Connect
Any suggestions to help with blood bruising on arms?
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
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Aging Well Support Group.
Connect
@kerrywp
Sorry Kerry. I don't have any research. I was kind of amazed one day after starting bhrt I realized that I hadn't had a purple bruise(senile purpura) for quite awhile. It has been a year and a half and I have not had any. I do not know if it would be the same for someone else. If you run across any research that has been done please post it. Thanks
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
3 Reactions@gravity3
I asked Claude AI and got this. Hope this link works. If not, just ask Claude for research that discuss benefits of HRT for skin conditions - thin skin and abrasions specifically. The answer is YES!!!
https://claude.ai/share/855ab9e1-ec1f-430e-812d-f3375e6f548e
Pressure. I have posted here before: if you bump yourself, say on your arms or hands (or any skin area that are exposed to light, skin damaged by light) when you get bumped or a needle stick at the doc's apply firm pressure for 3-5 min and raise the arm above your heart level.
The ugly bruising we seniors get are caused by broken capillaries, and they break easily especially under the fragile skin, made more fragile by UV light - which we all have on our lower arms and back of our hands.
UV damages just under the surface capillaries as well as causes skin to be fragile and thin on the exposed portions of our skin.
Pressure - pressure - pressure. Blood thinners like aspirin, heparin, warfarin, etc make it worse. Hold the pressure longer, if you taking blood thinners.
Works like magic.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 Reaction@kerrywp
This is awesome! Thank you so much for sharing this
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionArnica gel would be worth trying. It works well on bruising from bumps. Wonder if it could help with blood bruises? I don’t have that problem, but I hope anyone on the forum who uses it reports back.
Here’s where I think less research on women’s issues has skewed the answer about red bruises on arms.
Its true there is actinic purpura linked with sun damage, sun exposure causing thinner skin, sometimes broken blood vessels. Actinic purpura is less often one spot. It can come with multiple areas or undefined shapes, often without a known trauma. It affects both men and women.
However “low estrogen levels directly cause thinning of the skin and a reduction in the subcutaneous fat layer, particularly during menopause. Estrogen is crucial for maintaining collagen production, skin thickness, and fat distribution; its decline leads to increased fragility . . .”
The only red bruises I get on my arms come one at a time, when I carry plastic grocery bags on my forearm (so I can carry in multiple bags at once). They do look like actinic purpura in color, but is it only caused by sun damage? I think not. I only started bruising after starting tamoxifen which lowers my already low estrogen. I’m 71, tamoxifen reduces risk of recurring breast cancer.
That’s why HRT reduces or eliminates the red bruising on arms. The estrogen boost improves the quality and thickness of skin, and improves blood vessel elasticity.
But if you ask a medical professional about red bruises, their answer is sun damage. Studies on actinic purpura affect men, menopause does not.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 Reactions