Acute contact dermatitis on the legs can cause erythema and edema, but it is differentiated by prominent pruritus and vesicles, and a history of contact with a specific allergen.
This condition is distinguished by its primary lesion: a waxy, atrophic, yellowish plaque with prominent telangiectasias, which is very different from the spreading erythema of cellulitis.
While a risk factor for cellulitis, stasis dermatitis itself is a chronic eczematous condition with scaling, lichenification, and brownish discoloration, unlike the acute, warm, and tender plaque of cellulitis.
