Abstract: A method for treating diabetic complications by administration of a beta-blocker is disclosed. Diabetic complications arise from diabetes and have few or no existing treatment options. The present invention describes the use of a beta-blocker in the treatment of a diabetic. The present invention also describes the inhibition of aldose reductase, one of the chief causative factors of diabetic complications. Also provided are methods of diabetic wound healing. Compositions for treating diabetic complications, such as diabetic wounds, are disclosed. The present invention includes employing a topical formulation of a beta-blocker, having substantially no antibacterial activity, to improve the process of diabetic wound healing. The present invention also involves increasing the rate of collagen accumulation of the healing epithelialized tissue in the wound of a diabetic individual.