I'm 76 years old and for several months now both my ankles have started to continually itch , and of course I scratch the area and it makes lines of dry skin appear . On both ankles there are faint dark red looking areas . I'm not very physically active and tend to sit at my home computer for long periods . Another thing is that I think both my ankles seem to be slightly swollen . I live in a small Thai village and I have visited the local Thai government hospital , who recommended to go and see a dermatologist . Other than the itching and dry skin I have no pain or other symptoms . Before I make the days journey to the nearest private hospital I was wondering if there may be some thing I could try at home first.

Link below to a photograph of my ankle

https://thumbsnap.com/kQ8Rheyo

Edited 6 hours ago6 hr by WilliamThe1st
wrong photo

Poor blood flow, go see a doctor.

You need to start vigorous calf muscle exercises even if you don't generally exercise.

The calf muscles are key in helping pump blood upwards.

1 hour ago, Ralf001 said:

Poor blood flow, go see a doctor.

Can also be kidney related for poor circulation, I had it then the Doc put me on meds, cleared up right away.

1 hour ago, Ralf001 said:

Poor blood flow, go see a doctor.

I was wondering about poor blood flow , just taken my blood pressure at home ( 126 / 72 / 62 )

31 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

You need to start vigorous calf muscle exercises even if you don't generally exercise.

The calf muscles are key in helping pump blood upwards.

I must admit that I do have an electric home tread mill , but too lazy to use it , may be its now time start at least walking on the treadmill.

16 minutes ago, Explorator en Action said:

Can also be kidney related for poor circulation, I had it then the Doc put me on meds, cleared up right away.

I'm currently taking atorvastatin 40 mg every night , as prescribed by the hospital doctor after having a blood test.

Atorvastatin is a prescription statin medication taken to lower "bad" cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

2 minutes ago, WilliamThe1st said:

I was wondering about poor blood flow , just taken my blood pressure at home ( 126 / 72 / 62 )

Not bad, but the blood pressure in your arm is saying fine, but your legs are might be screaming...wait on, what about us???

Venous hypertension.

2 minutes ago, WilliamThe1st said:

I'm currently taking atorvastatin 40 mg every night , as prescribed by the hospital doctor after having a blood test.

Atorvastatin is a prescription statin medication taken to lower "bad" cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Do you check you HbA1c at all?

If your pre-diabetic type 2 the kidneys might be damaged and leaking proteins (albumin)?

Worth checking.

16 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

Not bad, but the blood pressure in your arm is saying fine, but your legs are might be screaming...wait on, what about us???

Venous hypertension.

May be I could wrap my home blood pressure monitor cuff around the top of my ankles , I wonder if that would show different blood pressure reading , from when I had the blood pressure monitor cuff around my arm.

17 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

Do you check you HbA1c at all?

If your pre-diabetic type 2 the kidneys might be damaged and leaking proteins (albumin)?

Worth checking.

Cheers, I'm now going to have a look at the results of my last blood test ( done around 2 months ago ) and see if any thing is there.

6 minutes ago, WilliamThe1st said:

May be I could wrap my home blood pressure monitor cuff around the top of my ankles , I wonder if that would show different blood pressure reading , from when I had the blood pressure monitor cuff around my arm.

Wont work.

Go to the hospital and get an ABI done.

.

https://www.bangkokhospital.com/en/bangkok-heart/medical-service/ankle-brachial-index-abi

6 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Wont work.

Go to the hospital and get an ABI done.

.

https://www.bangkokhospital.com/en/bangkok-heart/medical-service/ankle-brachial-index-abi

My blood test results

Which test is the more recent?

49 minutes ago, WilliamThe1st said:

I must admit that I do have an electric home tread mill , but too lazy to use it , may be its now time start at least walking on the treadmill.

Have you plugged it in? 555

7 minutes ago, saintdomingo said:

Which test is the more recent?

Sorry , my mistake , this is the latest blood test report

pruritis of some sort ? try some skin creams first .

gout is also becoming more common

6 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

Have you plugged it in? 555

When I first purchased it several years ago , after a friend called me a Fat Bast*** , I did use the tread mill for a few days , but like so many things in my life the mind was willing but the flesh was weak . It was far easier to sit at my computer .

1 hour ago, Will B Good said:

You need to start vigorous calf muscle exercises even if you don't generally exercise.

The calf muscles are key in helping pump blood upwards.

Raise your feet and "draw" circles with your toes.

1 minute ago, 3NUMBAS said:

pruritis of some sort ? try some skin creams first .

gout is also becoming more common

When I scratch my ankles , which I seem to be addicted to , lots of dry flakey white skin start to appear. I was wondering about buying some type of skin cream , but the choice seems to be endless. May be its not important , but I don't drink alcohol .

4 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

Raise your feet and "draw" circles with your toes.

Thats some thing I'm going to now try .

I have the same problem ,but it is on my elbows ,what could

cause that , and on the back of one ankle had that for months

it was where my cat bit me ,but don't know if that's the cause.

regards worgeordie

Gawd - go see a dermatologist.

18 minutes ago, WilliamThe1st said:

Sorry , my mistake , this is the latest blood test report

Fyi, you have stage 2 kidney disease. Keep an eye on it over time.

A good way to take care of dry skin is virgin coconut oil.

3 hours ago, WilliamThe1st said:

Before I make the days journey to the nearest private hospital I was wondering if there may be some thing I could try at home first.

Try a broad spectrum probiotic supplement.

11 minutes ago, connda said:

Fyi, you have stage 2 kidney disease. Keep an eye on it over time.

Now I really feel alarmed 😱 , I wonder why none of the doctors who saw my blood test results , never mentioned any thing , only watch my Cholesterol .

18 minutes ago, connda said:

Fyi, you have stage 2 kidney disease. Keep an eye on it over time.

The earlier test was at 56.5.

Your blood results are in the normal range besides the eGFR, which is Kidney oriented which means your kidneys are working at 60% -80% of normal range. It's considered early kidney disease as 90 is a normal number. They need to test for protein or blood in your urine. Some doctors, like other people, skim through things and may have missed that 63 score.

Atorvastatin has side effects like all other meds...............

Atorvastatin can cause dermatologic side effects ranging from common dryness and itching to rare, severe skin reactions.

✅ Common & Mild Skin Reactions

• Pruritus and Dryness: Reduced cholesterol synthesis in the skin can weaken the moisture barrier, leading to dry, flaky, or itchy skin.

• Eczematous Rashes: Mild red, inflamed, or scaly patches may develop days to weeks after starting the medication.

• Urticaria (Hives): Raised, itchy welts can occasionally appear on various parts of the body.

• You have dry skin already, seeing the results of scratching, so a good moisturizer will help. Srichand, Thann Tingrun, and Cerave skin creams available in Thailand are good for it's humidity.

• Movement of any kind is only going to help things, as well as a healthy diet.Of course refraining from scratching so it can heal is necessary but not hot showers and an antihistamine might help temporarily.Sensitive skin soaps help, along with the same in laundry detergent. When your skin is itchy you can try a cold compress for a few minutes.

Edited 3 hours ago3 hr by fredwiggy

18 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Your blood results are in the normal range besides the eGFR, which is Kidney oriented which means your kidneys are working at 60% -80% of normal range. It's considered early kidney disease as 90 is a normal number. They need to test for protein or blood in your urine. Some doctors, like other people, skim through things and may have missed that 63 score.

Atorvastatin has side effects like all other meds...............

Atorvastatin can cause dermatologic side effects ranging from common dryness and itching to rare, severe skin reactions.

✅ Common & Mild Skin Reactions

• Pruritus and Dryness: Reduced cholesterol synthesis in the skin can weaken the moisture barrier, leading to dry, flaky, or itchy skin.

• Eczematous Rashes: Mild red, inflamed, or scaly patches may develop days to weeks after starting the medication.

• Urticaria (Hives): Raised, itchy welts can occasionally appear on various parts of the body.

• You have dry skin already, seeing the results of scratching, so a good moisturizer will help. Srichand, Thann Tingrun, and Cerave skin creams available in Thailand are good for it's humidity.

• Movement of any kind is only going to help things, as well as a healthy diet.Of course refraining from scratching so it can heal is necessary but not hot showers and an antihistamine might help temporarily.Sensitive skin soaps help, along with the same in laundry detergent. When your skin is itchy you can try a cold compress for a few minutes.

Thank you , Just spotted this ...