Many people suffer from leg ulcers. Leg ulcers are similar to a break in the skin of the leg, which allows air and bacteria to get to the underlying tissues. It can be formed by a minor injury that breaks the skin. It is also caused due to obesity, diabetes, and hypertension.
Contents
- 1 Cream For Leg Ulcers
- 1.1 1. Absorbent dressings
- 1.2 2. Capillary‐action dressings
- 1.3 3. Films, that is, permeable film and membrane dressings
- 1.4 4. Foam dressings
- 1.5 5. Honey‐impregnated dressings
- 1.6 6. Hydrocolloid dressings
- 1.7 7. Iodine‐impregnated dressings
- 1.8 8. Low‐adherence dressings and wound contact materials
- 1.9 9. Odor-absorbent dressings
- 1.10 10. Other antimicrobial dressings
- 1.11 11. Protease‐modulating matrix dressings
- 1.12 12. Silver-impregnated dressings
- 1.13 13. Soft polymer dressings
- 1.14 14. The cadexomer-iodine paste
- 1.15 15. Collagenase‐containing ointment
- 1.16 16. Hydrogels
- 1.17 17. Phenytoin topical
- 1.18 18. Silver sulfadiazine cream
Cream For Leg Ulcers
Most leg ulcers happen when veins or arteries stop working. Leg ulcers can be cured in many ways. They are:
- Wearing compression stockings.
- Using specialized leg ulcer creams to moisturize and heal the affected area.
There are many types of creams in the market for leg ulcers. Choosing the best ones can pose a little difficulty. The types of creams are:
1. Absorbent dressings
These are applied directly to the wound and are used for the management of heavily exuding words.
Examples of absorbent dressings are Primapore, Curasorb, Seaford, and Sorbian.
2. Capillary‐action dressings
They consist of an absorbent core of hydrophilic fibers that are held between two contact layers that are low adherent. Examples: Advadraw and Vacutex.
3. Films, that is, permeable film and membrane dressings
They are permeable to oxygen, water vapor but not microorganisms are water. Examples of such dressings are Tegaderm and the opposite.
4. Foam dressings
These contain hydrophilic polyurethane foam and are made to absorb wound exudate and maintain a moist surface for the wound.
Examples include Allevyn, Biatain, and Tegaderm foam non-adhesive and adhesive dressings.
5. Honey‐impregnated dressings
They have medical-grade honey that has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties and can be used for chronic and acute wounds. Examples are Medihoney and Activon Tulle.
6. Hydrocolloid dressings
These usually have an absorbent hydrocolloid matrix on a vapor-permeable film or foam backing. Examples are Granuflex, Nu-Derm, and Aquacel.
7. Iodine‐impregnated dressings
It releases free iodine, which acts like antisceptic when exposed to wound exudate. Examples are Iodoflexand Iodozyme.
8. Low‐adherence dressings and wound contact materials
They generally have cotton pads in direct contact with the wound. They can be non-medicated or medicated. For example, paraffin gauze dressing, BP 1993, and Xeroform dressing.
9. Odor-absorbent dressings
They contain charcoal and are used to absorb wound odor. These types of wound dressings are used in conjunction with a secondary dressing to improve absorbency. An example is CarboFLEX.
10. Other antimicrobial dressings
These have gauze or low-adherent dressing with a lot of ointment and have antimicrobial properties.
11. Protease‐modulating matrix dressings
These alter the proteolytic enzyme activity in chronic wounds. Examples include Promogran (Systagenix).
12. Silver-impregnated dressings
These are used to treat infected wounds, as silver ions are said to have antimicrobial properties. Examples are Acticoat and Urgsorb Silver.
13. Soft polymer dressings
These dressings have a soft silicone polymer held in a non-adherent layer, they are moderately absorbent. The examples are Mepitel and Urgotol.
14. The cadexomer-iodine paste
These have a water-soluble, modified starch polymer containing iodine. It releases free iodine if exposed to wound exudate. It is like an antiseptic on the wound exudate. An example is Iodosorb.
15. Collagenase‐containing ointment
It is an enzymatic debriding ointment. Collagenase can digest collagen in necrotic tissue and to contribute to granulation and epithelialization (the final stage of wound healing).
16. Hydrogels
These consist of up to ninety-six percent of water and starch polymer. It can rehydrate a wound or exudate it according to the wound moisture. They are dressings but also topical. Examples are Aciform Cool and Aquaflo.
17. Phenytoin topical
These promote wound healing using many different mechanisms like the stimulation of fibroblasts proliferation, facilitation of collagen deposition, and anti-bacterial activity.
18. Silver sulfadiazine cream
It is an antimicrobial topical cream that is mainly used to treat and prevent infection in wounds by damaging the cell membrane of the bacteria. Examples are Flamazine and Silvadene
All these creams have shown their effect over some time and have been successful to get rid of leg ulcers. Using such creams hardly have any side effects, but to chose one cream for the treatment of leg ulcers can be a difficult task.
Once that is clear, choosing the correct company for the cream to treat leg ulcers can also be a tough choice. A lot also depends on the type of leg ulcers.
It is important to apply the correct type of dressing or wound care product when treating leg ulcers, a slow-healing wound.
Initially, one must consult the physician who is most likely to debride skin ulcers before treating them. This will decrease the risk of any skin infection and promote healing of the wound.
Following this, the leg ulcers should preferably be flushed with a non-cytotoxic or sterile saline cleanser before applying a dressing or compression bandage. It is treated with a leg ulcer cream thereafter to continue with the healing process.
The most trusted creams recommended by doctors are silver sulfadiazine creams, foam, silver-impregnated and honey impregnated dressings.
These have antimicrobial properties and help treat any infected wounds. These creams also have some anti-inflammatory properties.
They absorb wound exudate and keep the wound moisturized and help with the healing of wounds. It is used to treat and prevent infection in wounds and help cure chronic wounds.
Silver impregnated dressings reduce the wound size and improve the short term healing of wounds and ulcers. Honey impregnated dressings keep the wounds moisturized.
Foam dressings help get rid of soreness and help with chronic wounds. The creams and dressings have a lot of anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties that can help with relieving pain and cure wounds.
Leg ulcers can be painful and very difficult to deal with, proper care should be taken. One must consult a doctor and seek medical advice.
The treatment is very important to heal from the situation, and if leg ulcers are a result of obesity or improper nutrition, one must work on improving their overall health.
Even where specific creams for leg ulcers are concerned it is best to seek medical practitioners’ advice, since the treatment differs from person to person and according to the kind of wounds.
