Compression Stockings and skin degrading.

Posted , 11 users are following.

I was ordered to wear these horrible things for 6 weeks. Only allowed to take them off one hour a day so the skin wouldn't "degrade". Well, once I stopped wearing them my skin started falling off, peeling and wrinkled. I put lotion on, even Vasoline but nothing works. I guess I just need to scrub the skin harder but I hesitate to get rough with it. Did anyone have trouble with their skin after weeks in compression stockings?

3 likes, 44 replies

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  • Posted

    Hi Luvinlex

    I had problems with the skin on my legs from wearing the dreaded TEDs. I have dry skin any way and usually use lots of cream after baths/showers but was told I shouldnt use it while wearing TEDs. So when I finally stopped wearing them my skin was really dry. I used a lot of aquaeous cream which is very pure with no perfume which really helped. 

    I would be gentle with your skin, no scrubbing (!) and it should soon get better. 

    Linnet x

    • Posted

      ps E45 cream is also supposed to be very good
    • Posted

      Right. I never put lotion on while I was still wearing them. I guess it's just a waiting game. Moisturize, Moisturize, and a spritz of body oil. 
    • Posted

      I've never heard of it. Might be because a lot of you are from the UK and I'm from the US
    • Posted

      Sorry read "about me" but didnt realise you are from the US. If it helps 

      the ingredients of E45 cream are: 

      Ingredients:

      E45 Cream is a White Cream containing White Soft Paraffin 14.5% w/w, Light Liquid Paraffin 12.6% w/w and Anhydrous Lanolin (Medilan®) 1% w/w as active ingredients and also Glyceryl Monostearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Sodium Cetostearyl Sulphate, Carbomer, Methyl Hydroxybenzoate, Propyl Hydroxybenzoate, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid Monohydrate, Purified Water

      Aquaeous cream is based on similar main ingredients. - Emulsifying wax, Liquid paraffin, White petrolleum jelly, Phenoxyethanol, Water purified

      Hope this helps a bit? If not hopefully you will hear from hippies  based in the US.

      Linnet x

    • Posted

      But the people in the US are so crazy. You know we have this thing called Donald Trump running for President??? When I looked for forums after my hip replacement, I found this to be very helpful. It also addressed a couple of other issues. I guess I could look for some US hippies... rolleyes
  • Posted

    Oh boy the dreaded TED stockings

    dont get me started on those things. Were you not provided with more than one pair?  Did you not wash them ? Between wearing them?

    i had dry flakey skin after wearing mine. It takes time and a lot of moisturiser to mend your skin after wearing those awuful things. Get moisturising shower gel put your legs in a bowl of warm water and a ruff flannel wash your legs with that every day to remove the flakey skin it will come right. Just make sure you get ALL the soap off and dry very part of your skin. 

    • Posted

      No, I only was able to get one pair. Insurance paid for them. If I wanted a second pair, they were $90 USD. I did take them off and washed them on occasion. I figured it was just me at home alone, I didn't think they had a smell or anything. My skin is already doing much better using Benefits Philosophy "Amazing Grace". For aging and skin gravity has done a job on. It's skin firming emulsion. It helped better than Nivea or other things, even Petroleum Jelly. The wrinkly skin... I think is because I've lost weight and the skin is now in a wrinkle, dehydrated looking state. So wish I had gotten two pair, but nobody ever mentioned it to me. I saw where they had black, that would have been very stylish. 
    • Posted

      Those TEDs sure are expensive, I was so glad the discharge nurse supplied me with a second pair - so useful.

      Graham

  • Posted

    I have had 6 weeks in TEDs, 4 weeks without, and now back in TEDs again for the last 3 weeks (3 more to go) - and I HATE them.

    I didn't get any problems with skin, just kept changing them (you need 2 pairs) and moisturising the skin with aqueous cream (like E45) after a shower.

    Wrinkly skin suggests the skin was getting or staying wet. I think I'd be wary of scrubbing your legs too hard.

    Graham - 🚀💃

  • Posted

    I am constantly amazed how different things can be between areas let alone countries. We all have slightly different instructions depending on our dear surgeons ideas.

    I didn't have to wear the Ted's but my skin got very dry around the scar and was rough and flakey. I used coconut oil but I don't think it really matters what you use.

    I have looked back at the day book I kept knowing that I was having a second hip done and I wrote that my skin was itching like I had ants under it. I wrote that I had asked on the forum and had 34 pieces of advice!!

    My second is on the 12th Feb and am so pleased that you lot are here.

    • Posted

      Funny. I was told to shower but don't let this "special" bandage get wet. It was infused with silver and antibiotics. ( probably cost a pretty penny ) After that came off, still not allowed to touch incision, but could let water "run over it". Still, can't touch it. Now that the skin has healed, ( they used skin glue, not staples or sutures ) I am still not applying anything. I do have coconut oil that I mix with my dogs food each morning. lol I agree that just about any good quality moisturizer will work and agree it should not be scrubbed hard, just washed as usual. The skin has to be delicate, probably thin. I think I remember my mother and grandmother having skin that looked like that. I'm glad you lot are here too!
    • Posted

      The clock is ticking! I'm sure you've got your checklist and super prepared. I "needed" new cotton nightgowns ( for when I had company of course and my puppy dog robe with holes in it wouldn't cut it ), New athletic shorts for PT, ( darn, I only got one pair, and here I wanted to look cute at PT! ) I'll go to a used clothing store and nab some athletic shorts or go to Dollar store. I got lace up Nike sneakers... and am only just able to tie them on my own. I was wearing Ugg boots everyplace I went. Those are wonderful in so many ways. Wishing you such good luck and a super fast recovery, a nice scar, good pain medicine, and "regularity". biggrin

       

  • Posted

    I kept my compression socks on all the time except for when my feet and legs were washed which wasn't that often. My partner changed them and washed and put moisturiser on as it was easier to get the clean ones on. My skin was flaky after I took them off at the end of the 6 weeks but it wasn't long before it was back to normal. I didn't scrub just normal washing.

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