a growing incidence of community-acquired infections due to methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), a particularly dangerous form of this bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics and is more difficult to treat.

Strep (usually group A or B Streptococcus) is also a common cause of cellulitis. A form of rather superficial cellulitis caused by strep is called erysipelas; its conditions are characterized by spreading hot, bright red circumscribed area on the skin with a sharp raised border. Due to these factors it is sometimes referred to as the "flesh-eating bacteria" and are, in fact, also a strain of strep that can sometimes rapidly destroy tissues.

Cellulitis can be caused by many other types of bacteria.

1. In children under 6 years of age, H. flu (Hemophilus influenzae) bacteria can cause cellulitis, especially on the face, arms, and upper torso.




2. Cellulitis from a dog or cat bite or scratch may be caused by the Pasteurella multocida bacteria, which has a very short incubation period of only four to 24 hours.




3. Aeromonas hydrophilia, Vibrio vulnificus, and other bacteria are causes of cellulitis that develops after exposure to freshwater or seawater.




4. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is another type of bacteria that can cause cellulitis, typically after a puncture wound.

Is cellulitis contagious?

Cellulitis is not contagious because it is an infection of the skin’s deeper layers and the skin’s top layer provides a cover over the infection.

Where does cellulitis occur?

Cellulitis may occur anywhere on the body, but the legs and feet are the most common site of the infection, followed by the arms, and then the head and neck areas. In special circumstances, such as following surgery or trauma wounds, cellulitis can develop in the abdomen or chest areas. In cases of morbid obesity, it can also develop in the abdominal area.

How is cellulitis treated

First, it is critical for the doctor to distinguish whether or not the inflammation is due to an infection. This can be difficult at times with many cases of cellulitis because the concentration of bacteria may be low and cultures fail to show the cause of the problem.

When it proves difficult to distinguish whether or not the inflammation is due to an infection, doctors sometimes treat with antibiotics just to be sure. If the condition does not respond, it may need to be addressed by different methods dealing with types of inflammation that are not infected.

Antibiotics, such as derivatives of penicillin or other types of antibiotics that are effective against the responsible bacteria, are used to treat cellulitis. If the bacteria turn out to be resistant to the chosen antibiotics or in patients who are allergic to penicillin, other appropriate antibiotics can be substituted. In many cases, treatment requires the administration of intravenous antibiotics in a hospital setting, since oral antibiotics may not always provide sufficient penetration of the injury to be effective. In certain cases, intravenous antibiotics can be administered at home.