Leg ulcers are skin lesions arising from bad blood circulation into the veins and/or the arteries. They affect 1 in 1001 people, mainly women, and up to 3% of the over 65s2. These ulcers can take a long time to heal and need to be taken seriously as soon as they appear in order to prevent them from worsening.
Located on the lower third of the leg (under the knee), leg ulcers are chronic wounds that have not healed after 6 weeks. The wounds may be caused by a knock, by scratching, and sometimes can appear on their own.
A venous leg ulcer is a sign of chronic venous insufficiency, which prevents the blood flowing normally in the leg veins. Blocked along its usual path, the blood stagnates in the leg veins, and goes on to damage the tissue and break the skin.
This is why treatment should come with an in-depth diagnosis, to identify the cause of the venous failure.
Various factors can increase the risk of developing leg ulcers:
Venous leg ulcers or predominantly venous leg ulcers must be treated by a doctor. Treatment generally begins with careful wound cleansing with soap and water or saline solution, without it needing disinfecting (using an antiseptic may imbalance the skin’s flora and slow down the healing process, or even cause an allergy). It is also essential to apply an appropriate dressing. Healthcare professionals should prescribe patients a dressing to reduce the healing time, based on the available clinical evidence.
The treatment should include the use of suitable compression bandages during the healing process, followed by lifelong use of compression socks. The good news is that with compression, venous leg ulcer relapse can be avoided by up to 90%; in contrast, without it, the relapse rate can reach 97%*.
In the event of a mixed leg ulcer (both venous and arterial), compression can be indicated but it will be looser than for a venous ulcer. It will depend on the degree of associated arteriopathy.
Compression is not indicated in arterial ulcers.
Taking care of general health is the best way of preventing a leg ulcer from recurring:
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