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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megmaine | @megmaine | Sep 25, 2023
In reply to @bunnybear "My dermatologist recommended DerMend bruise cream. (Someone put a scientific link for it above) It is..." + (show)
@bunnybear

My dermatologist recommended DerMend bruise cream. (Someone put a scientific link for it above) It is OTC (but hard to find) and there is a generic option too. It is also on Amazon and eBay. It is very effective in preventing bruises if you rub it into the skin on your forearms or anywhere you tend to bruise. Also, if a bruise is already present, rub it onto the spot to prevent it getting worse and speeding up the healing process. It is amazing! Be sure to get the tube that is maroon and white and not the blue and white tube which is just regular lotion. If you have the big dark bruises that have been with you a long time, you may have to get medical help for those.

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Thank you; I had bought some but wasn’t convinced of its efficacy…I’ll use more regularly now. Thanks for sharing!

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barbpatt | @barbpatt | Sep 25, 2023
In reply to @contentandwell "@ellerbracke @imallears Are you sure these are bruises? I get purple spots on my forearms that..." + (show)
@contentandwell

@ellerbracke @imallears Are you sure these are bruises? I get purple spots on my forearms that are called actinic purpura, or very insultingly, senile purpura. As my daughter commented when I told her that, "how rude!". Here is an article about a product, Dermend, that is supposed to help with this.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5605207/
I asked my dermatologist and he prescribed Tretinoin, which is basically a retin A type of cream and supposed to make your skin a little thicker to not get these marks as easily.
I am including pictures of my purpura so you can see if this what you also have. They are different from bruises actually, and more apt to happen with fair-skinned people. Being on prednisone increases the chance of getting them because apparently, prednisone thins your skin more. I just found this out Friday from a nurse.
I wear an Apple watch now and am getting a lot of redness/purpura where that is. The Apple watch emits a green light out the back to reflect on your blood and determine your BPM. I am wondering if that green light may be causing a problem for me. I think I may try turning that option off on my watch.
There is a heavy makeup called Dermablend that is made for body usage - they actually have both, facial and body. That could help I believe but it sounds as if it's a pain in the neck to use. I am hoping mine will diminish some time before my son's wedding, but if not I may consider using it.
JK

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Your bruises look a lot like mine, I just found out last week that I have senile purpura and can’t lay out in the sun anymore. This is very disappointing to me since we moved from Chicago to the corn country in Illinois and there isn’t much to do but lay on my nice deck and soak up the sun….. my arms are a mess from all the bruising. I can’t rush around the house and bump into something or here comes some more bruises. My sons dog picked up his paw to ask for some petting and I immediately had a nice long bruise on my leg. Than all you people for being here so I don’t feel so alone. I will try to add a photo but am not sure how to do it.

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barbpatt | @barbpatt | Sep 26, 2023
In reply to @ellerbracke "To everyone: thank you for all the helpful suggestions. Arnica stands out, will try that. And..." + (show)
@ellerbracke

To everyone: thank you for all the helpful suggestions. Arnica stands out, will try that. And will look for dermablend. Usually I’m not too worried about the discolorations, but with my 70th coming up I don’t want to look like 80 during the celebrations!
Regarding JK’s comment that it might be actinic purpura, I will check this out. It does look very much like what I have, it is limited to my forearms, but it only seems to happen when there is a trigger (like when I brush against branches while pruning a shrub, like being lazy and sticking my arm into a tight, half-open container and scraping the skin (without breaking it), those kind of situations. So perhaps it’s a combination of senile bruising with a cause?

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Instead of the golden years for some of us it’s the purple years.
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1 reply
sueborfl | @sueborfl | Oct 9, 2023
In reply to @lioness "@imallears For your bruises have you ever tried Arnica it's made for bruises and pain. For..." + (show)
@lioness

@imallears For your bruises have you ever tried Arnica it's made for bruises and pain. For my pain I use it mixed with essential oils ,have used it on bruises Right now 8a.m. It's 58degrees .

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What essential oils and how much? I swear by árnica for years now and heals ‘whatever ails you’ over and above the traditional otc antibiotic ointments.

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megmaine | @megmaine | Oct 9, 2023
In reply to @barbpatt "Instead of the golden years for some of us it’s the purple years." + (show)
@barbpatt

Instead of the golden years for some of us it’s the purple years.

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The purple years is right…My husband now calls me “Bruiser” it really is unfair…the hair and skin get thinner and the waist gets thicker. Together we will find the answer!

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1 reply
joybringer1 | @joybringer1 | Oct 16, 2023
In reply to @megmaine "The purple years is right…My husband now calls me “Bruiser” it really is unfair…the hair and..." + (show)
@megmaine

The purple years is right…My husband now calls me “Bruiser” it really is unfair…the hair and skin get thinner and the waist gets thicker. Together we will find the answer!

Jump to this post

@megmaine, You surely called it just like it is. It is one of those "As we age..." deals. Yes, the hair gets thinner and the skin thins. I told a friend about senile purpura and he was alarmed at the name. I told my good doctor and he said, "You can call them activity bruises." They do not hurt any less with that name, but it makes it sound like we are really busy. With all good wishes, @joybringer

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1 reply
mydogsbestfriend | @mydogsbestfriend | Dec 19, 2023
In reply to @contentandwell "@ellerbracke @imallears Are you sure these are bruises? I get purple spots on my forearms that..." + (show)
@contentandwell

@ellerbracke @imallears Are you sure these are bruises? I get purple spots on my forearms that are called actinic purpura, or very insultingly, senile purpura. As my daughter commented when I told her that, "how rude!". Here is an article about a product, Dermend, that is supposed to help with this.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5605207/
I asked my dermatologist and he prescribed Tretinoin, which is basically a retin A type of cream and supposed to make your skin a little thicker to not get these marks as easily.
I am including pictures of my purpura so you can see if this what you also have. They are different from bruises actually, and more apt to happen with fair-skinned people. Being on prednisone increases the chance of getting them because apparently, prednisone thins your skin more. I just found this out Friday from a nurse.
I wear an Apple watch now and am getting a lot of redness/purpura where that is. The Apple watch emits a green light out the back to reflect on your blood and determine your BPM. I am wondering if that green light may be causing a problem for me. I think I may try turning that option off on my watch.
There is a heavy makeup called Dermablend that is made for body usage - they actually have both, facial and body. That could help I believe but it sounds as if it's a pain in the neck to use. I am hoping mine will diminish some time before my son's wedding, but if not I may consider using it.
JK

Jump to this post

I get those also on my hands and especially my left forearm. I am right handed and don’t know why I get them mostly on the left side. I think it’s because my left arm is more exposed to the sun ( over the years while driving , I am now 76). My doctor says it’s purport and my skin is thinner as I age. He told me not to worry. Haha! I use cream for crepy skin but don’t like to put creams on in warm weather. I’m going to look into the arnica

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1 reply
megmaine | @megmaine | Jan 7 8:30am
In reply to @joybringer1 "@megmaine, You surely called it just like it is. It is one of those "As we..." + (show)
@joybringer1

@megmaine, You surely called it just like it is. It is one of those "As we age..." deals. Yes, the hair gets thinner and the skin thins. I told a friend about senile purpura and he was alarmed at the name. I told my good doctor and he said, "You can call them activity bruises." They do not hurt any less with that name, but it makes it sound like we are really busy. With all good wishes, @joybringer

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Joy…happy new year from your fellow bruiser….good thing about living in a cold climate, I can cover myself from head to toe! I’m headed to dermatologist this week to see if any correlation between purpura and thinning hair and of course hoping that a miraculous remedy has been discovered. I ordered some Helichrysum italicum oil after reading that some saw good results so I’ll let you know when it arrives. DerMend still the daily treatment (Walmart much cheaper) onward!

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seniormed | @seniormed | Jan 7 10:42am

I tried Dermend OTC which has arnica. It’s expensive. I think any moisturizer
works to help a bit. Blood thinners are the worst aggravating factor.
Even aspirin, NSAIDs and fish oil products and prednisone all contribute.
I use sunscreen and long sleeves. When we go out socially a cover up
makeup liquid dabbed with my wife’s cosmetic brush does a good camouflage
Indoor’s. I just tell my friends its iron in fragile Northern European skin from sun and steroids. Try to wear gloves with any physical work.

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mydogsbestfriend | @mydogsbestfriend | Jan 9 9:38am

I get them too. Mostly on my hands but sometimes on forearms. My doctor said there’s nothing you can do, the skin is thin and just be careful moving about. I get them when I bump into things etc. or from playing with my dog. I am still alive and moving, guess a few purple marks are not a concern to me. I never was much for caring what other people think about the way I look

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