What is a Venous Skin Ulcer?
A venous leg ulcer is an open sore that develops in areas of the body where blood flow has been blocked or reversed due to poor vein function. Typically these ulcers occur on the legs, where the blood is most prone to pooling.
What Causes Leg Ulcers?
These venous ulcers, or stasis ulcers, develop when the leg veins fail to pump blood back up to the heart for reoxygenation. Which is what we call, venous insufficiency.
The veins in your body have valves that open one way to allow blood to flow back to the heart. However, age and other factors influence how well the valves function over time.
When the valves break down, the blood begins to pool, and then the veins begin to leak fluid into the surrounding tissue. This fluid will begin to break down the tissue and will cause ulcers to form.
Diabetes can also cause ulcers and sores on the legs, but the causes are much different from vascular causes.
Why Do My Legs Look Discolored?
Leg discoloration is another symptom of venous insufficiency. It can also be caused by diabetes, but here we will focus on discoloration from venous conditions.
What Are The Symptoms of Leg Discoloration?
- Skin discoloration on the lower legs with red, brown, or yellow splotches
- Itching
- Throbbing
- Scaling
- Crusty Sores or oozing ulcers
- Loss of hair on the feet, ankles, and shins
- Thick, leathery skin
- Noticeable varicose veins or spider veins
- Swelling in the legs and ankles
Symptoms of Leg Ulcers
- Pain and swelling in the legs and ankles
- Tightness in the calves
- Itchiness and pain in the legs
- Pain that occurs only when walking, but stops when resting
- Brown skin discoloration around the ankles
- Varicose veins
- Spider veins
- Leg sores that refuse to heal
- Restless legs
- Leg cramps and muscle spasms
What Causes Skin Discoloration and Leg Ulcers?
Leg discoloration and venous stasis ulcers are both outward signs of an inward problem. Specifically, they are the outward manifestation of vascular disease. The cause of your vein malfunction could be venous insufficiency, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), or it could be due to poor circulation
This is typically the same condition that causes varicose veins and spider veins.
Factors That Affect Vein Health
The following health factors are known to affect your risk for developing vascular disease, leg ulcers, and leg discoloration.
- Obesity
- Age
- Sedentary lifestyle or are immobile for long periods of time
- Blood clots
- High blood pressure
- Existing heart conditions
- Kidney failure
- Previous surgeries or traumatic injuries in the affected area
- Frequent alcohol use
- Using tobacco products
- Genetics
- Poor diet
Venous Leg Ulcer Treatment
Treatment for venous ulcers focuses on improving your circulation. This can be done one of several ways.
At Home Care
To help you take care of leg ulcers and venous discoloration we recommend the following at-home care treatments.
- Elevating your legs to improve circulation
- Cleaning the wound to prevent infection
- Wearing prescription compression stockings to reduce blood pooling
- Avoid heavy exercise
- Use antibiotic ointments
Other Vein Ulcer Treatments
Compression therapy is the gold standard for venous ulcers. Our vein experts, depending on your condition, may also prescribe wound care, wound dressing, antibiotics, aspirin, or circulation medication.
Minimally invasive surgical treatments may also be recommended depending on your condition.
- Microphlebectomy to remove diseased veins
- Vein ablation to seal diseased veins
Venous Leg Ulcer Treatment
Treatment for venous ulcers focuses on improving your circulation. This can be done one of several ways.
At Home Care
To help you take care of leg ulcers and venous discoloration we recommend the following at-home care treatments.
- Elevating your legs to improve circulation
- Cleaning the wound to prevent infection
- Wearing prescription compression stockings to reduce blood pooling
- Avoid heavy exercise
- Use antibiotic ointments
Other Vein Ulcer Treatments
Compression therapy is the gold standard for venous ulcers. Our vein experts, depending on your condition, may also prescribe wound care, wound dressing, antibiotics, aspirin, or circulation medication.
Minimally invasive surgical treatments may also be recommended depending on your condition.
- Microphlebectomy to remove diseased veins
- Vein ablation to seal diseased veins
