As a diabetic, your skin is, unfortunately, more vulnerable to all sorts of skin problems than most people, whether that’s infection, dryness, itchiness or allergic reactions. These issues often manifest as itchy, dry rashes and can be a real pain - literally - to keep under control! 

There are several things you can do to avoid or manage skin problems but indisputably the most important one is to keep your blood sugar controlled as well as possible. See Diabetes.co.uk for normal blood sugar levels and always check with a specialist diabetic nurse or doctor if you’re worried about infections or any other symptoms.

A Comprehensive Skincare Regime

Even if your blood sugar readings are well controlled, if you’re diabetic you’ll need to have a good skincare regime, which is about more than just applying creams to your skin!

• feed your body with the nutrients it needs to stay healthy
• drink plenty of water to account for how much extra hydration diabetics need
• keep your skin really clean to avoid the infections that diabetics are prone to

Which Products Work Best For Diabetic Skin?

But what about products to help maintain good condition? Which ones are best for diabetic skin? Well, as specialists in products for sensitive skin, we’d recommend choosing products that tick the following boxes:

✅Free from common irritants such as synthetic preservatives, perfumes, SLS, parabens, etc, so there’s less likelihood of reacting to harsh ingredients and causing a rash.

✅Made from nourishing ingredients ie natural oils and extracts that get straight to the heart of the matter and provide the skin with the building blocks it uses in its natural cycle of repair and regeneration. Look for ingredients such as EFA-rich hemp seed oil, borage, olive, safflower and sunflower which feed the skin with the Omega oils it needs.

✅Naturally anti-inflammatory: choose products that contain ingredients that reduce inflammation. Balmonds uses natural anti-inflammatories such as calendula, chamomile, chickweed and nettle to take the heat down a notch and soothe itchy skin. Itching causes damage which in turn leads to further vulnerability to infection and irritants.

✅Strengthen the skin’s barrier function to protect against moisture-loss and external irritants. Ointments are better than creams at doing this, as they don’t sting and have a higher oil content, and beeswax is better than paraffin, as it is both breathable and antimicrobial.

Balmonds Range For Dry Skin

All the products in our Dry Skin Range meet these requirements, which means that they’re excellent choices for looking after diabetic skin. We’d recommend choosing products that work for different areas of the body. How about trying the following products for specific issues?

• Cooling Cream with menthol, aloe, shea butter and lavender to cool itchy lower legs

• Skin Salvation balm, made with beeswax and hemp seed oil to nourish and soften cracked skin on the feet and hands

• Intensive Hand Cream, rich in sea buckthorn berry oil, shea butter, hemp, olive and safflower to soften and protect dry hands

• Daily Moisturising Cream with four biodynamic anti-inflammatory herbal tinctures, plus hemp and shea butter, as a general moisturiser for all-over natural hydration

• Bath & Body Oil with lavender, hemp and olive, to lock in vital moisture during or after bathing

• Scalp Oil which contains tea tree, rosemary and borage, for managing folliculitis on the scalp or as an antimicrobial foot rub to keep fungal infections at bay

• Tea Tree balm, an antimicrobial tea tree ointment for instant application on minor cuts, grazes, bites, blisters etc.