The compression stocking was the saving grace to eliminate the edima. The Specialist explained edima in laymen's terms we could understand... fluid gets trapped in between layers of skin and it has nowhere to go. The compression stocking forces the fluids back into the tissues, squeezing it out from being trapped between the layers of skin. With forced continued compression the pockets between layers of skin, which were occupied with excess fluids, are eventually eliminated and skin layers are restored and functioning.
Dad is a heart patient (coronary artery disease, triple by-pass, eventual atrial flutter which led to a pace-maker) and his cardiologist nixed the idea of using the compression stocking, reasoning it may cause another heart episode. The Wound Care Specialist forged ahead with a treatment plan that resulted in a full recovery of this issue for my Dad.
Silvadene has worked wonders on some of our issues. There’s another creme (it is really a gel) called Regranex that regenerates new skin growth. We used it in one instance when gangrenous tissue was removed - which took a podiatrist a long time literally whittling away at it bit by bit. I wonder if that was what your Dad used. It was a miracle medicine, and VERY expensive...like $400 for a tube that more than half as small as a travel tube of toothpaste.
We’re struggling now with an ulcer issue again, though, but I have not been impressed with this round of Wound Care specialists, unfortunately.
We tried a new skin graft, called the apligraf. http://www.apligraf.com/ It looked like it was going to work, but it didn’t.