Dear jackbe-ga;
Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to answer your interesting
question.
Let me start by saying that you cannot get primary or supplemental
medical advice in this forum and you should never treat yourself based
soley upon information found ANYWHERE on the internet. Instead, you
should rely on the advice of a licensed physician who has physically
examined you IN PERSON and who knows your medical history and
recognizes your condition. Having said that, for informational
purposes, I can offer you some insight into what “might” be causing
the problem and various methods of treatment that are sometimes used
in such instances with some success.
Bruising on the backs of the hands, arms and other areas where the
skin tissues are thin is not uncommon in seniors. In its benign form,
this is called “senile purpura” and it is quite harmless. As we age,
our skin tends to lose some of its elasticity and collagen that
otherwise provided a buffer to blood vessels near the surface. With
the loss of this goes some of the protection we used to have and
vessels become vulnerable to injury. Stretching, reaching, pulling and
straining are sometimes all it takes to rupture them and cause the
blood to spill into the tissues. As the blood pools up around the
injured vessel(s) the color of the skin sometimes takes on a blue,
purple, green or in some cases even a black hue – this is the origin
of a bruise.
Assuming you have no underlying conditions that might be causing the
bruises and you are not taking medications which might lead to easy
bruising (such as aspirin, steroids, or the blood thinner Coumadin,
etc.), your bruises might simply be the result of age. There are some
tests that can be conducted to determine the cause of bruising that
your doctor can order for you. “Screening blood tests such as a
platelet count, prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time and
bleeding time may be done. Sometimes hematology consultation is
warranted for more sophisticated studies and diagnosis. The treatment
of easy bruisability depends on its cause. It might be as simple as
avoiding excessive alcohol use and avoiding certain medicines. With
some diagnoses, however, specific prescription medications might be
needed for correcting the cause of one's easy bruising.”
MED Q&A: BRUISES
http://athena.medicdata.com/FIT2/bruises3.htm
In some instances those who have been overexposed to the sun
throughout their lifetime might experience “solar purpura” or “photo
aging” as it is sometimes called. While overexposure to the sun for
many years alone can cause the bruising you speak of, I would imagine
that this, combined with true chronological aging would have an
especially remarkable impact on this skin. Creams and ointments
designed to add moisture to the skin and further avoidance of direct
exposure to intense sunlight might aid the condition somewhat, but is
unlikely to reverse it. Some recommendations I found were also topical
vitamin D3 for psoriasis, antibiotics for skin infections or acne
corticosteroids if you have inflamed skin (all with a doctor’s advice
of course).
You seem to be fairly educated about your condition and only you can
know for certain what your specific situation entails, so I will
stipulate that your condition is the normal bruising caused by age
(senile purpura) as you suggested and assume that it is possibly
complicated by a degree of “photo aging” (solar purpura) from which
almost everyone who has ever been sunburned suffers to some small
degree or other. THE MERCK MANUAL, a highly regarded source for
medical information, suggests that the best treatment is to avoid
sunlight, avoid further damage to the area until it has had time to
heal on its own, and to not worry about it because the disorder itself
has no serious consequences. Cosmetically, there are some options such
as the ones suggested here:
“Treatments for these forms of bruising include cover ups with
corrective cosmetics such as Dermablend. Recently, topical vitamin K
(a crucial vitamin for the development of clotting factors II, VII,
IX, and X- the factors needed and used by the body to decrease
bleeding times and bruising) has been used to reduce unsightly
bruising. K-Derm gel and K-Derm cream are recent examples that make
use of this science and physiology to hopefully reduce unnecessary
bruising.”
CURING AND TREAMANT OF BRUISES
http://www.mybeautyproducts.com/beauty_tips/bruises.html
Obviously, the treatment here focuses on restoring the supple nature
of the skin through vitamins, moisturizers and protective creams. The
more you can do toward restoring the skin to its former elasticity the
better protected the capillaries will be. Unfortunately it takes years
for such an aging disorder to manifest itself and it would simply be
unrealistic to try and turn back the clock and regain the former
elasticity in its entirety. Such is the nature of the human body.
In extreme cases, it might be advisable to contact a dermatologist who
specializes in purpura or in geriatric skins disorders. There is some
indication that laser treatments might reduce the appearance of a
large, persistent or remarkable bruise, but even this is not proven to
be a significant treatment and it is definitely not a cure. Again, I
trust you know your own situation but I must remind you that you
should contact your doctor if you are experiencing bruises for no
apparent reason as this is sometimes symptomatic of more serious
disorders.
Below you will find that I have carefully defined my search strategy
for you in the event that you need to search for more information. By
following the same type of searches that I did you may be able to
enhance the research I have provided even further. I hope you find
that that my research exceeds your expectations. If you have any
questions about my research please post a clarification request prior
to rating the answer. Otherwise, I welcome your rating and your final
comments and I look forward to working with you again in the near
future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.
Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga
INFORMATION SOURCES
MED Q&A: BRUISES
http://athena.medicdata.com/FIT2/bruises3.htm
SKIN PROBLEMS
http://www.drlockie.com/disease/skin_el.htm
THE SUN: MAN’S FRIEND & FOE
http://library.thinkquest.org/15215/Foe/photoaging.html
UPHS HEALTHCARE: PURPURA
http://www.pennhealth.com/ency/article/003232.htm
THE MERCK MANUAL: SENILE PURPURA
http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual/section11/chapter134/134c.htm
INTELIHEALTH
(Content reviewed by the faculty of Harvard Medical School)
http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtPrint/WSIHW000/8297/24556/211184.html?d=dmtHealthAZ
CURING AND TREAMANT OF BRUISES
http://www.mybeautyproducts.com/beauty_tips/bruises.html
SEARCH STRATEGY
SEARCH ENGINE USED:
Google ://www.google.com
SEARCH TERMS USED:
BRUISING "BACKS OF HANDS"
BRUSING GERIATRICS
SOLAR PURPURA
SENILE PURPURA
PURPURA TREATMENT
CAPILLARY FRAGILITY BRUISING
Alternativiely used the word “aging” with each search term |
,
0 Comments
)