Venous ulcers are a type of wound that appears more frequently on the legs, especially on the ankle, due to venous insufficiency, which leads to the accumulation of blood and rupture of the veins and, consequently, to the appearance of wounds that hurt and do not heal, in addition to swelling in the leg and darkening of the skin. See what are the main symptoms of poor circulation.
The presence of venous ulcers, although not fatal, can cause great discomfort and even generate disability, affecting the person's quality of life, mainly. This type of ulcer is more frequent in elderly people or people who have several systemic problems that can interfere with blood circulation or the healing process.
The treatment for venous ulcers is done according to medical advice and is usually done with the use of compression stockings, which stimulate local circulation, and with the use of ointments that facilitate healing.
How to identify a venous ulcer
Venous ulcers are a chronic wound, more frequent in the ankle, characterized by being a lesion that does not heal easily and that at the beginning has irregular and superficial edges. However, with the progression of the lesion, the ulcer may end up becoming deep and with well-defined edges, and there may still be a yellowish liquid coming out.
Other features of venous ulcers include:
- Pain of varying intensity; Swelling; Edema; Peeling; Darkening and thickening of the skin; Presence of varicose veins; Feeling of heaviness in the legs; Itching.
The diagnosis is made from the evaluation of the characteristics of the ulcer, such as location, size, depth, borders, presence of fluid and swelling of the region. In addition, the doctor checks for thickening, darkening of the skin and inflammation characteristics.
How the treatment is done
The treatment for venous ulcers should be carried out with the medical recommendation and aims to prevent the appearance of new ulcers, relieve pain, prevent infections, improve venous circulation and facilitate the healing of the already present ulcer.
One of the treatment options for venous ulcers is compressive therapy, which consists of the use of compressive stockings that aim to stimulate local circulation, reducing swelling and the risk of forming new wounds, as it stimulates micro and macrocirculation. The use of graduated compression stockings must be prescribed by the vascular doctor, and they can be of various types, so it is also important to identify the factors that may be related to the change in circulation, so that the doctor can establish a treatment focused on the cause.
In addition, it is important to clean the wound to prevent infections from occurring, which can worsen the ulcer leading to tissue necrosis. Cleaning should be done with a 0.9% saline solution that does not interfere with the healing process, does not cause allergic skin reactions and does not alter the normal skin microbiota. After cleaning it is recommended to make a dressing with hydrogel, alginates, papain or collagenase, depending on the medical indication, which are substances that have the ability to remove dead tissue and facilitate healing.
It is also important to move the leg, through walks or physical therapy exercises, to activate the local circulation and reduce blood congestion, preventing the formation of new ulcers and recurrence. If the presence of bacterial infection in the wound is noticed, the doctor may also indicate the use of antibiotics according to the microorganism present in the wound.
What to do with difficult to heal ulcers
In difficult-to-heal lesions, which have not healed using compressive therapies and dressings, or when they are very large ulcers, surgery may be indicated in which a skin graft is placed in the ulcer region, in which it is removed a piece of tissue from another part of the body and placed where the ulcer is, facilitating healing.
