Generally, ulcers are open skin sores that can affect any area of your skin, especially the area around your legs (venous ulcers). Venous ulcers are leg ulcers triggered by the poor circulation of blood in the leg veins. Naturally, when you get a scrape or a cut, your body starts to work on closing the wound during the healing process, but these scrapes and cuts may not heal if you have ulcers. Read on to learn more about venous ulcers, their causes, and the available ulcer treatments in Manhattan.
What Causes Venous Ulcers?
Venous ulcers typically occur in the area around the ankles due to damage to the valves inside the leg veins. Valves help control blood pressure inside the veins by dropping it when walking. If these valves function abnormally and you walk while your blood pressure is high, it can trigger a condition known as sustained venous hypertension. Additionally, venous ulcers may be caused by:
- Chronic Venous Insufficiency – This is a condition when your leg veins can’t pump blood properly back up to your heart.
- Varicose Veins – These are large, bulging leg veins that occur when valves in the leg veins are damaged and allow blood to pool in your lower leg.
Venous Ulcer Treatments
After thoroughly diagnosing the immediate cause of your venous ulcers and reviewing your family’s medical history, vein specialist Dr. Radwaner comes up with a suitable treatment plan that may consist of the following therapies:
- Innovative Dressings: Dr. Radwaner will recommend various types of specialized dressings designed to help improve your body’s natural healing process.
- Medications: Medication may be required to treat an underlying condition or an infection in your body.
- Leg Elevation: This helps improve proper blood flow and reduce excessive fluid buildup and swelling in the leg.
- Debridement: This normally entails using specialized dressings or enzymes to remove dead tissues from the surface of an ulcer.
- Compression stockings: These are essential for healing venous ulcers. They normally function by gently squeezing your legs to improve blood circulation and regulate blood pressure in the veins.
How to Care for Venous Ulcers
It is advisable to have any venous ulcers checked immediately by your doctor. Also, adequate care and treatment of venous ulcers help promote healing and prevent further infection. Treatment of venous ulcers normally involves concentrating on the exact circulatory problems that trigger the ulcers. Below are some brief guidelines on how to care for venous ulcers:
- Avoid products that cause skin sensitivity
- Regularly clean the wound
- Take oral antibiotic medications to prevent further infection
- Wear compression stockings to prevent pooling of blood in the legs
- Apply a dressing to the ulcer to avoid contamination
- Have allergy testing done
- Apply antibacterial ointment to treat the infection
Conclusion
At Elite Veins NY, we believe that early treatment of venous ulcers can help promote quick healing and prevent further severe complications. Our vein specialist, Dr. Bradley Radwaner, MD, offers New York City’s patients with effective medical solutions for ulcers. If you notice any changes in the normal color of your skin and start to develop wounds around the area, make sure to book an appointment online or call our office in New York City.