Ankle discoloration can signal serious vein problems. Its important to understand how varicose veins contribute to this condition. We all have veins to take the blood from our legs back up to the heart. Veins have valves to keep the blood from pooling in the lower legs. With time, these valves can become weak, allowing blood to pool in the lower legs. When this happens, the pressure in the veins goes up considerably. In the first stage, this leads to visible varicose veins. Then one notices leg swelling by the ankles. The next stage is ankle discoloration. This discoloration can be blue as capillaries dilate from the high pressure. It can be red, as the skin cracks and becomes inflamed. It can also be brown, as the skin becomes scarred over time by the inflammation from the high pressure in the veins. All of this ankle discoloration can signal serious venous disease.
Stasis Dermatitis: Irritated Skin with Wounds That Are Slow to Heal.
This skin is very fragile, and can easily break down with even minor trauma. When vein problems are present, ankle wounds are slow to heal. A small wound that takes a few days or weeks to heal in normal skin, therefore can take months to heal in skin impaired by venous insufficiency due to varicose veins. Sometimes just itching the skin causes wounds to open up. This is known as stasis dermatitis.
Wounds that Never Heal.
In many patients, these wounds can breakdown and not heal on their own. This is known as a venous stasis ulcer. Venous stasis ulcers can be very painful, and require painful, inconvenient and expensive on going wound care. Many people have venous stasis ulcers and are not even aware this is due to vein problems, so they continue to suffer with these wounds for years.
Varicose Vein Treatments Make a Big Difference.
Treating the varicose veins with compression hose, wound care and outpatient procedures like Closurefast, Venaseal, Varithena or Sclerotherapy can significantly speed recovery for patients ranging from early ankle discoloration, to venous stasis dermatitis to venous stasis ulceration. Growing high quality evidence suggest the earlier this is done, the better the patient outcomes. These treatments are done in the office as an outpatient, and are usually covered by insurance.
Inovia Vein Specialty Centers Can Help
At Inovia Vein, we offer the latest techniques in the treatment of varicose veins. All of our surgeons stay current on the latest vein treatment techniques so we can offer our patients the best options available. We are currently scheduling patients in our Central Oregon clinic at The Center next to St. Charles Medical Center. In this setting, Dr. Boyle or Dr Jones see patients from Bend, Redmond, Prineville, Madras, La Pine, Baker City, Burns, and John Day and beyond. We are also scheduling patients with Dr. Jason Gilster for our Bridgeport Village clinic in Tigard, Oregon and Northwest Portland, Oregon, clinic close to downtown Portland with Dr. Alexander Nicoloff. Additionally we have a clinic in Happy Valley, Oregon, that is now scheduling patients with Dr. Andrew Gentile. Give us a call and we can get you scheduled for your vein evaluation and treatment appointments.