Diabetes sign: You have weird patches on your skin
Too-high blood sugar levels can damage your blood vessels, including the blood vessels that sit directly under your skin, explains Fuhrman. That damage can lead to shiny or scaly reddish brown patches on your skin—especially on your lower legs. The patches are usually itchy, and they can even be painful.
You might also notice dark, velvety patches in the folds of your skin—particularly in the armpits, groin, or neck. Excess blood sugar can cause your skin cells to reproduce faster than normal. The new cells have more pigment, which can lead to dark patches, Fuhrman says. They patches probably won’t hurt, but they might itch or even smell bad.
