One of the main symptoms of diabetes is high blood sugar (also called blood glucose). Over time, high blood sugar levels can damage your nerves and blood vessels. That lessens blood flow (especially to your hands, feet, and limbs), which makes it harder for sores and cuts to heal.

Diabetes makes you more likely to have sores and ulcers. Ulcers are open sores (also referred to as wounds) on your skin that don’t heal the way they should. You’re most likely to get ulcers in your feet and legs, but they can also form in other areas, like your hands or in folds of skin on your stomach. It’s important to tackle them as quickly as possible.

Ulcers are dangerous because they can lead to serious infections or even gangrene, which is when your tissue dies.

One effect of diabetes is extremely low amounts of nitric oxide produced by the body, which hinders normal blood flow. The combination of poor blood flow and diabetic neuropathy (a peripheral nervous system disorder that causes loss of feeling in the extremities) can make diabetics more susceptible to ulcers or infections in the feet. Light therapy can help blood circulation by stimulating the formation of tiny capillaries in areas treated by the light. This allows for better oxygen and nutrient delivery to the body’s peripheral regions.

Diabetes can cause uncomfortable, often painful changes in the skin including severe dryness, peeling, cracking, and abnormal callus growth. Light therapy boosts the body’s natural collagen production so that as skin cells are renewed, the damaged skin can be gradually replaced by healthy skin. Improved blood flow and cellular functioning also support healthy skin growth.