Brown freckles around ankles after prolonged standing?
Hello –
Im a 28 year old male in good health.
I work out regularly, eat well, etc.
I began actively bodybuilding about 2 years ago, and have since gained about 50lbs (from 170 – 220).
Last May, I started a new job which demands I be on my feet 50 – 60 hours a week.
Six weeks into this job, I began to notice brown freckles around my ankles.
I asked my doctor about them and he said it looked like fluid retention frorm edema, or swelling in the lower extremities.
He asked me to check for swelling, which I did, 3 times a day (morning, afternoon, before bed) for a month.
Nothing, no swelling whatsoever.
He was at a loss so he made an appointment for me with a dermatologist, but I have since relocated to another city and I never made it.
Im on me feet even more at the place I’m at now, and the freckling has become more dense.
Im concerned it could be a circulation issue but I have no signs at all of poor circulation.
My feet don’t get cold, cuts heal fast, I don’t get athelete’s foot, etc.
So what could be causing the marks on my feet?
Im sure its from all the work I do standing up – after a week’s vacation when I just relaxed and kicked my feet up, the brown mottling on my ankles faded noticeably.
Could it be from the relatively fast weight gain, combined with 60 hours a week of standing up?
Is there anything I can do to alleviate it?
Would compression socks help?
Any advice or help would really be appreciated, I can’t find anything related to this condition anywhere, and my doc being baffled confuses me even more.
Thanks,Chris
3 comments
Chris
Thanks so much for your reply -Ive read about venous stasis – Could surface veins develop this problem? I don’t have any swelling,pain ,or numbness…Now that I think of it – I’ve always worked jobs when I was on my feet a lot – but the brown freckles started appearing after I went from 205lbs to 225lbs in 6 weeks from a bout of intense training and dieting just prior to getting the 60 hr a week job. I ordered some high-quality graduated compression socks to see if they help. If it dosent start clearing up, Ill make an appointment with a dermatologist. Thanks again,Chris
Vivian Abrams DPM
Without seeing this I can only guess. What you might be seeing is pigmentary changes from venous stasis. This is not a “circulation” problem as you were thinking which most people only consider an arterial problem. Being on your feet and the weight gain may have contributed to this. Heredity may play some role as well.Certainly wearing knee hose support socks would be worth a try. There are many brands available, but you pretty much get what you pay for. When you can, you might make an appointment with a podiatrist or dermatologist.Hope this helps.
eddie
: Thanks again,: Chris