Definition of Diabetic dermopathy

Type 2 Diabetes Slideshow Quiz: Are You At Risk for Diabetic Nerve Pain? Diabetes and Foot Problems Slideshow

Diabetic dermopathy: A skin condition characteristic of diabetes involving light brown or reddish oval or round scaly patches, most often on the shins or front of the thighs and less often on the scalp, forearm and trunk.

The cause of diabetic dermopathy is thought to be a type of angiitis (vascular inflammation) affecting small blood vessels in the skin. There is no known effective treatment. The patches tend to go away after a few years.

The patches are also called shin spots. They appear sometimes in nondiabetics after trauma.