Senile purpura bruises and treatment options

Hi @lewismustard Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. As you will see, I added your discussion to a conversation that was already started with some seasoned members of connect on senile purpura so that I could connect you with individuals going through similar experiences. I also added your discussion to the Skin Health Group that can be found here. https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/skin-conditions/

Here is a little information on treatment for this:
Treatment of Actinic Purpura: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5605207/

@lewismustard, Can you tell us a little more about your condition and what else you may do to combat extensive bruising?

At age 72 I’ve been dealing with increasingly fragile, thin skin. Have had senile purpura (sp.) for several years. I’m joking that if you give me a sharp look, I bruise heavily. Even absent-mindedly rubbing an itch produces a bruise on my arms. And any scratch, be it ever so slight, produces copious blood. Not on blood thinners! But a few days ago I hit a new low: went to swim laps in an indoor pool, had a bandaid on a minor scratch on back of my left hand, and remembered that this facility does not permit bandaids in the water. So I peeled it off - a water-proof version, and it resulted in a new tear where the outer corner of the bandaid had stubbornly clung to my skin. Did not even notice until salt pool water hit the hand, and I had pink run-off on top of my hand. Any advice, remedies, age-reversal skin rejuvenation, or other input would be great. Just don’t ask me to stop everyday life, which includes yard work, some home improvement projects, and just in general being not super careful.

PS. Wanted to add that when working outdoors I always wear long sleeves, even in 90 degree heat, and various grades of gardening gloves. Still, gaps happen, branches scrape deep, so all summer long, when short(er) sleeves are the norm, I look like an abuse victim. Winter - less yard work, long sleeves, I revert back to not catching shocked looks.

Your skin sounds much like my husband who in his youth was a redhead. Like you he is not on blood thinners, but unlike you doesn't protect his skin and is active golfing and target shooting with lower arms exposed to sun. He has no idea what he hits or bumps to cause a wound which bleeds. I need to change the sheets and pillow cases more than once a week because even when scabbed over he may sratch open a would while sleeping I've give him all the recommended herbals/vitamins and if they are helping it is not noticeable. He is now 74 and in the last 2 years this conditon is noticebly getting worse.

I’m looking for any information on purpura. My husband has suddenly developed spots that bleed and do not heal. His legs are covered and it seemed to happen overnight. The doctor has said it is age related. We are wondering if there is a connection to Covid and looking for treatment options. It doesn’t seem like aging at this level. Your thoughts are appreciated. Thank you

Welcome, @evinann. You'll notice that I moved your question about purpura, its possible causes and treatments to this existing discussion:
- Senile purpura bruises and treatment options: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/hiding-old-lady-bruises/

I did this so you can connect with other members talking about purpura like @contentandwell @ellerbracke @gingerw @imallears @lewismustard and @lioness. In the article that @contentandwell shared:
- Purpura https://www.healthline.com/health/purpura

the list of causes doesn't include Covid specifically, but it does include other infection causes such as:
- an infection in the bloodstream
- infection by HIV or Hepatitis C, or some viral infections (Epstein-Barr, rubella, cytomegalovirus)
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever (from a tick bite)

What treatment has been suggested for your husband? Is he on any medication that might be the cause?

I too have bruises. They will form during the night and the GP told me 'it's nothing, this is how you are'. Never a test. I don't cover them up although I admit I usually wear long sleeves. You could try some make-up. But otherwise: who cares?
I want to express my appreciation of using proper HTML tags! In vain, but still: a bold trial 😹
I actually suddenly think this might have happened automatically 🤔

Hi, @evinann
You say your husband's spots bleed? Is there actually blood coming out of them or just under the skin? I had some really large ones at one point but they are not nearly as bad now. I believe the difference for me was that I was on prednisone and no longer am.

My dermatologist prescribed tretinoin cream for me. It helps to strengthen the skin because the cause is generally that our skin gets thinner as we age. Prednisone makes it even more so.
This is a fairly good article about tretinoin. It also mentions side effects. I did not have any but of course I did wear a strong sunscreen when going out.
https://ro.co/health-guide/tretinoin-what-is-it-and-what-skin-conditions-can-it-treat/

There is another OTC cream also, Dermend, but I don't know if that is effective or not. Tretinoin did help me. It did not completely rid my arms of the purpura but it did minimize them.
If you do get a prescription for it, be aware that it is not covered by Medicare since it is considered to be cosmetic. If you use the app GoodRx you can often find a much better price than is available without it.
JK

@evinann Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! I see from your profile you have been a member here for over a year, and this is your first post.

It can really be scary when there are suddenly bleeding spots on your body. I think making sure they are "simple" purpura and ruling out something more serious would be your first step. For me, the areas are mostly found on my arms, from shoulder to fingertip on each side, and can appear with no seeming rhyme nor reason. Sometimes they take several days to come from a deep bruising to skin surface, other times it is a half hour after a gentle bump against something. Just last week I had one area that bled a lot after I hit a bruise on the corner of a table.

You mentioned your doctor said it is age related. How old is your husband? Also, is he under treatment for any condition? There may be a medication factor to all of this. And as we age, our skin becomes thinner/more easy to bruise. Using a good Vitamin E cream seems to help me, and being very gentle in the drying process after washing my body. My bruising is a combination of factors, including age, medications, and medical conditions.
Ginger

I came across information today that could be pertinent to purpura so I immediately thought of this discussion. Apparently there is a more serious form that can cause actual bleeding. This of course is much more unusual than the typical purpura that just causes purple spots. I get the spots but never had any bleeding.

The article gives more info. If you do have breakthrough bleeding you might want to ask your doctor about it, just to be on the safe side.
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/immune-thrombocytopenia
JK