Bruising on arms and legs

  I inherited the same problem from my Mom.  She had it bad and I have had it for many years.  My 3 sisters do not have this problem.

  Now several things as I have gotten older are making it worse.  About 10 years ago my Doctor had me start taking a low dose aspirin.  Brusiing is worse and healing time is terrible.

  I have just started taking prednisone and among the many side effects of this medication is, guess what?  Bruising and slow healing.  So I will be worse off until I can stop taking this med or until I decide I can;t stand to look at myself!   LOL

  There have been times thru the years that it looked like I got beat up!  And my little dog likes to jump on me and that brings up the brusies too.

  If you are on any medications, you might check with your Doctor to see if any of those cause it or make the situation worse.

I know almost nothing about beauty products, but here are a few things I can testify to.  Any blood thinners will make the problem worse and I don’t think any skin products will help that.  Using a loction and cream with collagen has helped my hands some with the thin skin.I haven’t tried it on other parts of my body.  At the end of the day I end up with bruises from things I don’t even remember because I can bruise from just a tap. I bumped my shin on a metal pipe one day last week and it caused a bump and a bruise and broke the skin and bled and I was wearing jeans and it didn’t even hurt my jeans.  I run into the edges of tables and always have bruises on my knees somewhere.  Same with my elbows. If I try to carry a heavy box in my arms I’ll have bruises on both arms where I held on to the box.  As I’ve said many times, getting old ain’t for sissies.  I’ll be checking back to see what suggestions you get.

Lemire, if you don’t have any medical issues causing water retention, you might try staying really well hydrated.  My sister-in-law has the same skin issue, but when she stays well hydrated the issue disappears.

First thing I thought of is, are you on any blood thinners?    People taking these do bruise easier. The blood seeps thru the veins easier than when the blood is thicker.

I would think you would check with your primary doctor regarding your medication. 

Talk about bruising…..I have been on a thinner a short while and I threw up cause of something eaten, and when I  did, because of the gagging it caused the veins in my face to leak and I had red splotches all over.    Yep…getting older is not for sissies.

I don’t remember who sells it, but I thought it was here one of the regular vendors, a cream that is a coverup for dark spots and bruises, and varicose veins. really covered, could not see any.

Maybe do some searching.

Doctor’s prescribe things and frankly they don’t have any ideas about “mixing drugs”…and interactions even with OTC meds..

The person to ask is your druggist!..Seriously!

My Honey had a rash on his back that wouldn’t go away..I asked the druggist..He said try”a tar based shampoo..and apply it like lotion for a week”..The rash is long gone and never came back!..they know alternatives..

When my Mom was dying from cancer her doctor kept prescribing things.Maybe it that point he didn’t care or it no longer mattered..As long as he was getting paid his big bucks.

When I would take a script to the drugstore.He would tell me..”your Mom can’t mix that with the others!”..He would call the doctor and tell him what she should be taking..!!

I wish you the best in finding a solution..I hate doctors!

First of all, the Community has become my go to for just about anything anymore.  4kitties – I am fortunate to have a few very good Dr.’s but I’ve been to a few, I’ve heard about tragic events others have gone through with incompetent Dr.’s and they nearly killed my husband a few years back when he cut his leg and then we went to Florida.  They were giving him nightly IV’s for infection for 3 or 4 days and told us to go home.  It was not Mersa.  I said not until we get another opinion because it just didn’t look right.  We went to another Dr. who had him admitted immediately, did major surgery the next day and came out and told me the infection was within days of getting into his bone (in which case they would have amputated).  He further said that had I brought him home before the surgery, I would have probably had a corpse before we got home.  My motto is – is you have anything you really question a Dr. about – get a second or third opinion – you can’t trust Dr.’s anymore.  

4kitties – I’ve been prescribed drugs that I too have been called by the pharmacist saying you can’t take this with that.  Well the Dr. had my list of prescriptions.  What Dr. can you see anymore that a prescription list isn’t the first thing they ask for?

Merce3 – I am on no blood thinners or aspirin.  This is a little weird because my mother was on both for years and did bruise but not like me.  She was however a much larger woman.  I don’t know if that has anything to do with this or not.

MaryMary1969 – I do drink a lot of water.  At minimum 60 oz. of water a day – and most days a little more than that.  I don’t drink coffee but I do drink one of those little bottles of DC a day so that is my total caffeine intake a day.

Mixmaster – it sounds like you know exactly what I am going through and how ugly this is.  It makes you feel like you can’t go anywhere without long sleeves!  I too will get bruises on both arms just carrying something.  And you are spot on – I often say you just have to look at me and I will bruise.

Trekky – as I said I don’t take aspirin and I’m not on prednisone but I was on a derivative of it some time ago.  I researched all my meds for any of them that had bruising side affects and in time I no longer am taking any of them.  

I guess I am believing this is something that occurs with aging.  It just seems to me there must be products of some sort available to help heal the bruises faster. 4kitties – I will ask my pharmacist.  I know I have done that in the past with other things and they are pretty knowledgeable.  I never thought to ask them about this.

So my question is still out there for anyone that might know of a skin care product that might help improve the overall quality of my skin.  Is that “collegan”? which would help prevent the bruising and something to help once a bruise does occur.  If it is collegan does anyone know of a specific product but it would have to come in a large size in order to cover both arms and legs.

Thank you all for such good lengthy responses.  The Big Debate continues.  And my debate and obviously I am not the only one – I love that phrase “getting old is not for sissies” and Dr. are just really unreliable.  It makes me very angry – when I leave a Dr. with more questions than I got answers and feel like all I am to them is to help cover their next boat payment as I was left to feel like I had a 5 minute limit on their time and only had the right to a certain amount of questions!

Not all Dr.’s are bad.  If you have a good one – hang onto them for dear life!!

?  I’m sure you have regular bloodwork done CBC, liver tests, etc.  A couple of years ago I started bruising rather easily, had bloodwork done and found out it was Anemia.  After that corrected the bruising went away.  

Hope you can find an answer and the best of luck to you.:smileyhappy:

I simply let somthing hit my skin wrong way and I have a blue/green mark for wks.  I have regular CBC’s…  I would say check with your PCM becuse we do have to stay on top of all changes.  Some doctors are clueless others know what to look for.

?, my mother had the same problem with easy bruising particularly on her arms.  I’m not a medical professional but I do know that some women, especially those with fair skin, are more prone to this happening as they age and their skin becomes thinner.  Also, the protective fat layer under the skin that protects small capillaries becomes thinner too. As a result, these small capillaries have a tendency to rupture when you accidentally hit your arms and legs. 

Supplements containing fish oil can thin the blood and lead to more bleeding.  A vitamin C deficiency can cause the problem too.  Dehydration can contribute to the problem.  Hormonal changes during menopause can too.  Sunshine and/or sudden temperature changes can make things worse.  Genetics can play a role.

Unfortunately, as you know It takes a long time for the blood to naturally be absorbed by your own body…  Perhaps you should get another opinion from your PCP or Cardiologist who might be able to suggest prescription or over the counter remedies.  Good luck with this…I know it can be a frustrating and unsightly situation.  I’m certain I’ve inherited the “bruise” gene and will be dealing with this soon myself.  Please let us know if you find a creme that will help dissipate the blood more quickly…..

snowcollector – I have asked several Dr.’s about this problem and they have no information to give me.  I know our bodies change with age but it seems weird to me that just 5 years ago or less it took a lot for me to get a bruise.  And now, it takes nothing.  So I’m always wondering, what has changed that much to have this happen?  How could the skin on my arms (and legs to a degree) have changed so much yet it doesn’t happen anyplace else.  

I’m sure if your mom had this you know how ugly it really is.  I guess the bright side is it isn’t happening on my face – that would make me a home bound person for sure!  I am always asking and I’m always trying new products.   If I come by anything at all that helps even a little bit – The Community will be the first to hear because I’m pretty sure there are a whole lot of you out there with this problem too.

Excessive bruising can be caused by liver problems. 

I think the best place to address medical issues on HSN is by perusing the products made by Andrew Lessman. Blood vessels and skin are possibly best supported by products of his like Circulation and Vein Support as well as his new Marine Collagen Peptides product which mentions skin and blood vessels on the label. I think those two things are your best bet to improve the condition of your blood vessels as well as the tautness and strength of your epidermis. Healthy Hair, Skin and Nails contains biotin which could also help your tissues. As for improved healing, often vitamin C is touted as something that improves the bodies ability to recover but in my view, a good multivitamin could better support your overall health and give you vitamin C at the same time. 

Thank you so much for this information HutcherooReview.  I will definitely look into this Lessman’s Marine Collagen Peptides.  I am already using his Hair, Skin and Nails because I’ve read a lot about the benefilts of Biotin.

You’re welcome Lemire! I don’t think any of us wants to hear “there’s nothing you can do,” there’s always something you can do! Even if it’s eating better! I think, for me, that’s what taking vitamins and other supplements is all about, taking back our ability to do something about our health. 

Hi ?, I’m putting in my 2 cents. I read the whole thread and I don’t think anyone mentioned Arnica or Arnica Root.

Plastic Surgeons recommend it for the bruising after “procedures”.  It is homeopathic (which for my polluted body would be like baby aspirin for a migraine) but it might be worth a try.

I don’t think you can OD from taking too much. I probably downed at least 1/2 a bottle at a time but then again I’m not a professional so that’s why my advice is only worth 2 cents.

Try reading up about it. I’m so sorry you are going thru this. :smileyfrustrated:

PS. For a chuckle, when I was bruised from ahem, “I’ll never tell” cough, women would stop me and say “You should leave him”.