The color of your legs should be the same as the color of the other body parts. There are health conditions that emerge affecting your legs, making them lose their original color. Chronic venous insufficiency is a health condition that alters your veins at the lower parts of your legs. Affected veins are damaged, causing the blood to overflow on the skin, making your legs turn reddish. Chronic venous insufficiency mainly affects adults that are above 50 years. It is vital to seek medical treatment before the condition gets severe. For treatment of Mesa foot discoloration contact Dr. Minkus today. The leading causes of legs discoloration are as follows.
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The Main Causes of Leg Discoloration
The main cause of legs discoloration is venous insufficiency in your body, which prevents your veins from returning blood to the heart as required. The valves in the veins are responsible for holding blood from flowing back to the tissues. As you get old, vein valves become weaker due to venous insufficiency. However, there are other conditions that promote the occurrences of leg discoloration. These conditions include kidney failure, blood clots in legs, high blood pressure, varicose veins, spider veins, and being overweight. Lack of exercise and prolonged sitting can also cause leg discoloration. Signs and symptoms of leg discoloration are illustrated below.
Signs and Symptoms of Leg Discoloration
There are many signs and symptoms that are associated with leg discoloration. The main symptoms are:
- Swelling of the ankles. Swelling is the first sign to appear. The swelling usually manifests during the day and disappears during the night. Causing stress to your legs while walking is what causes swelling. Some symptoms include:
- Pain and discomforts
- Itching pain
- Reddish rough-skin around the ankle
- Wound-like scars
- Varicose veins and spider veins may appear
After noticing one or more of these symptoms, seeking treatment is the first priority. The longer you go untreated, the more the condition worsens. Treatments of leg discoloration are outlined below.
The Treatment of Leg Discoloration
There are many ways of treatment which depend on the severity of the condition. Surgery is the primary way of treating leg discoloration. The surgeon removes the affected veins and those which may be varicose or spider veins. The doctor also removes clots that prevent blood from flowing correctly. Non-surgical treatments involve medication to stop the pain, which may frequently occur. In kidney failure, blood cleansing supplements are prescribed to remove sediments that may be causing blockages. A doctor may suggest you wear tight stockings, which are capable of improving your blood flow.
Leg discoloration happens due to venous insufficiency. Venous insufficiency damages the valves in the veins, causing the blood to overflow. The valves can become weakened to an extent that they are not able to prevent blood from flowing back to the tissue. These conditions of valves can result in varicose veins and spider veins, which prevents blood from flowing correctly. Clots in the veins also promote leg discoloration since they block the blood flow. It is vital to seek medical attention before the disorder persists. Kirk Minkus, MD is a specialist in treating and managing leg discoloration.