ABSTRACT
Venous ulcers Venous ulcers take up a large part of the health budget. These are classically found in the ‘gaiter’ area (a gaiter is a protective piece of cloth or leather covering the area from the instep to the ankle), particularly in the medial malleolus. Venous hypertension is commonly caused by valve dysfunction, which itself is usually caused by previous thrombophlebitis. Prolonged tissue hypertension leads to extravasation of proinflammatory protein-rich exudates into the tissues resulting in scarring (lipodermatosclerosis) and hyperpigmentation.
