The short explanation
Please show this wound to a doctor soon. Long-standing diabetes can damage nerves in the feet, causing tingling or numbness, and can also reduce blood flow. Together, these make small wounds slow to heal and more likely to become infected, sometimes without much pain. Early care of a foot wound can prevent much bigger problems. A doctor or diabetic foot clinic can clean the wound, check for infection, examine the nerves and blood flow in your feet, and review your sugar control. Meanwhile, keep the wound clean and covered, avoid walking barefoot, and avoid home remedies such as applying turmeric, hot water or ointments without advice.
What depends on your situation
The parts of this that change from woman to woman. Uncertainty is stated, not hidden.
- Check your feet daily for cuts, blisters, redness, swelling or colour changes. Use a mirror or ask a family member if you cannot see the soles.
- Wear well-fitting footwear, even at home, and dry carefully between the toes after washing.
- Good control of sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol, and not smoking, help protect your feet.
What this answer cannot determine
The boundary of online education. These need a clinician who can see you.
- This cannot tell you how serious your wound is or whether it is infected. A doctor needs to examine it.
Questions for your clinician
Take these with you. You can add any of them to an appointment card.
- Is my wound infected?
- Is the nerve or blood supply to my feet affected?
- How should I care for this wound at home?
- How often should my feet be checked?
When to seek help
Clinician-approved guidance for this topic. When in doubt, being seen is never the wrong choice.
Emergency — call 112 now
- Call 112 or go to emergency if the foot becomes cold, very dark or black, or you have high fever with confusion.
Get help the same day
- Get care the same day if the wound is red, swollen, hot, smelly, oozing pus or you have fever.
Book an appointment soon
- See a doctor within a few days for any wound that is not healing.
Raise it at a routine appointment
- Have your feet checked at every routine diabetes visit.
Sources
The evidence this explanation is built on.
- Preventing diabetes problems National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH)
- Diabetes MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine)
- Type 2 diabetes NHS
Who wrote and reviewed this
Every AskHer answer names its author. A clinically reviewed answer also names the clinician who signed it off — if no clinician is named below, it has not been clinically reviewed.
- Author
- AskHer Editorial (AI-assisted draft) AskHer's editorial team — not an individual clinician Works in English, தமிழ், हिन्दी
- Clinical reviewer
- Nobody yet No clinician has signed this answer off, and no person on the editorial team has read it yet. That is what the “Written with AI assistance” label means. It is queued for an editor to read, and then for a clinician who works in this area. The sources it was drafted against are listed above.
- Review status
- Written with AI assistance — not yet reviewed by a person
- Last reviewed
- Not yet reviewed by a person
- Version
- 1
Correction history
Substantive changes are listed, not quietly edited away.
No corrections have been made since this answer was first published.
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