Areas of darker skin color in the lower leg, ankle or foot are called Hemosiderin deposits. Hemosiderin is a brownish pigment caused by the breakdown of blood hemoglobin, the iron content in red blood cells. Foot and Ankle Discoloration is called Stasis Dermatitis and is usually a symptom of Venous Insufficiency.
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Why is the skin on my ankles dark?
Discolored ankles is a sign of venous insufficiency
Sometimes deposits of hemosiderin can accumulate under your skin when your blood flow is too insufficient to return the excess iron to your immune system to be cleared away, leaving dark pigmentation in your ankles known as “stasis dermatitis.”
How do you get rid of ankle discoloration?
How to treat venous stasis dermatitis
- Compression stockings to reduce swelling, keep blood flowing, and prevent clots.
- Elevating legs above the heart to aid blood flow when at rest or sleeping.
- Adopting a low-salt diet (decreases fluid retention)
- Adding a vitamin C supplement to keep blood vessels flexible and healthy.
Is venous stasis life threatening?
Chronic venous insufficiency is not a serious health threat. But it can be painful and disabling.
How do you get rid of venous stasis?
Treatment may include:
- Improving blood flow in your leg veins. Keeping your legs raised (elevated) can reduce swelling and help increase blood flow.
- Medicines.
- Endovenous laser ablation or radiofrequency ablation (RFA).
- Sclerotherapy.
- Surgery.
Is walking good for venous insufficiency?
Your doctor may recommend that you walk, ride a stationary bicycle, or jog for 30 minutes several times a week. Being active helps improve circulation and tones muscles in your legs. This can help pump blood toward the heart. Stretching your calf and thigh muscles can also help improve blood flow.
Can venous stasis be reversed?
First, I want to be clear that there is no way to actually reverse the cause of venous insufficiency, only the symptoms. Damaged valves inside the vein cannot be repaired, but there are plenty of ways to minimize the impact of the reflux they cause. Many of my patients do eventually become symptom-free.
What does bruising around the ankles mean?
Mild to severe swelling and bruising can accompany a sprain to the ankle. Bruising usually indicates tearing of ligament tissue and a more severe sprain. An ankle sprain is a common injury to the ankle. The most common way the ankle is injured is when the ankle is twisted inward (inversion injury).
Why is my lower leg turning black?
You may notice that the skin on your lower legs becomes discolored or appears bruised as you age. The technical term for this is hemosiderin staining. It’s caused by a problem with the blood vessels in your legs called chronic venous insufficiency. You may need to make lifestyle changes to help fix the condition.
What is the most common cause of venous insufficiency?
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is the most common cause of chronic venous insufficiency. The blood clot damages the valve in your leg vein. People with a history of DVT face a higher risk of developing CVI.
Can venous insufficiency cause stroke?
According to New Orleans vein specialists, blood clots can cause this type of disruption. Deep vein thrombosis, a potential consequence of untreated vein disease, can lead to the types of clots that can cause a stroke.
What is the best cream for venous stasis dermatitis?
Medication Summary
Midpotency corticosteroids, such as triamcinolone 0.1% ointment, are generally effective in reducing the inflammation and itching of acute flares of stasis dermatitis.
What are the symptoms of poor blood circulation in the legs?
Symptoms of poor circulation are often easy to spot. They include muscle cramping, constant foot pain, and pain and throbbing in the arms and legs. As well as fatigue, varicose veins, and digestive issues. Leg cramps while walking and wounds that don’t seem to heal in your legs, feet, and toes are also symptoms.
What happens if venous insufficiency is not treated?
Left untreated, these damaged veins can cause serious complications, such as ulcers, bleeding, and a potentially fatal condition called deep vein thrombosis. If the blood pools in the legs long enough, the cells can begin to clump together, forming a blood clot.
What is the best vitamin for veins?
Vitamin B. This family of vitamins is among the most important to strengthen your blood vessels and thus, prevent vein issues or at least keep them at bay if they’re already surfaced. For those who have a history of vein issues and blood clots in their family, vitamins B6 and B12 are particularly important.
Can venous insufficiency cause heart problems?
So, to sum up, venous insufficiency doesn’t affect the heart or cause heart problems to progress. On the other hand, existing heart problems, especially congestive heart failure, can make vein problems in the legs much worse depending on the degree of the heart issue.
What supplements are good for venous insufficiency?
Horse chestnut seed extract – As a dietary supplement, horse chestnut seed extract has been proven effective in reducing the leg pain, swelling and itching of chronic venous insufficiency (when the veins of the lower leg cannot send blood back to the heart).
Does losing weight help venous insufficiency?
Weight loss does not resolve venous insufficiency, or leaky veins, but treating those veins can relieve leg pain, fatigue, and swelling, which in turn can help patients lose weight.
Do compression socks help venous insufficiency?
Compression stockings are an important tool in the treatment of varicose veins and venous insufficiency. They help to alleviate the symptoms of venous disease, prevent blood clots, and are used after varicose vein treatment.
What causes purple marks around ankles?
Areas of darker skin color in the lower leg, ankle or foot are called Hemosiderin deposits. Hemosiderin is a brownish pigment caused by the breakdown of blood hemoglobin, the iron content in red blood cells. Foot and Ankle Discoloration is called Stasis Dermatitis and is usually a symptom of Venous Insufficiency.
Why is my ankle turning black and blue?
If your ankle is black and blue, it is a sign that damage has occurred to the soft tissues (i.e., muscle, tendon, skin, fat) in your ankle. The black and blue appearance of your ankle occurs because tiny blood vessels within the soft tissues (called capillaries) have been torn.