1. < Skin Health

Senile purpura bruises and treatment options

Posted by ellerbracke @ellerbracke, May 24, 2019

I ( and a friend or 2) love gardening. Even with wearing long sleeves while working outside, (today it was about 76 degrees by 8 AM here), I still get poked or scratched. The resulting bleeds and the bruises are way out of proportion to the cause. Anybody have a good suggestion how to cover up some of the bruises on my lower arms (elbow to wrist) so I don’t look so abused when going out in public? Meaning, make-up tricks. Tomorrow it will be around 94 degrees again here, so long sleeves out and about are not what I want to wear going forward.

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gravity3 | @gravity3 | 5 days ago
In reply to @rappell189 "I’m 70. Not sure what you mean by Hrt/bhrt?" + (show)
@rappell189

I’m 70. Not sure what you mean by Hrt/bhrt?

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Hormone replacement therapy or bioidentical hormone replacement therapy

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1 reply
rappell189 | @rappell189 | 5 days ago
In reply to @gravity3 "Hormone replacement therapy or bioidentical hormone replacement therapy" + (show)
@gravity3

Hormone replacement therapy or bioidentical hormone replacement therapy

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I do hope de a low dose hormone vaginal insert twice weekly which I’ve been doing for over a year or so now but doubt that has created my situation.I’m also on levothyroxine for Hypothyroidism but have been on that for years and years as well . Why do you ask?

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michiganjan | @michiganjan | 5 days ago
In reply to @rappell189 "I spend winters in Florida and rest of the time in Massachusetts. I do spend a..." + (show)
@rappell189

I spend winters in Florida and rest of the time in Massachusetts. I do spend a lot of time in the sun when away and noticed last couple of years if I banged front of my hands I’d get reddish marks. Now it’s happening on my forearms and front of my legs even if I scratch myself or bang myself lightly I get awful discoloration from bruising that takes forever to start to fade. It’s summer now and only way I can wear shorts is to wear body make up like Dermablend or similiar. It’s beyond depressing and embarrassing. I’ve always prided myself on my appearance so this development is hard to deal with frankly. My mother has always had a similar problem but has much fairer of a complexion than mine so I’m thinking it’s partially hereditary. I use a bruising cream called Dermend and topical essential oils daily but it still takes forever for the bruises to fade and new ones inevitably pop
Up. Wondering what treatments or vitamins can help
Improve this situation? Any input greatly appreciated🙏

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I think if someone invented a cure or successful treatment for this, they would make $1 million. It is so irritating.
A little bump or scratch and you get a huge ugly reddish mark, and it takes weeks to go away. I do wear arm protectors when I'm gardening but that doesn't help when I'm in the house and I brush against the refrigerator door and I get a big mark
I tried a couple of the creams that market themselves is helping, but they did not in my dermatologist had said she really didn't think they worked. It's also called Batemans purpura, which sounds a lot better than senile purpura

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2 replies
rappell189 | @rappell189 | 5 days ago
In reply to @michiganjan "I think if someone invented a cure or successful treatment for this, they would make $1..." + (show)
@michiganjan

I think if someone invented a cure or successful treatment for this, they would make $1 million. It is so irritating.
A little bump or scratch and you get a huge ugly reddish mark, and it takes weeks to go away. I do wear arm protectors when I'm gardening but that doesn't help when I'm in the house and I brush against the refrigerator door and I get a big mark
I tried a couple of the creams that market themselves is helping, but they did not in my dermatologist had said she really didn't think they worked. It's also called Batemans purpura, which sounds a lot better than senile purpura

Jump to this post

For me it’s just so strange that it seems to have gotten worse since I returned from Fla in April and hadn’t even been in the sun since I got back here. It just is a relentless condition and nothing really helps to heal these awful bruises. I have to wear leg makeup in order to wear shorts or a bathing suit. It gets pretty expensive! I would love to know what vitamin supplements might help to thicken skin and help lessen bruising I’m sure there are some that could help.

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1 reply
megmaine | @megmaine | 4 days ago
In reply to @michiganjan "I think if someone invented a cure or successful treatment for this, they would make $1..." + (show)
@michiganjan

I think if someone invented a cure or successful treatment for this, they would make $1 million. It is so irritating.
A little bump or scratch and you get a huge ugly reddish mark, and it takes weeks to go away. I do wear arm protectors when I'm gardening but that doesn't help when I'm in the house and I brush against the refrigerator door and I get a big mark
I tried a couple of the creams that market themselves is helping, but they did not in my dermatologist had said she really didn't think they worked. It's also called Batemans purpura, which sounds a lot better than senile purpura

Jump to this post

Hi MichiganJan…it’s MaineMeg here with an empathetic reply. Yes, this condition which I dislike calling senile purpura is a curse….as if aging didn’t come with its own challenges. I too now go to FL for 3 months and I will say a tan does help disguise the bruises (also use some tan in a bottle to enhance). Yes, I cover up for gardening , especially around the rose bushes but come inside…brush against something and bam..it’s another one. I’ve been using Arnica (seems as effective as DerMend) and a friend suggested I use a hand held needler after applying…sounds strange, but I think it may help a little. My husband has now developed this and to be honest, I secretly kind of enjoy…someone else to commiserate with! I was in Michigan (Dearborn area) in May packing up my widowed sister and bringing her back to live in a retirement community here in Maine. Lovely people in the Midwest! Let’s live long enough for the cure, ok? 🤓

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1 reply
michiganjan | @michiganjan | 4 days ago
In reply to @megmaine "Hi MichiganJan…it’s MaineMeg here with an empathetic reply. Yes, this condition which I dislike calling senile..." + (show)
@megmaine

Hi MichiganJan…it’s MaineMeg here with an empathetic reply. Yes, this condition which I dislike calling senile purpura is a curse….as if aging didn’t come with its own challenges. I too now go to FL for 3 months and I will say a tan does help disguise the bruises (also use some tan in a bottle to enhance). Yes, I cover up for gardening , especially around the rose bushes but come inside…brush against something and bam..it’s another one. I’ve been using Arnica (seems as effective as DerMend) and a friend suggested I use a hand held needler after applying…sounds strange, but I think it may help a little. My husband has now developed this and to be honest, I secretly kind of enjoy…someone else to commiserate with! I was in Michigan (Dearborn area) in May packing up my widowed sister and bringing her back to live in a retirement community here in Maine. Lovely people in the Midwest! Let’s live long enough for the cure, ok? 🤓

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I'll have to look up what a handheld needler is.
Not sure if it's related to a real needle one time when I just gotten a scratcher thing from a dog and my skin was bumped up with the blood and it had not yet used out under my skin to be that lovely, big reddish purple area. I tried poking it with a needle, thinking I could let the blood out that way it did not help at all if anything might've made it worse.
My doctor said son damaged skin from years ago not recent. I think the steroid I take for an auto immune disease doesn't help. People always say, are you on blood thinners, but just baby aspirin every other day.
Maine is beautiful too
Hope you too live long enough to see a cure

REPLY
michiganjan | @michiganjan | 4 days ago
In reply to @rappell189 "For me it’s just so strange that it seems to have gotten worse since I returned..." + (show)
@rappell189

For me it’s just so strange that it seems to have gotten worse since I returned from Fla in April and hadn’t even been in the sun since I got back here. It just is a relentless condition and nothing really helps to heal these awful bruises. I have to wear leg makeup in order to wear shorts or a bathing suit. It gets pretty expensive! I would love to know what vitamin supplements might help to thicken skin and help lessen bruising I’m sure there are some that could help.

Jump to this post

I think I read vitamin K helped and I used a cream that had vitamin K in it, but did not seem to make any difference.
My understanding from my dermatologist is sun damage from years ago I have sent my skin made worse by my steroid use for my auto immune disease. I don't think it's so much current son that causes the problem.
Yes, I've been trying to find very thin long sleeve shirts to wear when I get a particularly hideous spot

REPLY
2 replies
michiganjan | @michiganjan | 4 days ago
In reply to @michiganjan "I think I read vitamin K helped and I used a cream that had vitamin K..." + (show)
@michiganjan

I think I read vitamin K helped and I used a cream that had vitamin K in it, but did not seem to make any difference.
My understanding from my dermatologist is sun damage from years ago I have sent my skin made worse by my steroid use for my auto immune disease. I don't think it's so much current son that causes the problem.
Yes, I've been trying to find very thin long sleeve shirts to wear when I get a particularly hideous spot

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Whoops sun not sun!

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rappell189 | @rappell189 | 4 days ago
In reply to @michiganjan "I think I read vitamin K helped and I used a cream that had vitamin K..." + (show)
@michiganjan

I think I read vitamin K helped and I used a cream that had vitamin K in it, but did not seem to make any difference.
My understanding from my dermatologist is sun damage from years ago I have sent my skin made worse by my steroid use for my auto immune disease. I don't think it's so much current son that causes the problem.
Yes, I've been trying to find very thin long sleeve shirts to wear when I get a particularly hideous spot

Jump to this post

I have read about vitamin K and think B3 and B12 help to thicken skin. I may try. I use Dermablend on my legs to coverup discolorations when I’m in a swimsuit or shorts. We live on a lake and have a boat so impossible to avoid sun exposure. Sure it is accumulative. Guess we had a good run of it!!!

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