12 lesser-known signs of diabetes

7. UNEXPLAINED WEIGHT LOSS Losing weight is usually a good thing. However, if you’ve lost a significant amount of weight without making any changes to your diet or fitness routine, diabetes

could be the culprit. When you have diabetes, the sugar your body needs for fuel leaves your body in your urine, so your body begins burning fat and muscle for energy, Guido explains. That

can result in quick and dramatic weight loss. “I have patients come and say, ‘I’ve lost 10 pounds in the last four to six weeks and I’m not on a diet,’” Bajaj says. 8. DARK PATCHES OF SKIN

Diabetes can cause the skin in the creases around your neck, armpits or groin to get dark and leathery, Guido says. “It looks like your neck is kind of covered with soot, but it doesn’t wash

off,” he says. Called acanthosis nigricans, those dark patches on your skin are a sign of insulin resistance, Guido says, and they can be an early sign of diabetes. 9. EXCESS FACIAL HAIR OR

ACNE Some women with insulin resistance develop thick, coarse hair on their faces because insulin can stimulate cells to produce the male hormones that cause hair growth, Guido says. Those

same hormones can cause acne. The good news, Guido says, is that those symptoms tend to resolve once you get glucose levels under control. 10. SKIN TAGS Another signal that you may have

early diabetes is the development of skin tags, fleshy growths often found on the neck, eyelids, armpits and groin. Although skin tags are generally harmless, many studies have found an

increased risk of diabetes in those who have skin tags. A March 2020 study published in the journal _BMC Research Notes_ found that 59 percent of those with skin tags had diabetes, compared

with 13 percent of those without skin tags. Researchers aren’t entirely clear about the mechanism by which diabetes causes skin tags, but they suspect high levels of insulin are to blame.

“Insulin resistance sets off growth factors that causes things to grow and change,” Guido says. 11. TINGLING IN THE HANDS AND FEET Video: Early Signs of Type 2 Diabetes Numbness or a “pins

and needles” feeling in the hands and feet could signal diabetes. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), high blood sugar can damage the

body's nerves over time, leading to these symptoms. NIDDK estimates that half of people with diabetes experience this complication, known as peripheral neuropathy. 12. ITCHY SKIN Itchy

skin can be caused by a number of triggers, and diabetes is one of them. According to the CDC, too much sugar in the blood causes the body to pull fluid from its cells, which can dry out the

skin. With diabetes, you may notice your lower legs are the itchiest areas, due to poor circulation, the American Diabetes Association says. _Editor's Note: This story, published April

4, 2022, has been updated with new information._