# What's causing my arms to bruse?



## manfred (Dec 21, 2005)

I'm 64 years old. When I work on the tractor or something and rub my arms on something I tend to bleed under the skin.
I'm sure everyone has seen this in older people, my uncle calls it "thin Skin".
What causes this and should I stop taking the low dose aspirin?


----------



## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

My guess would be medications are causing it. Are you on any type of blood pressure/ blood thinner meds?


----------



## manfred (Dec 21, 2005)

I take lisinipril for blood pressure. My 90 year old uncle has the same condition only worse. His skin tears easily on his arms and he bruises easily on his arms.


----------



## emilyrayne (Jun 16, 2008)

No blood thinners other then the aspirin?


----------



## manfred (Dec 21, 2005)

No blood thinners.


----------



## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I have no idea why you are taking the low-dose aspirin; but I do know aspirin can thin the blood!

I can tell you what occurred to me quite a few years ago when I was bruising easily. (I almost died before I learned!)

I was bruising for apparently no real reason. Just a light bump I would hardly notice and a bruise would show up. I then had my wizdom teeth taken out and my gums wouldn't stop bleeding for the longest! Then I got my monthly period, which took forever to stop. Then I fell off a horse, went to get an X-ray of what I was told was a broken arm and discovered the doctors there would not attend to my arm until they took care of my "blood" situation. (That is when I walked out of the hospital!)

I flew up to Mayo Clinic .... OMG so many strange occurrances around all this! .... and discovered I had "aplastic anemia" which was quite threatening! With many daily blood transfusions, the doctors discovered I had a twin sister who's blood "stem cells" were "identical" to mine, even when deformed. They gave me a bone marrow transplant and I've been fine ever since.

There is, of course, no way to know if what went on within my body is going on in yours; however, I would not wait if I were you. I invite you to go immediately and get a "complete" blood workup, especially testing for "platelets". One day later do it again. One day later do it again. (My blood tests would show up normal one day and abnormal the next; so it was difficult for the doctors to discover what was occurring. Seems my body was working overtime to compensate for what was damaging my stem cells.) 

Manfred, uncommon bruising is nothing to fool around with!


----------



## Rita (May 13, 2002)

I'm 74 and have had this problem for a few years. I think it's just aging and the skin getting more delicate. I first noticed this happening in my mother-in-law when she was in her eighties and it got worse when she was in her nineties.


----------



## emilyrayne (Jun 16, 2008)

I have the same problem as you, but I have other issues as well. I have a blood clotting issues and anemia together. They are different but they work together. They are both about your blood cells, but the anemia is about your red blood cell count being low, the blood clotting is about the platelets. Now if your blood is thin, it could be a problem if you hit yourself. The blood pools under your skin, your epidurmis is a very thin layer, and it will look black and blue to the eye as your blood is blue until it hits the air and it oxydizes and turns red.

I would speak to you Doctor about your Asprin. You should never start or stop a medication without speaking with your Doctor first.


----------



## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

You might add some Vit C too. As collagen ages and breaks down, the bruising is more common. "Thin Skin" is an apt description because that really is what happens as people age.
I personally would keep taking the small aspirin. Your risk of heart attack as you age is greater, so it does have great benefits. Ask your doctor's opinion next time you see him.


----------



## EDDIE BUCK (Jul 17, 2005)

Yep,62 and I have it to.Work on the tractor and look like I've been in a wreck.My arms always look bruised up.Just a part of aging I think.My dad,had it as well.Nothing to be alarmed about.My skin also used to be tough,now most anything will tare it and I start bleeding.Just getting old I recon.


----------



## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

Elasticity of the blood vessels reduces. Hawthorne can help. clotting is vitamin K.


----------



## livinzoo (Aug 29, 2007)

I would look into adding magnesium to your diet and or supplement with it. Perferably in the form of magnesium Malate or magnesium citrate. Magnesium improves the elasticity in blood vessel helping to prevent bruising and heart attacks. Plus it lowers blood pressure. All things that it sounds like you are concerned about.


----------

