Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesTreatmentComplicationsLiving Well
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Treatment
Complications
Living Well
Diabetes, ordiabetes mellitus, is to a group of chronic conditions that affect your glucose (blood sugar) levels due to problems with the way your body produces or uses the hormone insulin.In rare cases, diabetes can lead to the complication bullosis diabeticorum, also known as diabetic blisters or diabetes bullae.
Diabetic blisters often appear on the feet, hands, arms, or lower legs. It’s not entirely clear what causes diabetic blisters, but researchers believe they are typically the result of uncontrolled blood sugar levels. They are also more common in people with diabetic neuropathy (nerve pain).
This article will go over everything you need to know about diabetic blisters, including symptoms, causes, treatment options, and more.
Symptoms of Blisters From Diabetes
Appearance
Diabetic blisters are fluid-filled sacs without any surrounding redness or swelling. Many people compare them to blisters from a burn. Most people get more than one at a time.
Location
Diabetic blisters are especially common on the feet. They also sometimes appear on the hands, arms, or lower half of the legs.
Symptom Onset
Usually, bullosis diabeticorum appears afterblood sugar levelshave been excessively high for a long period of time. There’s no specific timeline, but this may take several months or years.
Sensations
Bullosis diabeticorum is a non-inflammatory, typically painless condition. Most people with diabetic blisters don’t experience any associated symptoms, such as stinging, tenderness, or itchiness.
When to See a Healthcare Provider
If you think you may have blisters due to diabetes, you should follow up with your diabetic care team. There’s no particular test that can diagnose diabetes bullae, but your healthcare provider may perform askin biopsy(removing a sample of skin for analysis in a lab) or additional tests to rule out other possible explanations. They may also perform a serum (blood) test to assess your blood sugar levels.
Your primary healthcare provider, podiatrist, endocrinologist, and/or dietitian, may help you manage the blisters themselves and prevent future ones. In addition to treating your blisters, seeing your care team consistently will also assist in managing blood sugar and preventing complications.
See a healthcare provider right away if you have blisters and any of the following:
Blisters From Other ConditionsMany conditions besides diabetes may lead to blisters. Some examples include:Burns, including sunburnEczemaAllergiesReactions to poisonous plantsCertain viruses, such as herpes simplexCutaneous (skin) infectionsSome autoimmune disorders, such as pemphigus (causes the immune system to mistakenly attack the skin)
Blisters From Other Conditions
Many conditions besides diabetes may lead to blisters. Some examples include:Burns, including sunburnEczemaAllergiesReactions to poisonous plantsCertain viruses, such as herpes simplexCutaneous (skin) infectionsSome autoimmune disorders, such as pemphigus (causes the immune system to mistakenly attack the skin)
Many conditions besides diabetes may lead to blisters. Some examples include:
Why Does Diabetes Lead to Blisters?
Over time, high blood sugar can causediabetic peripheral neuropathy, which is a kind of nerve damage that leads to numbness, pain, tingling, and pins-and-needles sensations in the limbs, hands, and feet. It also negatively affects circulation throughout the body. These complications may cause changes in the skin, including blisters in some people.
How to Treat Blisters With Diabetes
Diabetic blisters usually resolve on their own within two to six weeks without scarring or any other complications. However, they often tend to show up again, often in the same areas of your body.
While your blisters are healing, you should take steps to keep them free of infection, such as keeping them clean and dry, wearing loose-fitting footwear that doesn’t rub against the affected area, and applying a bandage over the blister. You should avoidpopping your blistersyourself, as this could increase the chance of infection.
Complications from Unmanaged Diabetes and Blisters
Diabetic blisters are usually harmless.In rare cases, unresolved blisters can lead to severe skin complications, such as ulceration (open wounds). This may lead to infection or the need for surgical interventions, such as debridement and wound dressings, or even amputation if left unmanaged for long periods of time.
Meanwhile, uncontrolled diabetes and consistently high blood sugar levels can cause a number of serious and even life-threatening complications. These may include:
Living Well With Diabetes and Blisters
Ways to protect your feet from common complications from diabetes include:
If you have diabetes, take the necessary steps to manage your blood sugar effectively. Examples include:
Summary
Rarely, uncontrolled diabetes and high blood sugar levels can lead to diabetic blisters. These typically appear as painless sacs filled with fluid, often on the feet but sometimes on the hands or limbs. They usually don’t cause other symptoms, such as inflammation and pain.
11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.MedlinePlus.Diabetes.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetes and your skin.American Diabetes Association.Diabetes and skin complications.Willcox MJ.Recurrent blister formation in setting of poorly managed diabetes mellitus.Cureus. 2019;11(6):e5029. doi:10.7759/cureus.5029David P, Singh S, Ankar R.A comprehensive overview of skin complications in diabetes and their prevention.Cureus. 2023;15(5):e38961. doi:10.7759/cureus.38961Chatterjee D, Radotra A, Radotra BD, Handa S.Bullous diabeticorum: A rare blistering manifestation of diabetes.Indian Dermatol Online J. 2017;8(4):274-275. doi:10.4103/idoj.IDOJ_340_16MedlinePlus.Blisters.American Diabetes Association.Managing your blood sugar - beyond the meter.Shahi N, Bradley S, Vowden K, Vowden P.Diabetic bullae: A case series and a new model of surgical management.J Wound Care. 2014;23(6):326, 328-30. doi:10.12968/jowc.2014.23.6.326American Heart Association.Diabetes complications and risks.American Diabetes Association.Foot complications.
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.MedlinePlus.Diabetes.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetes and your skin.American Diabetes Association.Diabetes and skin complications.Willcox MJ.Recurrent blister formation in setting of poorly managed diabetes mellitus.Cureus. 2019;11(6):e5029. doi:10.7759/cureus.5029David P, Singh S, Ankar R.A comprehensive overview of skin complications in diabetes and their prevention.Cureus. 2023;15(5):e38961. doi:10.7759/cureus.38961Chatterjee D, Radotra A, Radotra BD, Handa S.Bullous diabeticorum: A rare blistering manifestation of diabetes.Indian Dermatol Online J. 2017;8(4):274-275. doi:10.4103/idoj.IDOJ_340_16MedlinePlus.Blisters.American Diabetes Association.Managing your blood sugar - beyond the meter.Shahi N, Bradley S, Vowden K, Vowden P.Diabetic bullae: A case series and a new model of surgical management.J Wound Care. 2014;23(6):326, 328-30. doi:10.12968/jowc.2014.23.6.326American Heart Association.Diabetes complications and risks.American Diabetes Association.Foot complications.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
MedlinePlus.Diabetes.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetes and your skin.American Diabetes Association.Diabetes and skin complications.Willcox MJ.Recurrent blister formation in setting of poorly managed diabetes mellitus.Cureus. 2019;11(6):e5029. doi:10.7759/cureus.5029David P, Singh S, Ankar R.A comprehensive overview of skin complications in diabetes and their prevention.Cureus. 2023;15(5):e38961. doi:10.7759/cureus.38961Chatterjee D, Radotra A, Radotra BD, Handa S.Bullous diabeticorum: A rare blistering manifestation of diabetes.Indian Dermatol Online J. 2017;8(4):274-275. doi:10.4103/idoj.IDOJ_340_16MedlinePlus.Blisters.American Diabetes Association.Managing your blood sugar - beyond the meter.Shahi N, Bradley S, Vowden K, Vowden P.Diabetic bullae: A case series and a new model of surgical management.J Wound Care. 2014;23(6):326, 328-30. doi:10.12968/jowc.2014.23.6.326American Heart Association.Diabetes complications and risks.American Diabetes Association.Foot complications.
MedlinePlus.Diabetes.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetes and your skin.
American Diabetes Association.Diabetes and skin complications.
Willcox MJ.Recurrent blister formation in setting of poorly managed diabetes mellitus.Cureus. 2019;11(6):e5029. doi:10.7759/cureus.5029
David P, Singh S, Ankar R.A comprehensive overview of skin complications in diabetes and their prevention.Cureus. 2023;15(5):e38961. doi:10.7759/cureus.38961
Chatterjee D, Radotra A, Radotra BD, Handa S.Bullous diabeticorum: A rare blistering manifestation of diabetes.Indian Dermatol Online J. 2017;8(4):274-275. doi:10.4103/idoj.IDOJ_340_16
MedlinePlus.Blisters.
American Diabetes Association.Managing your blood sugar - beyond the meter.
Shahi N, Bradley S, Vowden K, Vowden P.Diabetic bullae: A case series and a new model of surgical management.J Wound Care. 2014;23(6):326, 328-30. doi:10.12968/jowc.2014.23.6.326
American Heart Association.Diabetes complications and risks.
American Diabetes Association.Foot complications.
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