Skin Ulcers: What to Look For and How to Avoid Them

Venous insufficiency problems can be very painful and lead to more serious issues if left untreated. The experienced team of professionals at Advanced Vascular Surgery can properly diagnose venous issues, like skin ulcers, and formulate a strategy to properly treat them before they become too serious. These issues should not be taken lightly, and the longer you wait to have them treated, the more likely you are to suffer from side effects and complications. At Advanced Vascular Surgery, our professionals will work closely with you to give you an accurate diagnosis for any venous conditions you may be experiencing, then make sure you understand the options available to you before treatment starts. In today’s post, we will look skin ulcers – what the symptoms are, how to avoid them, and how they can be treated.

What Causes Skin Ulcers?

If you want to successfully treat your venous condition, it’s important to get to the source of the problem. Skin ulcers are generally caused by blood accumulating and pooling in your veins due to poor circulation. Once skin ulcers have formed, you could notice fluid leaking from it, which causes further damage to the tissues around the ulcer.

Like any other medical condition, finding the root to your skin ulcer problem is the key to successful treatment and healing. With ulcers, poor circulation will cause blood to accumulate and pool in your veins. This can result in fluid leaking and causing damage to surrounding tissues, which can eventually result in an ulcer.

Are There Factors That Increase the Possibility of Skin Ulcers?

There are various factors that affect the possibility of skin ulcers developing on your leg. While some of these will require medical attention, a majority of them are fully within your control. Some of these factors include:

• Varicose Veins
• Smoking
• Lack of Physical Activity
• Deep Vein Thrombosis
• Obesity
• Working While Standing in the Same Place for Hours at a Time

What are the Signs I Should Look For?

The first changes you will notice are to your skin, as it will turn a dark red or purple color due to the leaking blood. You may also notice that the affected area becomes thick, dry, and itchy. It is important to seek treatment as soon as possible, as the leg could then begin to swell and become achy, which usually occurs right before the ulcer becomes apparent on the surface of the skin.

How Do I Treat Skin Ulcers?

The main focus in treating skin ulcers is the improvement of blood circulation in your legs. You can take measures of your own to start, like elevating your legs above your heart whenever possible, taking more frequent walks to help blood flow, or wearing compression stockings. If the ulcers reach a more advanced stage, you may need antibiotics to keep the ulcer from getting infected, or they may reach the level when skin grafting is necessary to completely heal them. If none of these strategies are successful, you may require surgery to keep the ulcers from coming back.

If you are concerned that you may need assistance with skin ulcers, contact Advanced Vascular Surgery to set up your initial consultation.