Treatment varies depending on edema severity and the degree of fibrosis. Most people with lymphedema follow a daily regimen of treatment. The most common treatments are a combination of manual compression lymphatic massage, compression garments or bandaging. Complex decongestive physiotherapy is an empiric system of lymphatic massage, skin care and compressive garments. Although a combination treatment program may be ideal, any of the treatments can be done individually.

When the lymphatic impairment becomes so great that the lymph fluid exceeds the lymphatic system's ability to transport it, an abnormal amount of protein-rich fluid collects in the tissues. Left untreated, this stagnant, protein-rich fluid causes tissue channels to increase in size and number, reducing oxygen availability. This interferes with wound healing and provides a rich culture medium for bacterial growth that can result in infections: cellulitis, lymphangitis, lymphadenitis and in severe cases, skin ulcers. It is vital for lymphedema patients to be aware of the symptoms of infection and to seek immediate treatment, since recurrent infections or cellulitis, in addition to their inherent danger, further damage the lymphatic system and set up a vicious circle.

In rare cases, lymphedema can lead to a form of cancer called lymphangiosarcoma, although the mechanism of carcinogenesis is not understood. Lymphedema-associated lymphangiosarcoma is called Stewart-Treves syndrome. Lymphangiosarcoma most frequently occurs in cases of long-standing lymphedema. The incidence of angiosarcoma is estimated to be 0.45% in patients living 5 years after radical mastectomy. Lymphedema is also associated with a low grade form of cancer called retiform hemangioendothelioma (a low grade angiosarcoma).

Since lymphedema is disfiguring, causing difficulties in daily living and can lead to lifestyle becoming severely limited, it may also result in psychological distress.

This disease is caused by problems in the circulatory system, so when it is presented, in the beginning it is important to follow several recommendations. The person needs to keep the legs elevated as much as possible to help the return of the blood. Whenever sitting down, the person needs to keep the legs on a foot stool. At night it is advisable to sleep with a pillow under the lower legs. In the evening, t is not unusual for legs to be swollen. The volume of the lower leg can increase to up to 100ml after a long working day or up to 200ml after a long-haul flight without moving.

In the example of the 41-year-old Japanese man the lesions were much improved by washing and topical use of corticosteroids for two months, also oral antibiotics like cephalexin are used if cellulitis is present. Moist exudative inflammation and moist ulcers respond to tepid wet compresses of Burow’s solution or just saline or water for 30 to 60 minutes several times a day. But in worse cases, edema that does not disappear spontaneously within a few hours or after a walk, is described as pathological, so it needs to have a special treatment. It is very important to say that Papillamitosis, bilateral and marked edema with few symptoms is mostly caused by the systemic circulation (heart, kidneys, liver).

Papillamitosis is associated, as has been mentioned before, with symptoms and/or clinical signs such as dilated superficial veins, varicose veins and changes in the skin. Edema and its complication Papillamitosis are only partially reversible and soon becomes hard, which is mainly confirmed on palpation. All skin structures are affected and this is characterized by the term. Lymphoedema may develop in many cases accompanied by acral thickening of the skin folds, hyperkeratosis and papillomatosis.

Treatment consists of antibiotics, elevation of the affected limb, and compression. For persons with elephantiasis nostras who are overweight or obese, weight loss is recommended. Oral retinoids have been used to treat the cutaneous manifestations of the disease.

Stasis papillomatosis is a disease characterized by chronic congestion of the extremities, with blood circulation interrupted in a specific area of the body. A consequence of this congestion and inflammation is long-term lymphatic obstruction. It is also typically characterized by the appearance of numerous papules. Injuries can range from small to large plates composed of brown or pink, smooth or hyperkeratotic papules. The most typical areas where injuries occur are the back of the feet, the toes, the legs, and the area around a venous ulcer formed in the extremities, although the latter is the rarest of all. These injuries include pachydermia (thickening of the skin), lymphedema, lymphomastic verrucusis and elephantosis verracosa. The disease can be either localized or generalized; the localized form makes up 78% of cases. Treatment includes surgical and pharmaceutical intervention; indications for partial removal include advanced fibrotic lymphedema and elephantiasis. Despite the existence of these treatments, chronic venous edema, which is a derivation of stasis papillomatosis, is only partially reversible. The skin is also affected and its partial removal may mean that the skin and the subcutaneous tissue are excised. A side effect of the procedure is the destruction of existing cutaneous lymphatic vessels. It also risks papillomatosis, skin necrosis and edema exacerbation.

All etiologies lead to local dermal lymphostasis pathogenesis. A maximum variation was observed after the resection of block subcutaneous tissue in patients suffering from congenital lymphedema. Signals that the current condition are different, either in the dermis or in the subcutaneous area. In dermis, principal signs found are precollectors initial nodes, injection tank, the reticular distribution, cutaneous reflexes, and lymphatic cysts. On other hand in the subcutaneous area principal signs are; collectors, thinning, ectatic, tortuous, rest offs, reflux dermal, sclerosis, calcifications.

Postinflammatory lymphedema is a condition characterized by swelling of the soft tissues in which an excessive amount of lymph has accumulated, and is caused by repeated bacterial infections.

Primary lymphedema is a form of lymphedema which is not directly attributable to another medical condition.

It can be divided into three forms, depending upon age of onset: congenital lymphedema, lymphedema praecox, and lymphedema tarda.

Congenital lymphedema presents at birth. Lymphedema praecox presents from ages 1 to 35. This type of lymphedema accounts for 77–94% of all cases of primary lymphedema. Lymphedema tarda presents after age 35. This type of lymphedema usually develops as a result of a developmental abnormality being precipitated by some insult such as trauma, illness, or physical immobility. Compared to secondary lymphedema, primary lymphedema is more likely to involve the face, conjunctiva, and genitalia in association with any limbs involved.

It can be familial.

Before any treatment of leg telangectasia (spider veins) is considered, it is essential to have duplex ultrasonography, the test that has replaced Doppler ultrasound. The reason for this is that there is a clear association between leg telangectasia (spider veins) and underlying venous reflux. Research has shown that 88-89% of women with telangectasia (spider veins) have refluxing reticular veins close, and 15% have incompetent perforator veins nearby. As such, it is essential to both find and treat underlying venous reflux before considering any treatment at all.

Sclerotherapy is the "gold standard" and is preferred over laser for eliminating telangiectasiae and smaller varicose leg veins. A sclerosant medication is injected into the diseased vein so it hardens and eventually shrinks away. Recent evidence with foam sclerotherapy shows that the foam containing the irritating sclerosant quickly appears in the patient's heart and lungs, and then in some cases travels through a patent foramen ovale to the brain. This has led to concerns about the safety of sclerotherapy for telangectasias and spider veins.

In some cases stroke and transient ischemic attacks have occurred after sclerotherapy. Varicose veins and reticular veins are often treated before treating telangiectasia, although treatment of these larger veins in advance of sclerotherapy for telangiectasia may not guarantee better results. Varicose veins can be treated with foam sclerotherapy, endovenous laser treatment, radiofrequency ablation, or open surgery. The biggest risk, however, seems to occur with sclerotherapy, especially in terms of systemic risk of DVT, pulmonary embolism, and stroke.

Other issues which arise with the use of sclerotherapy to treat spider veins are staining, shadowing, telangetatic matting, and ulceration. In addition, incompleteness of therapy is common, requiring multiple treatment sessions.

Telangiectasias on the face are often treated with a laser. Laser therapy uses a light beam that is pulsed onto the veins in order to seal them off, causing them to dissolve. These light-based treatments require adequate heating of the veins. These treatments can result in the destruction of sweat glands, and the risk increases with the number of treatments.

Elephantiasis nostras is a cutaneous condition, a final hypertrophic fibrosis following longstanding chronic lymphangitis.

Lymphedema praecox is a condition characterized by swelling of the soft tissues in which an excessive amount of lymph has accumulated, and generally develops in females between the ages of nine and twenty-five.This is the most common form of primary lymphedema, accounting for about 80% of the patients.

There is currently no known way to prevent lipedema. Some treatments, both conservative and surgical, may help some people postpone or prevent symptom worsening sometimes.

If lipedema is diagnosed early, which currently is very rare, it is possible to prevent a significant expansion of lipedematous fat cells and to alert patients to their heightened risk factors so they can take appropriate action.

The cornerstone of prevention and treatment of podoconiosis is avoidance of exposure to irritant soils. Wearing shoes in the presence of irritant soils is the primary method of exposure reduction. In Rwanda, a country of high disease prevalence, the government has banned walking barefoot in public, in order to curtail podoconiosis and other soil-borne diseases.

Once the disease has developed, rigorous foot hygiene including daily washing with soap and water, application of an emollient, and nightly elevation of the affected extremity has been shown to reduce swelling and disability. Compression wrapping and decongestive physiotherapy of the affected extremity has been shown to be effective in other forms of lymphedema, but the benefits of these therapies have not been rigorously studied in podoconiosis. Nodules will not resolve with these conservative measures, although surgical removal of the nodules can be performed.

People with yellow nail syndrome have been found to have a moderately reduced lifespan compared to people without the condition.

Bullous lymphedema is a skin condition that usually occurs with poorly controlled edema related to heart failure and fluid overload, and compression results in healing.

Normal treatment for swelling and any respiratory problems is appropriate. Nutritional supplementation with Vitamin E in some studies has been shown to be effective in controlling nail changes.

Acquired telangiectasia, not related to other venous abnormalities, for example on the face and trunk, can be caused by factors such as

- Acne rosacea

- Blepharitis

- Environmental damage such as that caused by sun or cold exposure

- Age

- Trauma to skin such as contusions or surgical incisions.

- Radiation exposure such as that experienced during radiotherapy for the treatment of cancer

- Chemotherapy

- Carcinoid syndrome

- Limited systemic sclerosis/scleroderma (a Scleroderma sub-type)

- Chronic treatment with topical corticosteroids may lead to telangiectasia.

- Spider angiomas are a radial array of tiny arterioles that commonly occur in pregnant women and in patients with hepatic cirrhosis and are associated with palmar erythema. In men, they are related to high estrogen levels secondary to liver disease.

- Tempi syndrome

- Smoking

A number of treatments may be useful including physiotherapy and exercise. While surgery can remove fat tissue it can also damage lymphatic vessels. Treatment does not typically result in complete resolution.

Anti-tumour necrosis factor α antagonists (e.g. infliximab)

Dietary restriction of a particular suspected or proven antigen may be involved in the management of OFG, such as cinnamon or benzoate-free diets.

Secondary lymphedema is a condition characterized by swelling of the soft tissues in which an excessive amount of lymph has accumulated, and is caused by certain malignant diseases such as Hodgkin's disease and Kaposi sarcoma.

Secondary lymphedema also can be caused by several non-malignant diseases, such as lipedema, and can result from the removal of lymph nodes during various cancer surgeries, especially for breast and prostate cancers.

Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is a medical condition in which blood pools in the veins, straining the walls of the vein. The most common cause of CVI is superficial venous reflux which is a treatable condition. As functional venous valves are required to provide for efficient blood return from the lower extremities, this condition typically affects the legs. If the impaired vein function causes significant symptoms, such as swelling and ulcer formation, it is referred to as chronic venous disease. It is sometimes called "chronic peripheral venous insufficiency" and should not be confused with post-thrombotic syndrome in which the deep veins have been damaged by previous deep vein thrombosis.

Most cases of CVI can be improved with treatments to the superficial venous system or stenting the deep system. Varicose veins for example can now be treated by local anesthetic endovenous surgery.

The prevalence of CVI is far higher in women than in men. The Tampere study, which examined the epidemiology of varicose veins in a large cohort of 3284 men and 3590 women, demonstrated that the prevalence of varicose veins in men and women was 18% and 42%, respectively. The condition has been known since ancient times and Hippocrates used bandaging to treat it.

Podoconiosis, also known as nonfilarial elephantiasis, is a disease of the lymph vessels of the lower extremities that is caused by chronic exposure to irritant soils. It is the second most common cause of tropical lymphedema after filariasis, and it is characterized by prominent swelling of the lower extremities, which leads to disfigurement and disability.

Chromoblastomycosis is very difficult to cure. The primary treatments of choice are:

- Itraconazole, an antifungal azole, is given orally, with or without flucytosine.

- Alternatively, cryosurgery with liquid nitrogen has also been shown to be effective.

Other treatment options are the antifungal drug terbinafine, an experimental drug posaconazole, and heat therapy.

Antibiotics may be used to treat bacterial superinfections.

Amphotericin B has also been used.

Conservative treatment of CVI in the leg involves symptomatic treatment and efforts to prevent the condition from getting worse instead of effecting a cure. This may include

- Manual compression lymphatic massage therapy

- Skin lubrication

- Sequential compression pump

- Ankle pump

- Compression stockings

- Blood pressure medicine

- Frequent periods of rest elevating the legs above the heart level

- Tilting the bed so that the feet are above the heart. This may be achieved by using a 20 cm (7-inch) bed wedge or sleeping in a 6 degree Trendelenburg position. Obese or pregnant patients might be advised by their physicians to forgo the tilted bed.

The treatment of choice is a large resection or amputation of the affected limb. Radiation therapy can precede or follow surgical treatment. Tumors that have advanced locally or have metastasized can be treated with mono or polychemotherapy, systemically or locally. However, chemotherapy and radiation therapy have not been shown to improve survivorship significantly.

Factitial lymphedema (also known as "Hysterical edema") is a skin condition produced by wrapping an elastic bandage, cord, or shirt around an extremity, and/or holding the extremity in a dependent and immobile state.