C03: Dermatology of the Diabetic Lower Limb

Neuropathy removes the warning system and peripheral artery disease starves the tissue, but it is a breach in the skin that turns silent risk into an open wound. Heel fissures and callus are independently associated with the high-risk foot, and callus carries a recurrence odds ratio comparable to that of neuropathy. Yet standard teaching often leaves skin findings to the end, as cosmetic background.

The module teaches three routes from skin to wound. The mechanical route covers xerosis, hyperkeratosis and fissuring, with urea-based emollient applied daily and never between the toes. The microbial route treats tinea pedis and onychomycosis as active risks, including the trade-offs between onychomycosis treatments. The third route covers diabetic dermopathy, bullosis diabeticorum, necrobiosis lipoidica, scleredema diabeticorum and acanthosis nigricans. It closes with the red flags of spreading infection, imaging when osteomyelitis is suspected, and the adjunctive place of skin-temperature monitoring.

Content is tiered at Foundation, Core and Advanced level, with two algorithms and three case vignettes. You receive the Teaching Document, the Evidence Base, the slide deck, a narrated video and an audio overview.