Comment by Nicole on December 19, 2012 at 6:52pm

I had this as a teenager and young adult! Mine appeared as red patches on my shins and feet when I was about 16. The skin looked like it could break open at any moment, it was so thin. And they were incredibly itchy! I went to see my doctor, who described it as a side effect of diabetes, and nothing to worry about. It is just fat lipids rising to the surface. He wasn't concerned at all, but said that if I wanted to get rid of them, then he would recommend me to a dermatologist. After trying cortisone cream for several months with no success, she did cortisone injections directly into the spots. I had 3 or 4 treatments done, and they slowly disappeared. The last injection was about 10 years ago, and I have had no sign of them returning and no additional spots than the ones that originally appeared.
I agree, the images on google are horrifying! Mine were never that bad. I had a boss at the time who pulled me aside one night to see if my boyfriend was beating me. He'd noticed the marks and became concerned because they looked like I'd been kicked.
Rest assured - very easily treatable. Though I agree, stupid diabetes.

Comment by Tracee on February 2, 2013 at 12:48pm

Thanks Nicole, that takes some of the scariness out of it. :) I'm trying some natural remedies and acupuncture... I have to say it looks like it's getting lighter. Maybe down the road I'll look into cortisone if it gets worse. I'm glad you haven't had any more trouble with it! That's great to hear!

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