Venous ulcers

If you have venous ulcers, you know how swollen or painful your leg can be – and how it can keep you from enjoying your daily activities. Our vascular specialists take a comprehensive approach to caring for not only the sores but also the underlying venous disease behind them. With a care plan made just for you, we'll provide the right treatment so you can live well.

What are venous ulcers?

Venous ulcers are open sores or wounds on your legs that won’t heal or keep coming back. Sometimes referred to as venous stasis ulcers, they typically occur because of venous disease such as chronic venous insufficiency or varicose veins.

With venous disease, the tiny valves in your veins are not working the way they should. Instead of flowing back to your heart, blood begins to pool in your legs. As blood accumulates, pressure builds up in your veins, and eventually blood and other fluids leak out into your skin and underlying tissue. This causes swelling and blocks oxygen and other nutrients from nourishing your skin and tissue, causing them to slowly break down and form an ulcer.

What do venous ulcers look like?

Most often, venous ulcers occur on the skin around your ankles or on your legs. The open sores have:

• A shallow and flat wound bed, which can be moist and covered in a yellow or white film
• An irregular, uneven border
• Brown or discolored skin around them

Diagnosing venous ulcers

To treat your venous leg ulcers, our renowned vascular specialists will first pinpoint the reason behind them. We’ll review your health history and examine the sore carefully. We may order imaging tests such as X-ray, CT scan or MRI.

Treatment for venous ulcers

We’ll develop a care plan that’s right for you, one that will effectively treat any underlying venous disease and restore healthy circulation in your legs. You’ll receive the personalized care you need to best treat the source of the problem, promote wound healing and prevent any more ulcers from forming.

Wound care

Our expert wound care specialists are here to help you, too. Working together with you, your treatment plan may include:

• Applying topical medications to heal your ulcers
• Wrapping your leg in compression bandages to prevent fluid buildup
• Instructions on how to care for your wounds at home