Medical Questions » Skin Questions » Question No. 883
| Question: | i am 71 years old and have had an ulcer on my ankle for 2 years, in spite of visiting the doctor all the time. Could you please let me know how to get it better as I am so depressed by it. |
| Answer: | Ulcers on the ankles of elderly people are notoriously difficult to treat, and success usually involves many months of careful treatment and the careful following of a doctor' s instructions.
Often a small graze or cut develops into an ulcer because the lower leg has a very poor blood supply in many older people, and the correct nutrients cannot be supplied through the blood to allow healing.
There are as many treatments for chronic leg ulcers as there are doctors, but the one that I have found most successful is the following three-point plan:
1. Apply a piece of Duo Derm over the ulcer. This is a sheet of a jelly like material, which should be cut to a size slightly larger than the ulcer, and left in place for three or four days at a time. The ulcer should be gently rinsed with a dilute antiseptic (eg. Dettol, Savlon) between dressings. Duo Derm is available from chemists without a prescription.
2. Firmly (but not too tightly) bandage the lower leg from toes to just below the knee with a wide, good quality elastic bandage.
3. Keep the leg elevated as much as possible—on a foot stool when sitting, or on a pillow in bed.
With time, and a lot of patience, the ulcer should very slowly heal. Before undertaking this treatment, all patients with ulcers should have them checked by a doctor to ensure that there is no serious underlying disease.
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