Do People With Diabetes Bruise Easily? -

Diabetes can make people more prone to easy or unexpected bruising in several ways:

High blood sugar can cause blood vessel damage
Needles and lancets can cause injury at the puncture site
Peripheral neuropathy can damage nerves, dulling your ability to notice injury
Diabetes impacts collagen production, which thins the skin

People with diabetes may have chronically high blood sugar, which can then contribute to problems with blood flow and blood vessel damage that can lead to bruises. Those same circulatory problems can also mean those contusions may stick around for longer than they might if diabetes weren’t present.

People with diabetes may be slower to heal from cuts, too. “People with diabetes can experience delayed wound healing for several reasons,” says Joshua J. Neumiller, PharmD, CDCES, the president-elect of healthcare and education for the American Diabetes Association. “If people have hyperglycemia (high blood glucose), high blood pressure, or high cholesterol for a long period of time, this can lead to blood vessel damage and poor circulation (blood flow).”

Bruising may also be related to diabetes treatment or complications rather than diabetes itself. Dr. Farah says she sees a lot of bruising in those with diabetes at the injection site where they’re using a needle for insulin. The lancets that help measure blood sugar, insulin pumps, and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) can also contribute to bruising.

“In the case of people who bruise due to injection of medications or through glucose monitoring (with fingersticks or CGM), it is important to use new needles and lancets each time and rotate injection and testing sites,” says Dr. Neumiller.

Peripheral neuropathy, nerve damage that can result from prolonged high blood sugar levels, can also increase your risk of bruising, particularly to the feet.

“Neuropathy is nerve damage that leads to changes in the ability to feel one’s body parts,” says Deena Adimoolam, MD, an endocrinologist for Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. “Due to this loss of sensation, people with neuropathy may not realize they have injured their body part, which may lead to unexplained bruising.”

People with diabetic peripheral neuropathy can experience dizziness and be prone to falls, which can then lead to bruising, too.

Diabetes can also contribute to problems with collagen, which plays a role in bruising. A lack of collagen can make skin less elastic, leaving it vulnerable to damage.

“When blood glucose is elevated, it can interact with collagen, leading to skin changes in people with diabetes,” says Neumiller.

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