What are Venous Leg Ulcers?

As you live the years of your life, you definitely accumulate a lot of wisdom. Unfortunately, your body just isn’t the same as when you were younger. Venous leg ulcers become much more common the older you get. Once you have reached your 80’s the chances of you having a venous ulceration is about one out of fifty. The most common place for a venous ulceration to form is on your legs. As you age, your skin loses its elasticity. A skin ulcer forms when an area of your skin breaks down. You will be able to see the underlying layers of skin. The most common location on your legs for a venous ulceration to form will be just above your ankles. Venous ulcerations are more common in women than in men. Most ulcers are relatively painless, but some can be extremely painful, especially if you have a venous ulceration that ends up in a location where there is a lot of friction, such as your shoe or sock line. If you don’t get the ulcer treated, there is a potential for it to become larger, get infected, or cause additional problems with your leg. You might even experience skin inflammation around the ulcer.

What is the Cause?

It all goes back to circulation. Venous ulcerations begin when there is an increase in the blood pressure of your lower legs. The added pressure in your leg veins is caused from blood collecting in your smaller veins. This can come from a blood clot, varicose veins, or damaged vein valves. Gravity causes the blood to flow back down your legs and creates pools of blood that add pressure. The pressure can be enough to make fluid ooze out of the veins that are right beneath your skin. This creates swelling and thickening then ultimately causes damage to your skin. On the surface, the damaged skin can then break down and an ulcer is formed.

What about Treatment?

When it comes to venous ulcerations, there isn’t a one treatment fits all approach. Your treatment is going to be specific and based on the issues within your legs. Sometimes the ulcer can be healed with a bit of rest mixed with good washing, clean dressings and keeping your leg elevated for a few 30-minute intervals each day. A compression bandage might even be added to increase the healing. Sometimes the treatment can be more extensive. For instance, if faulty vein valves are the cause of your ulcers, then you will need to have your veins treated. In extreme cases, detailed imaging might need to be done in order to create a detailed map of the circulatory system in your legs.

Advanced Vein Therapy

We understand veins at Advanced Vein Therapy. Our goal is to provide you with compassionate, professional care. We provide a variety of treatments that can help with venous leg ulcerations and varicose veins. Left untreated, venous diseases can bring pain, reduce your activity level, and can hamper your lifestyle. With the help of Advanced Vein Therapy and modern vein disease treatments, you can beat vein disease.