Varicose eczema, also known as venous, gravitational or stasis eczema, is a long-term skin condition that affects the lower legs. It's common in people with varicose veins. Varicose eczema tends to be a long-term problem. However, treatments are available to help keep it under control.
Like all types of eczema, the affected skin becomes i) itchy and swollen, ii) dry and flaky, iii) scaly or crusty. On lighter skin it looks red or brown. On darker skin it tends to look dark brown, purple or grey and can be more difficult to see. There may be periods when these symptoms improve and periods when they are more severe. Your legs may become swollen, especially at the end of the day or after long periods of standing. Varicose veins (swollen and enlarged veins) are often visible on the legs.
Other types of eczema:
- atopic eczema (also called atopic dermatitis) – the most common type of eczema
- contact dermatitis – a type of eczema that happens when you come into contact with a particular substance
- discoid eczema – a long-term type of eczema that appears as circular or oval patches on the skin
Rollerball device to relieve eczema itch
Koh Bei Ning’s rollerball anti-itch device for eczema skin is becoming a reality with her Kickstarter and website launch. (Photo: Koh Bei Ning)
Imagine suffering from eczema and endless itchy skin. And then imagine you create a nifty rollerball device that relieves eczema itch – and it gets picked up by the James Dyson Award for a national innovators contest. Imagine you get so much interest that you crowdfund on Kickstarter to make your rollerball invention a reality. Koh Bei Ning doesn’t need to imagine. This was her dream and it’s becoming a reality.
Koh suffers from atopic dermatitis (its common name is eczema) and as part of her final-year thesis at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Division of Industrial Design (DID), she created a rollerball itch relief device that works as a gentle alternative to scratching. She submitted her design as an entry to the James Dyson Award, an international design innovation competition which highlights design engineers at the start of their careers. Her rollerball device became the Singapore runner-up.
Koh’s invention is a rollerball mechanism with a textured ball that rolls over the skin. It uses repetitive downward pressure on itchy skin to provide relief through the texture, while minimising force on the skin. For sufferers of eczema, this motion reduces tearing of already inflamed and irritated skin and avoids further irritation from fingernails when scratching. Doors opened for her after her invention won accolades, which enabled her to share how her eczema itch relief rollerball, now called Rollo, works. “I have been given many valuable opportunities such as participating in Prototypes for Humanity, an exhibition in Dubai which gathers 100 student innovations,” she said.
