Lipodermatosclerosis is a condition where the skin on the lower leg thickens due to long-term venous pressure. It is a type of panniculitis, which is inflammation of the subcutaneous fatty tissue. The cause is unknown, but it is linked to obesity and venous hypertension. Symptoms include pain, thinning skin, and a brownish-red color. If left untreated, it can lead to chronic venous leg ulcers. Treatment involves compression stockings and, in extreme cases, Stanozolol.
Lipodermatosclerosis, sometimes abbreviated as LDS, is a medical condition involving thickening of the skin on the lower leg caused by a long period of venous pressure, or pressure from the veins. The term actually means “scarring of the skin and fat” and is generally described as a disease of the skin and connective tissue. Other terms for LDS include sclerosing panniculitis, stasis panniculitis, scleroderma hypodermitis, and chronic panniculitis with lipomembranous changes.
The category of diseases to which lipodermatosclerosis belongs is panniculitis, which is characterized by inflammation of the panniculus adipose, or subcutaneous fatty tissue. This is the layer of fat that sits under the epidermis, which is the outer layer of skin. Lipodermatosclerosis affects the lower limbs of the body, especially the skin above the ankles.
Medical researchers have yet to fully define the exact cause of lipodermatosclerosis. Some link its occurrence to obesity, as the accumulation of fat could apply additional pressure to the veins. Venous hypertension, or high blood pressure in the veins, has also been put forward as a possible cause. With venous hypertension, fibrin, which is a fibrous protein that helps blood clot, diffuses from the capillaries.
It is possible that the spread of fibrin causes tissue ulceration and, in more extreme cases, necrosis or premature cell death. Scientists have noticed that people suffering from chronic ulcers and fat necrosis have lower legs that resemble upside-down Coca-Cola bottles. This makes venous hypertension one of the strongest possible explanations for lipodermatosclerosis. LDS is thought to occur most commonly in middle-aged women.
The first symptom that patients with lipodermatosclerosis typically experience is pain. Then the skin above the ankles starts to thin out, until the leg takes on the shape of an upside-down Coke bottle. LDS patients should also expect the affected skin to turn a brownish-red color.
Left untreated, lipodermatosclerosis can lead to a chronic venous leg ulcer. This is very difficult to heal, particularly when treatment is delayed. It also severely limits a person’s ability to walk or run and can negatively affect their overall health. At the first signs of LDS, a person should go to a vascular surgery clinic immediately. Lipodermatosclerosis is usually treated with compression stockings to increase blood circulation in the veins. More extreme cases usually involve the use of Stanozolol, which disrupts the blood-clotting action of fibrin.
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