Your legs have a tough job: They move you from place to place while pumping blood back to the heart against gravity. This process can become less efficient as you age, increasing blood pressure against vein walls.
This venous pressure can cause various health issues, including a skin condition called stasis dermatitis. Dr. Clement Banda of MD Vein & Skin Specialists is an expert at diagnosing and treating vein conditions affecting the legs, including stasis dermatitis.
Here’s what you need to know about this condition, which is also known as venous eczema, gravitational dermatitis, and varicose eczema.
With stasis dermatitis, the pressure inside the superficial veins of the legs causes changes to the skin’s surface that start with itching, discoloration, and pain until sores begin to form.
Most commonly an age-related inflammatory condition, stasis dermatitis emerges more often in people who have conditions like chronic venous insufficiency, lymphedema, or heart failure.
Up to 20 million Americans over 50 may have stasis dermatitis to some degree. “Stasis” describes the pooling of blood that results when pressure within the veins causes tiny backflow valves inside the veins to fail.
Your risk of stasis dermatitis climbs when you have health conditions including:
Lifestyle conditions like long periods spent sitting or standing and chronic inactivity can also raise your risk since your legs depend on the contraction and relaxation of leg muscles to assist blood movement toward the heart.
After diagnosis, the priority is usually controlling the skin changes, particularly if you’ve developed leg ulcers or have wounds that are slow to heal. Common treatments include:
Elevating your feet through the day and at night counters the effects of gravity, using it to assist the return of blood to the heart and lungs and reduce pressure against vein walls.
Making a few changes to your lifestyle can help you overcome the effects of stasis dermatitis. Increasing the amount of low-impact activity in your daily life helps promote improved circulation in your legs.
If your job or hobbies require you to sit or stand for long periods, build in some movement every hour to encourage blood flow. Moisturize your legs to counter the drying effects of your condition.
Check your legs often for new signs of stasis dermatitis and contact MD Vein & Skin Specialists at the first sign of changes. Call or click to make your appointment as soon as necessary.
