5 Possible Reasons for Your Foot Discoloration

If you notice your foot’s skin turning red, blue, black, or purple, please speak to a medical expert such as Mesa foot discoloration specialists at Kirk Minkus, MD. Several factors can contribute to the discoloration, including vascular complications, which require expert care to manage. Sometimes, the discoloration cause may not be that serious, but you can only be sure if your provider diagnoses the condition. The following are five possible reasons for your foot discoloration.

  1. Contusions or Bruises

If you got hit on your foot, some of the blood vessels beneath your skin could be broken, causing bruises or contusions. This can cause a leakage in the area where your blood vessels broke, causing a reddish-purple appearance on your skin. Note that the bruise can take up to 48 hours to develop after your injury and about two weeks to disappear.

As the bruises heal, they can also cause discoloration on your skin as they turn into different colors depending on their severity and depth. Although applying ice, taking painkillers, and elevating the area can accelerate the healing, be sure to seek expert care for better management of the condition.

  1. Hematoma

If you have had an injury in your foot that caused damage to some of your blood vessels, you might suffer from a condition known as a hematoma. It is a condition where blood accumulates in the tissues outside the damaged vessels. The situation changes your foot skin color to purple, blue, yellow, or brown. Although you can manage this condition by icing the affected area, resting the injury, taking OTC painkillers, among other conventional treatment options, a foot discoloration specialist can offer more specialized expert care.

  1. Venous Insufficiency

Sometimes your veins can malfunction and make it difficult to send blood back to your heart from the foot. In this case, your foot may swell and change in color depending on the severity of the condition. However, it can also be accompanied by other symptoms such as itching and tingling sensations, which makes it crucial to seek immediate expert care from foot discoloration specialists. You can also experience pain in your leg that improves with an elevation of the leg. When you notice these symptoms besides discoloration, please do not hesitate to reach out to your foot discoloration specialist at Kirk Minkus, MD.

  1. Blood Clots in the Leg

If you have clotting in your leg, you can experience some swelling and discoloration. However, these symptoms come with additional signs such as bulging veins, warmth, tenderness in the affected area, and you can also have a bulge or a lump. Clotting occurs when blood thickens and clumps in your veins. Blood thinners can be very helpful in managing the condition as well as preventing it. You can contact a foot discoloration specialist and learn about other treatment options for this complication.

  1. Osteomyelitis

It is an infection of the bones which causes swelling alongside other symptoms such as skin redness. This condition can occur through an injury where the disease can get to the bone through the nearby tissues or blood. The illness can be severe if left untreated, and that is why you need to reach out to your provider as soon as possible if your foot discoloration comes with other symptoms such as fever, headache, swelling, and pain.

The causes of foot discoloration are vast and inexhaustible. Therefore, the best way to understand what caused your discoloration is to seek expert care from a foot discoloration specialist who can diagnose your condition and get to the root of it.