**2. Epidemiology**

Venous leg ulcers (VLUs) are the most common lower extremity ulceration and responsible for 70% of all leg ulcers, with overall prevalence ranging from 0.06 to 2% [1–4]. It occurs frequently between the ages of 60 and 80 years; however, most people have their first ulcer before the age of 60 years [5, 6]. VLUs have slight female predominance, with a female‐to‐male ratio ranging from 1.5:1 to 10:1 [7, 8].

Venous ulcers have a significant socioeconomic impact with reduced work productivity and quality of life. Long‐term treatments are needed and recurrence is widely common, ranging from 54 to 78% of treated subjects [9]. The overall cost of VLU treatments was 1–2% of the healthcare budgets of European countries [10]. In the United States, approximately 2.5 billion dollars was expended for the treatment of VLUs per year [11].

Advancing age, sex, race, phlebitis, family history, obesity, occupation involving prolonged standing, and number of pregnancies are risk factors that have been described with chronic venous insufficiency and, subsequently, with venous ulcers [12, 13].
