Itchy legs with swollen skin and red, purple, gray or brown patches aren’t just an annoyance — they’re a sign of venous stasis dermatitis, also called varicose eczema or venous eczema. It’s not something to ignore. Early treatment can help stave off serious complications including leg ulcers and cellulitis. The board-certified vein experts at AQUA Vein Center are highly skilled at treating the most common underlying cause.

One of our vein experts will examine your legs and provide an accurate diagnosis of the problem. To treat venous stasis dermatitis, the physician may recommend lifestyle changes that can ease the symptoms, such as regularly elevating your legs above your heart, taking brisk walks, avoiding salty foods and using a thick, fragrance-free moisturizing cream. They may prescribe compression socks or stockings to reduce the swelling, a topical dressing to ease the itching and inflammation or a topical corticosteroid cream.

If you have chronic venous insufficiency, the physician may recommend a procedure to close the faulty veins before complications develop. Minimally invasive procedures performed at AQUA Vein Center include sclerotherapy, VenaSeal, radiofrequency ablation and endovenous laser treatment. All are minimally invasive, and recovery time is short.

Even patients with the most challenging cases of venous stasis dermatitis can find relief from their symptoms, so schedule an appointment today.

Venous ulcers are painful and potentially dangerous open skin sores that most often occur on the legs. Without prompt, effective treatment, these sores may fester, become infected and eat away at the tissues and bone underneath. If and when they do heal, they often return.

The vein specialists at AQUA Vein Center provide state-of-the-art, comprehensive venous ulcer care that allows these leg ulcers to close on their own while reducing the risk of recurrence. Our physicians have successfully and safely treated thousands of venous ulcer patients, including patients who have received ineffective treatments elsewhere.

The goal of venous ulcer treatment is to reduce the pressure on the skin and underlying tissues and allow the leg sore to heal.

Your vein specialist will clean and dress the wound. If the wound is infected, the physician may prescribe an antibiotic.

Compression Therapy

Next, you’ll be instructed to wear a compression sock or compression stockings during the day to squeeze the area and send pooled blood up the leg and back to the heart. To help this process along, you’ll be advised to elevate the leg as much as possible.

Compression therapy alone will help the ulcer heal over time, but unless you treat the underlying vein condition, you will be susceptible to developing new leg ulcers in the future. Closing faulty veins relieves abnormal venous pressures and also helps the ulcer heal faster.

Your AQUA Vein Center physician will create a customized treatment plan based on the severity of your chronic venous insufficiency.

Additional Treatment Options

To close larger veins, the physician may perform radiofrequency ablation (RFA) or laser ablation, or they may use a medical glue to seal the veins in a procedure called VenaSeal. More than one treatment may be needed.

The physician may also perform ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy (UGS) to close smaller blood vessels that drain into larger veins. UGS is a minimally invasive procedure in which the physician uses ultrasound to locate the vessels, then injects a foam sclerosant (irritant), which causes them to close.

A relatively new technique for healing newly formed venous ulcers, the percutaneous Terminal Interruption of Reflux Source (TIRS) procedure, reduces venous hypertension by injecting foam into the veins in the ulcer area. This allows the venous ulcer to heal rapidly. The average time for an ulcer to heal is six to eight weeks.

Reducing the pressure in the veins, elevating the leg and keeping the ulcer clean and dry are crucial to preventing recurrence of venous ulcers.

You’ll be instructed to wear a compression sock or compression stockings in between treatments. After your venous ulcer has healed, the physician will advise you to continue wearing compression garments every day to help prevent the ulcer from returning.

These enlarged veins look like thick, blue, green or purple ropes beneath the surface of the skin. They appear when blood begins to pool in the legs because the valves have become weak. The increased pressure on the veins is what causes their enlarged, rope-like appearance.

Varicose veins can be unsightly and uncomfortable. Over time, the vein condition that causes them, called chronic venous insufficiency, can lead to serious complications.

Treating varicose veins eases symptoms such as tired, heavy legs, itchy legs and leg cramps. Just as important, it reduces the risk of dangerous blood clots and helps prevent the development of venous ulcers, which can be painful and difficult to treat. However, if you don’t mind their appearance and they aren’t causing you discomfort or other physical symptoms, you don’t have to treat varicose veins.

During your vein consultation, one of our vein specialists will examine you and ask about your symptoms and medical history. Your physician may order an imaging test, such as an ultrasound, to view the structure of your veins and observe the blood flow.

Compression Therapy

You may be prescribed compression therapy in the form of compression socks or stockings to see if they help.

If the physician thinks you will benefit from varicose vein surgery, he or she will recommend the best procedure for you. Varicose vein procedures are done in the office. Most involve closing the veins and letting the body absorb them. Typically, you can return to your normal activities (other than strenuous exercise) immediately after the procedure.

Radiofrequency Ablation

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) uses radiofrequency waves delivered by a small probe to heat the walls of the faulty vein. The heat causes the vein to close. The body absorbs it, and the blood it carries is re-routed through nearby healthier veins.

Patients recover quickly from the RFA procedure. Most are able to return to normal activities after the procedure.

Sclerotherapy

Small varicose veins can often be treated with sclerotherapy. In this procedure, the vein physician uses a very thin needle to inject a sclerosant (an irritating liquid or foam) into the vein. The physician may use ultrasound to guide the placement of the needle. The sclerosant irritates the vein wall, which eventually causes the vein to collapse. Once it collapses, the body reroutes the blood it carried through nearby healthier veins and the varicose vein disappears.

Sclerotherapy for varicose veins takes about 30 minutes per session. You will feel a small pinch each time the needle goes in, but the procedure is not painful.

ClariVein IC

ClariVein IC is a catheter with a rotating wire tip. The physician inserts it into the vein, and the wire tip disperses a sclerosant solution. This solution irritates the vein wall, eventually causing the vein to collapse. No anesthesia is required. You can expect a pinch when the catheter is inserted, but the procedure is not painful.

Endovenous Laser Treatment

Endovenous laser treatment (EVLT) uses heat from a laser to close faulty veins. Recovery is quick. AQUA Vein Center physicians use state-of-the-art lasers such as the DORNIER Medilas D FlexiPulse 940 to provide the best possible outcome.

Veinlite

Veinlite utilizes a surface light to see abnormal varicose veins underneath the skin and close them using foam sclerotherapy. These veins typically cannot be seen with the naked eye; and because they are smaller and very close to the skin surface, they are not seen well with ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy.

VenaSeal

In this procedure, the physician uses a medical-grade adhesive (glue) to seal the vein shut. A thin tube called a catheter is used to inject the adhesive. The physician inserts the catheter into specific areas along the diseased vein. No anesthesia is needed. There is very little pain or bruising.

Microphlebectomy

Microphlebectomy is an option for treating varicose veins that are too large to be treated with sclerotherapy or other methods. In this procedure, the vein physician injects a local anesthetic so you won’t feel any pain. They then make a pin-size incision to access a segment of the varicose vein. Next, they take the segment with a surgical hook and remove it. The incisions are so small that no stitches are required in most cases, and there is little or no scarring.