Arterial ulcer and ischemic ulcer describe the same wound. Ischemic means reduced blood flow to an area of the body. An ischemic ulcer is a sore that forms when there is poor blood flow in the legs.
Here’s what these wounds look like. The sores are dark red, yellow, gray, or black. The edges around the wound are raised, so the wound looks punched out. There is no bleeding. The wound is deep, and tendons may show through it. It may or may not be painful.
The leg around the wound changes too. The skin on the leg appears shiny, tight, dry, and hairless. Dangling the leg down off the side of a bed or chair causes the leg to turn red. When the leg is raised, it turns pale and cool to touch. There may be aching pain in the foot or leg, often at night, and that pain may go away when the leg is dangled down.
These wounds may appear on legs, ankles, toes, and between toes. Most ischemic ulcers occur on the feet and legs.
A list of features is not a way to identify your own wound. What separates one kind of leg wound from another is the cause, and appearance doesn’t settle the cause. Checking the blood flow in the area around the wound is part of what happens at a wound care center, and that is the kind of finding this question really turns on.