when i was around 5 or 6 i started getting this thing on my leg. it started to slowly grow. it looks like a huge scar. though more disgusting. I ended up going to a skin doctor and he said that it was NLD (necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum). he said that it is caused by diabetes. I have never seen anyone with it. but from what i was able to find on it only .3% of diabetics have it and is more common in females. does anyone else have it or know of anyone that has it?
http://juvenation.org/groups/diabetes_complications/forum/p/9426/129100.aspx#129100
the above link is from a thread about NLD.
heck im dealing with leg ulcers one on each shin, and one on foot. no insurance so cant do much about it :(. btw to teh OP does the steroid creme help the issue? ( in your case)
Yes! An NLD developed on my shin when I was about 10. For years it was dark red and looked like Italy. Skin is really smooth, doesn't grow hair, and it's SUPER painful if hurt. Still have a dark spot on it where I got kicked in a 6th grade soccer game. As a teen my endocrinologist tried doing cotisone injections around the borders but it didn't diminish the spot at all. I've heard from other people online who have had improvements with cortisone injections.
Now that I'm older I'm starting to get varicous veins and the NLD has a bunch around it. The shape is like a blob, instead of Italy, and color is kind of pink. Never used to mind it and most people thought it was a motorcycle burn or scrape. But now that it's veiny I've stopped wearing shorts.
Doctors are usually pretty excited about an NLD. When I was in the hospital a few years ago after delivering my son, the OBGYN doc on duty noticed my NLD and before the end of the day I had a parade of med students who wanted to check it out. =)
it didnt make it go away but it made it look less scaly for me.
I went to my endo a few months ago and he had an intern and when he came to talk to me he asked if i could show her it. and he explained it to her. i tried the cream and all it really did to me was make it look less scaly... the skin doctor i went to said there was no way to get rid of it.. or so he told me.. i have scars of cutting it while shaving.. i have little red dots on it as well. though those come and go.. the veins that are underneath it are very noticeable as well. i used not be shy about it either.. but now that its taking up my leg it seems like im becoming shy.. plus my grandma has mentioned she can buy me make up so it wont be as noticeable.. so that has made me selfconcious.
When I was 13 my mom got me special makeup, but it just looked gross. Guess that's what grandmas and moms are supposed to do. =)
I came to peace with having it. It's been a positive thing overall by instigating a lot of conversations about diabetes and giving me a natural way to tell people I have D. Even got me a date once in college with a rock climber who thought I was a fellow climber with battle scars.
Don't think it would get me a date now that I've gotten older and it looks gross!
i was wondering what make up would do to it.. its already a waxy looking thing i couldnt see makeup making it look much better.. i never thought of it that way that it instigates conversations about it.. thats a good way to look at it. :)
Hi Tawnya,
I also have this condition. It started only a couple of years after I was diagnosed, and seemed to "spread". My doctor said once that it was a sign of diabetes that was not under good control. I really didn't pay much attention to that, (probably because it made me feel bad), but after I went on a pump, the "growth" really slowed, and as I became better and better at keeping my blood sugars down, not only did the spreading stop, but it became skin-toned instead of bright red. I hadn't worn a dress in years, but now I feel okay with it.
I've also noticed that when I do have an episode of high blood sugar that goes on for more than a few hours, that it will start to itch and burn. It used to itch horribly!
Cindy