Venous Ulcers Guide

Dr. Malvehy offers treatment for venous ulcers and venous insufficiency. Wounds are the result of chronic insufficiency and can occur even if the person has never had visible varicose veins. Poor circulation in the lower leg leads to chronic inflammation of the skin, breaking down the skin and making the associated wound difficult to heal and may recur.

These venous ulcers usually follow a period of skin discoloration (insufficiency) and can be quite painful.

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Venous Ulcer Symptoms May Include

  • leg fatigue, itching and heaviness
  • leg pain including stabbing, aching, burning pain
  • leg cramps, particularly night cramps
  • leg swelling, also called leg edema
  • Restless legs syndrome (RLS)
  • venous ulcers and chronic wounds
  • Venous insufficiency means that blood cannot effectively return from
  • the legs, so it tends to accumulate in the ankles and legs.
 
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Actual patient. Open wound for 4 years. Closed 6 weeks later after 1 treatment. Unretouched photos.

Dr. Malvehy offers patients in the East Bay and greater San Francisco Bay Area treatment for venous ulcers and leg wounds. These wounds are a result of chronic venous insufficiency and can happen even if the person has never had visible varicose veins. Poor circulation in the lower leg results in chronic inflammation of the skin, breaking the skin down and making the associated wound difficult to heal and likely to reoccur. Many patients have years of wound care including skin grafts, bio-grafts, and Unna boots, only to have their venous ulcers or leg wounds recur chronically. Dr. Malvehy takes the approach that the underlying process must be addressed so that the skin can heal on it’s own.

Venous Ulcer Treatment

Venous ulcers or leg ulcers are typically found in the lower leg or ankle, also called the gaiter area. Over 80% of wounds of the lower leg and ankles are due primarily to vein disease.  Often, treatment is focused on the overlying skin disruption – local creams, antibiotics, bandages and skin grafts. Without treating the underlying vascular disease, however, these ulcers tend to persist or recur.

Venous Ulcer Solutions

Dr. Malvehy is one of only a few physicians in the United States who performs ultrasound guided foam chemical ablation directed at treating chronic wounds.

Dr. Malvehy identifies the underlying cause of the ulcer or wound using ultrasound and then creates a customized venous ulcer treatment plan focused on that issue. For most patients, a single treatment visit combining multiple different techniques including endovenous laser ablation and ultrasound guided foam chemical ablation are enough to treat the underlying vascular issues, allowing the skin to heal. In wounds less than a year old, treating the underlying vein and circulatory issues usually results in spontaneous healing. Wounds older than one year may require supplemental skin treatment.

Venous Ulcers Treatment At East Bay Vein Specialists
“Dr Malvehy was amazing! His staff was very attentive and when it came down to the surgery he had extremely gentle hands. I have been recovering fantastically after the procedure I had with him. I could not have had a better experience. Thank you Dr. Malvehy for the amazing treatment! This is the second time I come to him and in the span of 5 years and I wouldn’t go to any other doctor for the ulcers in my ankles.”
Beatriz R.

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East Bay Vein Specialists