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Any suggestions to help with blood bruising on arms?

Posted by anne4u @anne4u, Jun 22 2:16pm

I’ve developed a pretty severe problem with blood bruises on my arms.
It started about 18 months ago and hasn’t stopped with diligent healing lotions, sunscreens, bruising creams, etc.
I recently saw a dermatologist who did a biopsy with negative results. He recommended continuing my regimen of lotion and sunscreen. I was disappointed he couldn’t help me more, but maybe there isn’t more he could do? A few months ago at an annual checkup I had comprehensive blood tests done and everything looks good. I’m not taking blood thinners or anything that would cause my capillaries to break so easily.
It’s so severe that I can tap my arm on something and it leaves a mark. My dog recently (accidentally) kicked her back legs off my upper arm and tore the top layers of skin off which left bad cuts and bruising from my forearm to my shoulder. I ended up at urgent care after it became infected and then 7 days on antibiotics. It’s healing but takes so long.
I’m dedicated to putting quality lotions and creams on my arms and I wear sunscreen when outside. I purchased sleeves to wear when outside working on my yard. I try to avoid the sun whenever I can.
I spent plenty of time in the sun growing up. I loved water sports and live close to the beach. But for the past 25 years my exposure has been limited. It seems this issue came on after I stopped taking pain medications and started using ibuprofen for pain. Recently, after reading that ibuprofen can thin the blood, I switched to acetaminophen. I haven’t seen any change yet.
Just last night I pushed a chair in at a dinner table and the top of my hand tapped the underside of the table, I now have a blood bruise across the top of my right hand. It seems like every day I have a new bruise.
I feel like my life is limited to avoiding the sun and hiding my beat up arms! Summer is here and I’d love nothing more than to be able to go outside in short sleeves and enjoy the day without getting stares at my horribly bruised arms! I know this is common with old age. I’m 65 and feel like I’m too young for the severity of bruising.

Is there anything that has helped anyone with this issue? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

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roytan | @roytan | Jul 3 7:51am
In reply to @hopeinal "No I'm not young. lol I'll be 72 this month. But mine is extreme and since..." + (show)
@hopeinal

No I'm not young. lol I'll be 72 this month. But mine is extreme and since I've seen photos and heard from quite a few other Prednisone users much younger than me that have this exact same thing I can't help but believe it's the cause. I hope so, anyway, because at least I'll have hope that it will go away if/when I manage to wean off the Pred.

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I was taking turmeric and ended up with bruising all over my arms. Stopped taking it and it has been much better. I still get bruises but nothing like before.

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willow5 | @willow5 | Jul 3 9:06am

That is so interesting! I’ve taken tumeric for many years as an anti-inflammatory, along with Glucosamine and MSM. Think I’ll stop the Tumeric for awhile. I know I got the bruising before the tumeric, but not like I do now.

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willow5 | @willow5 | Jul 3 9:08am
In reply to @pb50 "Oh gracious no - no insurance will cover it because in addition to helping acne (the..." + (show)
@pb50

Oh gracious no - no insurance will cover it because in addition to helping acne (the stated medical purpose) , it improves skin texture and (God forbid!) might improve fine wrinkles 🙄

A 45 gram tube of o.5% cream is around $115-$130 if you use SingleCare or Good Rx. Im using about a pea size amount per application. I’m not sure how long it will last for both forearm and hands.

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Does this make you really sensitive to sun, also, like retin A? I have lots of white heads from rosacea and wonder if it would help that. Retin was too harsh for the rosacea.

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roytan | @roytan | Jul 3 11:05am
In reply to @willow5 "That is so interesting! I’ve taken tumeric for many years as an anti-inflammatory, along with Glucosamine..." + (show)
@willow5

That is so interesting! I’ve taken tumeric for many years as an anti-inflammatory, along with Glucosamine and MSM. Think I’ll stop the Tumeric for awhile. I know I got the bruising before the tumeric, but not like I do now.

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Hope it helps you.

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normag | @normag | Jul 3 11:19am

Increase your vitamin K - helps with blood clotting.
Found in leafy greens - spinach ,kale,bok choy etc.

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pb50 | @pb50 | Jul 3 1:31pm
In reply to @willow5 "Does this make you really sensitive to sun, also, like retin A? I have lots of..." + (show)
@willow5

Does this make you really sensitive to sun, also, like retin A? I have lots of white heads from rosacea and wonder if it would help that. Retin was too harsh for the rosacea.

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Tretinoin, Retin A, Altrenol and Retinol - are all forms of vitamin A Retinoids, differing mostly by strength formulated for specific applications - like acne vs wrinkles. . And yes, you do have to wear sunscreen.

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willow5 | @willow5 | Jul 3 2:07pm

I wasn’t real clear on my question. Even the lowest dose Retin A was too strong for me (even with good sun block) so with the product you talk about, would you say it’s formulated strength is less than Retin A? Even 0.05 percent of Retin A was too strong for me and couldn’t be used over rosacea. Thanks!

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pb50 | @pb50 | Jul 3 3:48pm
In reply to @willow5 "I wasn’t real clear on my question. Even the lowest dose Retin A was too strong..." + (show)
@willow5

I wasn’t real clear on my question. Even the lowest dose Retin A was too strong for me (even with good sun block) so with the product you talk about, would you say it’s formulated strength is less than Retin A? Even 0.05 percent of Retin A was too strong for me and couldn’t be used over rosacea. Thanks!

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Hmm the only difference about Altreno is the hydration base it’s in - precisely to mitigate some of the redness and peeling other delivery mediums may cause.

I will say that I have very fair skin, especially on my face. So when I started using retinol on my face i had to suffer through the peeling phase. But my forearms and backs of my hands are tougher stuff I think. I will let you know.. I'm only 4 days in.

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anne4u | @anne4u | Jul 3 5:23pm
In reply to @gingerw "@anne4u I buy 2"x3" sterile non-stick pads. They can be cut down if needed. A bit..." + (show)
@gingerw

@anne4u I buy 2"x3" sterile non-stick pads. They can be cut down if needed. A bit of the antibiotic ointment or Vitamin E cream right onto that. Then whatever I am using on my wound. Tape down two or three edges of the bandage with cloth tape. Voila!

My latest week old incident is finally looking good. I keep it open to the air all day, covering it at night so it won't weep onto bedclothes.
Ginger

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Thanks Ginger, I’ll try that! I put some Neosporin on a cut on my arm about a month ago and it ended up getting infected so I’ve been cautious about putting ointment's on my cuts. The cut that got infected was a dog scratch so maybe that’s why it got infected. I also give cuts air during the day and cover them at night. Not only to protect my sheets but because I can do more damage moving around in bed.

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anne4u | @anne4u | Jul 3 6:22pm
In reply to @margotcc "I feel for you. Like many older people I have the same problem, not as severe..." + (show)
@margotcc

I feel for you.
Like many older people I have the same problem, not as severe though. Will be visiting my grown kids who have dogs I love to play with, and have learned to take a long sleeved blouse to put over anything short sleeved.
Also, I take a small makeup tube with me anywhere, to cover up unsightly marks on my arms.
Not taking blood thinners, but supplements I’m not willing to give up. Decided to just live with it.
In your case though, I too would look for answers.
Keep on investigating!
Sorry for not being able to help!

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Thanks margotcc, I purchased sleeves that cover from upper arm to wrist to wear when I’m doing certain activities, playing with my dog, gardening, cleaning, etc. They help! I just started using Arnica gel on my arms and I’ve got to admit I think it’s helping the bruises heal faster. I’ll know for sure when I’ve used it longer. My next effort is to find a concealer that matches the skin on my arms!

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