Skin Tags, Bad Breath, and Sweat: 9 Surprising Type 2 Diabetes Complications

Your doctor has already warned you about major type 2 diabetes complications such as vision loss and kidney disease. But chronic high blood sugar can also have a number of frustrating lesser known results, from bad breath to hair loss.
1. Skin Tags
2. Bad Breath
Seek immediate medical attention if your breath has a sweet or fruity odor. Fruity-smelling breath can be a sign of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a life-threatening condition during which acids called ketones build up in the bloodstream because of low insulin. DKA usually happens when blood sugar levels are high (more than 250 milligrams per deciliter) and is often the result of a dehydrating illness like a stomach flu. Test your blood sugar if you suspect this is the case.
- Fatigue
- Dry or flushed skin
- Nausea or vomiting
- Confusion
- Trouble breathing
3. Unusual Sweating
It’s normal to get a little sweaty when you’re eating spicy foods. But profuse perspiration that pops up after most meals could be related to type 2 diabetes. Diabetes can make you sweat.
4. Yeast Infections
5. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Wearing a wrist splint at night
- Taking over-the-counter pain medications
- Corticosteroid injections
- Surgery, if other treatments are unsuccessful
Carpal tunnel syndrome is just one of several hand complications, which are known collectively as diabetic hand syndrome. If your fingers or thumb are unusually stiff, bent, or even locked into place, you should see your doctor for treatment.
6. Hair Loss
If your hair loss feels especially sudden or unnatural, talk to your doctor, who may be able to refer you to a dermatologist to find the right option for you.
7. Erectile Dysfunction
ED is just one of several potential sexual side effects to diabetes; other conditions include painful intercourse for women and loss of libido in both men and women.
8. Brain Fog
Having brain fog, or difficulty focusing or remembering things, could be the result of high or low blood sugar from type 2 diabetes.
9. Itchy Skin
The Takeaway
- Symptoms such as bad breath, sweating after meals, and persistent itchiness may be the result of elevated blood sugar levels associated with type 2 diabetes.
- Some symptoms, such as fruity breath or brain fog, can be a sign of an oncoming medical emergency, and may need rapid treatment.
- Though complications like itchiness and hair loss may not seem to be medically urgent, it’s a good idea to discuss them with your doctor, as they could be a sign that your blood sugar management strategy needs a change.
Resources We Trust
- Mayo Clinic: Diabetes Symptoms: When Diabetes Symptoms Are a Concern
- American Academy of Dermatology: Diabetes: 10 Warning Signs That Can Appear on Your Skin
- American Heart Association: Life’s Essential 8 — How to Manage Blood Sugar Fact Sheet
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Your Brain and Diabetes
- UNC Health Wayne: 10 Silent Symptoms of Diabetes
- Type 2 Diabetes. Cleveland Clinic. November 8, 2023.
- Diabetes: 10 Warning Signs That Can Appear on Your Skin. American Academy of Dermatology. May 22, 2024.
- Köseoğlu HG et al. The Role of Insulin-Like Growth Factor in Acrochordon Etiopathology. BMC Dermatology. November 3, 2020.
- Skin Tags: Why They Develop, and How to Remove Them. American Academy of Dermatology. May 1, 2023.
- Diabetes, Gum Disease, & Other Dental Problems. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. January 2022.
- Diabetes & DKA (Ketoacidosis). American Diabetes Association.
- Klarskov K et al. Gustatory Sweating in People With Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Prevalence and Risk Factors. Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism. October 2021.
- Young A et al. Frey Syndrome. StatPearls. January 12, 2023.
- Sweat and Diabetes. Diabetes Care Community. August 31, 2022.
- Brieditis E et al. Vulvovaginal Candidiasis and Type 2 Diabetes: A Nationwide Retrospective Cohort Study. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. July 8, 2024.
- Mohammed L et al. The Interplay Between Sugar and Yeast Infections: Do Diabetics Have a Greater Predisposition to Develop Oral and Vulvovaginal Candidiasis? Cureus. February 18, 2021.
- Vaginal Yeast Infection. Cleveland Clinic. May 20, 2025.
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Symptoms & Causes. Mayo Clinic. February 6, 2024.
- Sanjari E et al. Investigating the Association Between Diabetes and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Approach. PLoS One. April 16, 2024.
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Diagnosis & Treatment. Mayo Clinic. February 6, 2024.
- Hair Loss: Who Gets and Causes. American Academy of Dermatology.
- Ravi K et al. Reversal of Alopecia by Insulin Therapy in Uncontrolled Type 2 DM: A Case Report. Journal of Diabetology. October-December 2021.
- Lopez RF et al. Alopecia as an Emerging Adverse Effect Associated With Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) Receptor Agonists for Weight Loss: A Scoping Review. Cureus. August 13, 2025.
- Defeudis G et al. Erectile Dysfunction and Diabetes: A Melting Pot of Circumstances and Treatments. Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews. September 21, 2021.
- Your Brain and Diabetes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. July 16, 2024.
- Restifo D et al. Abstract WP17: Impact Of Cigarette Smoking and Its Interaction With Hypertension and Diabetes On Cognitive Function. Stroke. February 3, 2022.
- Edwards E et al. Skin Manifestations of Diabetes Mellitus. Endotext. March 21, 2025.
- Diabetes and Skin Complications. American Diabetes Association.

Elise M. Brett, MD
Medical Reviewer
Dr. Brett practices general endocrinology and diabetes and has additional certification in neck ultrasound and fine-needle aspiration biopsy, which she performs regularly in the office. She is voluntary faculty and associate clinical professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She is a former member of the board of directors of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology. She has lectured nationally and published book chapters and peer reviewed articles on various topics, including thyroid cancer, neck ultrasound, parathyroid disease, obesity, diabetes, and nutrition support.
