Is this the start of a venous ulcer?

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It feels very tender.
I have dry scaly skin on my legs and I think it might have started through me scratching it.
Should I keep moisturising and hope for the best?

I should think it’s just dry skin

moisturise 2 to 3 times a day

Cover it in a dressing during the day so your clothes don’t rub the moisturiser off / make it sore (measure it and buy a sticky dressing from Amazon

Cut your nails right down so you can’t break the skin, and try to rub rather than scratch

Agree with previous poster looks like dry skin so moisturise, maybe if the irritation is still there you could bumpy a low dose steroid over the counter and use that for a week or 2 to reduce the inflammation.

Thank you, that's helpful

I'd see your Pharmacist just to be sure. I had something similar (although not so dry) and it was vasculitis

I'm sure yours is 'simple' excema, but I'd just check to be sure

I'm seeing the nurse on Tuesday...

Let us know how it goes xx

I will!

Not a venous ulcer. I've had a blood test to check for diabetes and prescribed support socks, which is apparently not as unusual as I thought.

Those stockings 😁🙄 so difficult to get on !

I don't feel old enough for them either!

You're not on amlodipine are you by any chance?

OP, I'm 40 and wear support stockings. Believe me as a nurse, one of the best thing you can do is look after your legs now to prevent ulcers in the future. Make sure you elevate them when relaxing.

I'm not sure what an amlidopine is. So, probably, no.

It's one of the fairly standard pills for high blood pressure. I had something similar (though all round my leg) and it was down to that and improved when I changed to a different pill.

Ask the nurse can you take antihistamine for the itch?

Definitely worth wearing the support socks. Mine have a zip so easier to put on.

I developed a leg ulcer in my 40s after severe cellulitis/sepsis in my leg after a cat scratch. I was in icu, it wasn't pleasant. Once the leg healed, one little spot wouldn't close over and it became an ulcer, I was in double compression bandaging for 6 months.

Once the ulcer healed the nurses protocol said I should wear fitted compression stockings. I was very much against it but my bad leg had very bad swelling even when I kept it up, and of course that wasn't possible at work or just day to day. As long as I wore trousers no one knew about the compression and it was great, on the few times I wanted to wear no trousers or even go bare legged I was able to. I still wear them most of the time. So I'd say go for it.