What Is Venous Ulcer?
Venous ulcers are leg ulcers caused by poor blood circulation in the leg veins. They occur when the veins in the legs fail to push blood back up to the heart. This backs up the blood in the veins and builds up pressure.
An ulcer is an open skin sore. Venous ulcers can take weeks or months to heal. They can get worse at a fast rate which will put you at risk for complications. Some people lose their limbs entirely.
The pooling of blood in the leg veins causes fluid and blood cells to leak out into the skin and other tissues. This can cause the skin to become itchy and thin leading to skin changes called stasis dermatitis.
Venous Ulcer Treatment:
Treatment must be carried out by a healthcare professional. This will normally be a practice or district nurse.
The first task is to remove debris or dead tissue from the ulcer. The second step is to wash and dry the ulcer and finally, you need to apply an appropriate dressing. This provides the right conditions for the healing of the ulcer.
A simple and non-sticky dressing will dress your ulcer and it will need to be changed once or thrice a week.
Many people can clean and dress their own ulcers under a nurse’s supervision. To improve vein circulation in your legs and treat swelling, your nurse will wrap a compression bandage over the affected leg. These bandages squeeze your legs and encourage blood to flow to your heart.
You will have to remove or cut the bandage off if:
- Numbness or tingling occurs in your feet.
- You get an unusual pain in your legs, feet or toes.
- Your toes swell or get a pale or blue look.
- After you have removed the bandage, raise your leg and contact your doctor or nurse.
Benefits of Treatment:
Venous leg ulcers sometimes cause swelling of your feet and ankles, which is caused by fluid. Compression bandages can control this. Venous leg ulcers can cause rashes with scaly and itchy skin to develop. This can be treated with a moisturizer and occasionally a mild corticosteroid cream or ointment.
The treatments for venous ulcers can benefit in relieving the patient of these symptoms. If you have these ulcers you can come to the Laser Vein Clinic. We have doctors who have experience in treating venous leg ulcers so you can be sure that you will get professional and effective treatment from us.