What causes varicose eczema?

Stasis Dermatitis?: Varicose eczema may be another term used to describe "stasis dermatitis". This is seen on the legs below the knees and results from poor circulation in the legs. The blood in the veins does not circulate well and pools in the legs and can leak out into the skin. This causes irritation and then a rash with itching and sometimes pain. Exercise, support stockings, and topical steroids help.

Venous hypertension: Varicose or venous eczema is always commonly referred to as stasis dermatitis, even though this is an inaccurate description. Stasis means that blood isn't moving. In the case of venous eczema, the blood is moving, it is just going the wrong way. We call this reflux and reflux occurs in varicose vein disease. The problem is too much pressure in the veins and the inflammation that results.

Varicose rash: Venous eczema is a dermatitis caused by superficial venous insufficiency, and resultant deposition of inflammatory cytokines, metallo- proteases etc into the skin. Vein specialists treat this with saphenous vein ablation and other modalities to reduce ambulatory venous hypertension. Untreated, it may progress to ulceration, pigmentation, scarring, infection and disability.