@dr.sheenmd: Noticing dark skin around your ankles or lower legs? It might not be a skin problem… it could be vein disease. Here’s what’s happening 👇 With chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), blood doesn’t flow properly back to your heart. Instead, it pools in your lower legs, increasing pressure inside the veins. Over time, that pressure causes: 🩸 Red blood cells to leak out of the veins 🧬 Iron (hemosiderin) to deposit in the skin 🔥 Chronic inflammation 👉 This leads to dark brown or purple discoloration, called hemosiderin staining. According to the Cleveland Clinic, chronic venous insufficiency can cause skin discoloration, thickening, and inflammation due to blood pooling in the legs. The Mayo Clinic also notes that untreated varicose vein disease can lead to skin color changes from long-term pressure and fluid leakage. 📚 Research on PubMed explains that venous hypertension leads to red blood cell breakdown and iron deposition in the skin, causing hyperpigmentation: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21029855/ 👉 That’s why the skin: Gets darker over time Appears around the ankles first Is often permanent if untreated 📍 St. Louis • Clayton • Chesterfield • Arnold • Farmington • Southern Illinois At Sheen Vein Aesthetics & Functional Medicine, we treat the root cause—not just the skin changes. 👉 If you’re seeing dark skin on your legs, your veins may be the reason. #hyperpigmentation #veindisease #varicoseveins #stasisdermatitis #legdiscoloration #circulation #stlouisdoctor #stlouishealth #vascularhealth #medicaleducation #sheenvein

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Wednesday 29 April 2026 18:45:00 GMT