To avoid the many complications faced by those living with diabetes you have to focus much of your time on specific areas. Taking care of your heart, kidneys, and working to manage or avoid neuropathy all takes a lot of dedication. And that’s not even considering all the work you are already doing to manage your blood sugar.
But skin is the one area that too often gets left out of that extra-care equation.
Skin is the largest organ of the body. And, just like your vascular and renal systems, it is negatively affected by high blood sugars. As a person with diabetes, if you don’t take extra time to care for your skin you can suffer some pretty severe consequences.
Luckily, a new line of clinical skincare products is here to make caring for your skin as simple and effective as possible. We recently gave VitalFitSR a try and we’re excited to share our review and take some time to discuss the importance of diabetic skincare with you.
Why Your Skin Needs Extra Care
As a person living with diabetes, you are probably well aware of the effect high blood sugars have on your blood vessels. Whenever your blood sugar creeps up too high or stays high longer than normal, it can cause your veins to contract and harden. Over time this atherosclerosis can lead to heart, kidney, and nerve problems.
Sustained high blood sugar also greatly effects your skin.
When your vessels narrow, they can’t transport blood as efficiently. This is especially true of the tiny capillary fields that feed your skin. Because blood is carrying nutrients and oxygen that your skin cells need to stay healthy, vessel constricting caused by high blood sugar often leads to skin problems.
Many people with diabetes suffer from annoying but less severe skin issues like dry skin, dermopathy, and sclerosis.
But nutrients aren’t the only thing that restricted blood flow effects. White blood cells also struggle to travel through these narrowed blood vessels.
That means if you suffer an injury to your skin, like a cut or a scrape, your body is less capable of defending itself. If not caught and treated early, even minor issues can become major infections.
Combine this with the fact that restricted blood flow also affects your nervous system and how well you sense pain, and a small cut can quickly turn into a big problem.
Even if you are diligent about checking your feet and limbs for cuts, your restricted immune response also leaves you more vulnerable to fungal and bacterial infections.
For so long, the only way to stay ahead of these types of skin infections was to keep an eye out for trouble and react accordingly. But a new product may help you prevent these problems before they even start.
Our Review of the VitalFitSR Skin Care Line
Despite a clear need for diabetic specific skincare, few options exist that are tailored to meet those needs. But a new clinical skincare system called VitalFitSR (website) is hoping to fill that gap.
The system is made up of four products.
The full care line also comes with two different moisturizers.
- The first is a day moisturizer meant to replenish dry and cracked skin. Like the cleanser, it also contains a unique set of ingredients that actively fight inflammation and infection.
- The second moisturizer is meant to be used overnight. This heavier lotion is designed to rejuvenate the skin by supplying antioxidants and replenish your skin’s natural defenses.
The last product is specially tailored for patients who wear prosthetics or braces. Liquid-to-Powder Plus is applied to the skin where it contacts the prosthesis or brace. The lotion forms a friction-free barrier that reduces rubbing, irritation, and sores. It also helps to control odor and kill bacteria.
The premise behind this skincare line sounds promising, but how well does it actually work?
I have been putting the lotions and cleanser to the test over the last month, and I have to say, I am impressed.
None of the products give off a lot of odor and all are mild and easy on the skin. While I am lucky in that I don’t suffer from any major diabetes-related skin conditions, I am hyper-aware of the importance of taking care of my feet.
After only a few days of using the products, I saw a noticeable difference in how my feet looked. They were no longer ashen and flaky as they typically are during the dry Colorado winter. Instead, they looked refreshed and hydrated.
They felt better too. The itching a redness between my toes caused by dry skin went away completely after about a week. Even the thick callouses on my heels looked less chalky and cracked, something that no regular lotion has ever been able to accomplish.
Overall, I am really excited about this product line. As a person who is only a decade into living with diabetes, I feel more confident in my long term foot health when using a preventative product like VitalFitSR.
And for those who do suffer for more severe conditions or amputations, I’m excited to see someone has finally put together a skincare line that has the potential to fight diabetic skin conditions and ease the discomfort associated with prosthetics and braces.
