What is stasis dermatisis?

High pressure effect: If the valves in the leg veins do not work to allow flow only towards the heart (most common cause is varicose vein disease), the legs do not drain well and there is high pressure on the vessels at the ankles. These then 'leak' fluids and blood cells into the surrounding tissues, which cause an inflammatory process that involves the skin. Redness, itching, scaling, hair loss, thickening, etc.

Venous dermatitis: Skin changes due to chronic venous insufficiency and venous hypertension.

Venous eczema: As dr. Hertzman said, when varicose veins become severe, the inflammation from the chronic venous insufficiency and venous hypertension can affect your skin. One of the ways this can show up is with stasis or venous dermatitis. This is also sometimes called venous eczema because it often appears as red, itchy, flaky patches that look like eczema on the skin around your varicose veins.

Venous hypertension: The underlying problem is backwards blood flow (reflux) in leg veins, as dr. W-k said. When there is reflux that is severe and long standing, the pressure buildup (venous hypertension) that occurs causes inflammation that can damage the skin. One of the ways that the skin damage can appear is stasis dermatitis. If you have stasis dermatitis, your risk of developing an ulcer is higher.