There is a skin condition that most vein doctors treat. It is called varicose eczema. Alternatively, the disease is referred to as gravitational, venous or stasis eczema. Usually a complication of having an untreated venous reflux disease or venous insufficiency, stasis eczema affects the skin of the lower legs. It is more rampant in those who have varicose veins and have not made an effort to see a vascular doctor in NJ. If action is taken as soon as varicosities form, however, varicose eczema as well as other late stage complications can be avoided. Otherwise, those who develop this type of eczema tend to have it for a long, long time as it is hard to treat.
How to know you have varicose eczema?
Similar to other kinds of eczema, the venous one causes people’s skin to become red, swollen, itchy, scaly, parched and flaky. Sometimes these symptoms get better before consulting vein doctors and other periods they get so serious. If you note that your legs are becoming swollen as a day comes to an end, or after you have been standing for several hours, it is also a warning sign. Additionally, you will notice that your veins have become bigger, swollen and easily detectable (varicose veins). There are also people who might notice additional symptoms:
- Eczema on other parts of the body
- Ache
- Atrophie blanche – This presents itself as tiny white scars.
- Lipodermatosclerosis – This is when the skin in your lower leg becomes tender, red, tight and hardened. So the area appears as if it is getting thinner.
- Skin discoloration
If you begin to notice all the above-mentioned symptoms, you have waited too long to meet your vascular doctor in NJ. If you keep ignoring your skin changes, chances are that soon you will develop a leg ulcer. This is called a venous leg ulcer and it is extremely painful and difficult to heal. As a result, you should see one of the best vein doctors when you notice something unusual about your leg skin.
Why does varicose eczema develop?
Gravitational eczema is usually triggered by high amount of pressure in leg veins. But where does this pressure come from? It mounts when the valves in your veins become damaged. These are one-way valves that open to let blood pass and then close to stop it from flowing back. There are times when vein walls become weakened to an extent that their elasticity is lost. This causes the valves in the veins to weaken as well and so they stop working properly. As a result, the valves close partially and allow blood to leak and flow backward.
As more and more blood gathers in a vein, the pressure in veins goes up and it forces the fluid to penetrate the surrounding tissues. And as your immune systems tries to fight this fluid inside the skin tissue, varicose eczema develops. Before it develops, you will notice varicose veins that form due to pressure buildup. So, have these checked by your vascular doctor in NJ to reduce your chances of developing stasis eczema.
Who is at risk and should see a vascular doctor NJ right away?
Little knowledge is available as to what makes the vein walls stretch and weaken the valves within the veins. Therefore some people can develop the condition for no apparent reason. Others are thought to be prone to this due to being old, a female, obese, pregnant, inactive, or a victim of deep vein thrombosis (DVT).Prior to seeing any of the top vein doctors, know your medical history. Do you have people in your family who suffer from varicose veins? If so, there is likelihood that you might as well have them at a given period in your lifetime.
Once you have varicose veins and ignore them, you will increase your chances of developing varicose eczema and other complications. Thus, we would advise you to meet a good vascular doctor NJ early enough to avoid these problems. Presence of varicosities is usually a sign that your blood circulation is abnormal and that some of the blood is not making it to the heart and lungs. Hence, taking an early action by seeing the best vein doctors in your area is much recommended.
Seeing a vascular doctor NJ for diagnosis
Do you have symptoms of varicose eczema? If yes, then this is a good moment to visit your vascular doctor in NJ. He or she can quickly conclude that you have venous eczema just through observation. If that’s the case, the physician will want to find out if you have visible or invisible varicose veins. So they will carry out a Doppler ultrasound test to see how your blood flows in veins. As well as this, most vein doctors will ask you specific questions concerning your health. These are:
- Have you ever suffered from blood clots or deep vein thrombosis in one leg or both legs?
- Have you ever treated a condition called cellulitis? This refers to an infection of the skin’s deeper layers and the underlying tissue.
- Have you ever had a leg surgery or serious injury to one leg or both?
- Have you treated a leg ulcer previously and if so, what kind of an ulcer was it? Leg ulcers are of different kinds, meaning that some are related to diabetes rather than vascular issues.
In addition, vein doctors, including Dr. Caroline Novak, will commonly check your pulse in the feet area and do an ABPI (ankle branchial pressure index) test. This test shows how well compression stockings could suit you. It entails comparison of blood pressure readings taken from the ankles and upper arms areas. If there is a huge difference between these, your vascular doctor in NJ will conclude that there is a problem with how your blood is flowing in the arteries. In such a case, wearing compression stockings will not be of any help.
Further tests might have to be carried out to verify your vascular problems. This is if you have several symptoms of varicose eczema and extremely poor blood flow in your leg blood vessels. Sometimes vein doctors will recommend a particular form of treatment prior to conducting further tests. They do this to find out if your eczema will respond to medication. If it doesn’t, they will carry out more tests to find out why it is extremely stubborn. Could it be that you have contact dermatitis too? This is what your vascular doctor in NJ will want to find out through these tests.
Is it possible to eliminate venous eczema?
Yes, it is possible and vein doctors provide a number of treatment options. Some are medicine-based and others are not. After the diagnosis, the physician will determine the right cure to prescribe.
- Self-help treatment – Generally, when it comes to self-help measures to end gravitational eczema, you will need to stay active. If you have to stand up in one place or sit down for too long, start taking frequent breaks. Walk around the work station to stretch out and improve your blood circulation. If you stand up all the times, sit down occasionally as well as step on a foot stool with one leg and then the other.
On the other hand, if you sit down for hours try to get up from your seat every half an hour and walk around to boost your blood flow. As well, get an ergonomic office chair with a foot rest. Once you get home from work, always raise your legs to reduce ankles swelling and boost blood circulation.
- Emollients – These are special moisturizers designed to keep the leg skin soft. Your vascular doctor NJ can prescribe the best emollient or suggest the right one to get from a drugstore in your area. A good emollient stops the skin from cracking and is such an imperative item in the management of any type of eczema. It should be applied twice or as instructed by the vascular doctor in NJ and in soft downward strokes to make the skin glossy and full of life. There are leave-on emollients that should replace soap and bubble baths from this moment onwards.
When bathing, use a bath emollient instead of soap to avoid drying out the skin even more. As hot water will desiccate the skin further, substitute it for cool to warm water. Alcohol rubs can dry the skin out and irritate it, so avoid them. The same is the case with perfumes and some creams. Thus, make use of just the emollients that your local vein doctors prescribe to you.
- Topical corticosteroids –These refer to creams and ointments that are applied to the skin to cure varicose eczema or any other type of eczema. A topical steroid that is moderately powerful may be prescribed when one has flaring and extremely itchy eczema. So, go to the vascular doctor in NJ personally and get the right topical corticosteroid. Never use the cream your neighbor or relative uses to cure his or her eczema.
- Bandage your eczema – Severe eczema can ooze and become messy and the best way to prevent this from being seen is to apply bandages that are covered in zinc oxide. These can be held in place with an exterior bandage. Paste bandages are so common in this scenario and you will need special training on how to use them before going home.
Your vascular doctor in NJ can personally show you or direct their nurse to do it. Note that bandages can irritate skin by causing allergies. So, let your doctor know if your venous eczema gets worse instead of improving. If a leg ulcer develops, most vein doctors will prescribe special wound dressings that can only be used under their supervision.
Sometimes compression stockings are recommended and should be worn each day to squeeze legs tightly at around the foot and ankle area and slightly looser up the leg. These are known to boost blood circulation and improve the appearance of varicose veins.
What if an infection occurs?
You will know that your eczema is infected if the skin releases a discharge or becomes hot and inflamed. Some people may develop fever and sweat unusually when their eczema is infected. If you notice such problems, call your vascular doctor in NJ immediately as you will require antibiotics to get rid of your symptoms.
As well as this, the physician will recommend a wet soak, normally a potassium permanganate tablet dissolved in water. Simply soak your leg in this solution or alternatively soak a piece of cloth in it and place it on the affected skin area for fifteen minutes. While the wet soak will improve your oozing crusty skin, it might stain it.
What if your skin worsens?
Treating varicose eczema symptoms is important, of course, but if there are other health issues that should be investigated and addressed, it might worsen. So, most vein doctors will want to find out if you are suffering form contact dermatitis and treat it accordingly. Moreover, they will want to cure the main cause of increased pressure in veins and varicose veins—venous reflux disease.
First, this is treated via minimally invasive options: include sclerotherapy, endovenous laser ablation and radio frequency ablation. If these don’t produce the desired results, varicose veins can be removed via surgery. Venous ulcers can further complicate the treatment, the reason why you should only deal with an advanced vascular doctor in NJ like Dr. Sareh Rajaee.
How to prevent stasis eczema in future
After your vascular doctor NJ cures your venous eczema successfully, it will be upon you to prevent it in future. First, take care of your legs all the time as you will be able to notice when new symptoms emerge and have them cured immediately. If you are at risk of developing venous insufficiency that leads to higher pressure in veins, do what you can to lower it.
For instance, get more active by exercising daily and taking frequent breaks when working. Furthermore, you can improve your diet to lose weight as being overweight can strain your legs a lot. Always wear compression stockings to improve blood circulation in veins. You vascular doctor in NJ can prescribe the best stockings to you to ensure that your blood flow in veins improves.