Everything about venous ulcers-part 2

Why do venous ulcers occur?

All of us have superficial veins in our legs. These veins have very thin walls and no muscle. Veins also have valves so that blood does not fall back. The function of all veins is to push blood back to the heart. In some cases, valves fail and blood starts to pool backwards. In other cases, the superficial veins can no longer push blood back to the heart and blood collects in the lower legs. With time, these superficial veins get clogged with blood and become known as varicose veins. Over time, the constant accumulation of blood in leg veins gets excessive and blood starts to leaks out into the tissues. This leads to skin discoloration or what is known as stasis dermatitis. This is most common around the ankles. With time, the skin becomes thin, dry, and very itchy. The skin then breaks open and an ulcer results.

What are symptoms of venous ulcer?

The development of a venous ulcer is a gradual process. As the ulcer develops, individuals may develop the following symptoms:

a. Grayish or brown skin discoloration
b. itchy skin
c. skin which starts to become thin
d. pain which is moderate to intense, and is continuous
e. pain which causes limping
f. shallow ulcer with a thin rim of skin
g. clear drainage
h. beefy red indurated ulcer
i. swollen feet
j. presence of varicose veins