Vein Condition

Venous Ulcers

What Are Venous Ulcers?

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.

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FAQs

Venous ulcers typically occur on the inside lower leg, just above the ankle. The most common cause is chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). In this condition, faulty one-way valves in the veins allow blood to pool. This pooled blood increases the pressure in the veins, including the small veins in the skin. Over time, that pressure can break down the skin and the tissues beneath it, causing a venous ulcer.

To prevent venous ulcers, you should take the steps that will help you avoid most vein disease. Healthy habits that can improve your circulation and reduce the risk for venous ulcers include:

  • Avoid smoking
  • Lose weight if you’re overweight or obese
  • Get plenty of regular exercise
  • Move around often
  • Elevate your legs when sitting, especially if you’ve been standing all day
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Treatments for Venous Ulcers

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.