thin skin on arms and bleeds easily

My husband has been on Coumadin for the past 9 months for atrial fibrillation. He takes 5 mg three days a week and 1/2 on the other days. He is having trouble with easily bleeding and very thin skin on his arms. They look horrible, bruises and cuts from the elbows down. Just bump against something or play with his puppy and there is another bleeding cut. His doctors told him this is normal and there is no other treatment for his condition. Doug goes to the Vetrans hospital and that is the only choice medically for us. Just can't afford anything else. Anyone else have this problem?

Hello Barbara,

My first question would be, what is his INR? How often does his doctor want it checked? What other medications does your husband take?

Hopefully Laurie will be able to give you additional suggestions, she is our resident "internet nurse" and we appreciate her comments....

Good luck to you and your husband!

Hi Angela,
He gets his INR checked every 3 weeks. His doctors want the level to be between 2.5 and 3. His last reading was 2.7 which was acceptable. Douglas is 65 and takes the following meds: OMEPRAZOLE 20mg 1 tab daily for stomach
SIMVASTATIN 80mg 1/2 tab daily
METFORMIN HCL 850mg 1 tab morning and evening
TRAMADOL HCL 50mg 1 tab morning and evening
AMITRIPTYLINE HCL 25mg 1 tab at bedtime
METOPROLOL TARTRATE 50mg 1 and 1/2 tab twice daily
LISINOPRIL 40mg 1/2 tab daily
AMIODARONE HCL (PACERONE) 200mg 1 tab daily
He also takes an over the counter men's 50+ formula vitamin 1 daily.
If you or Laurie can give us any advice we would truly appreciate it. Douglas is a city bus operator and he worries what his passengers might think if they saw his arms.He wears long sleeve uniforms now but summer in Kentucky is right around the corner.

Thanks,
Barbara1953

Barbara,

Unfortunately the doctors are telling him the truth. The older we get the thinner are skin can become, almost thinner than paper. I honestly cant tell you how many older men and women I cared for in the hospital that had very thin skin and trying to tape anything to them was a nightmare as the skin would tear when trying to get the tape off - it was horrible. Maybe if he tried wearing long sleeves around the puppy and trying not to let it jump on him would give the cuts some time to heal up -- also the summer sun is a great healer, hopefully that will help also. The medications he takes arent causing this, it is just that he is getting older and this happens. One more thing, tell your husband to smile and say hi to everyone that gets on his bus and I promise you, no one will ever notice his arms :)

My mother has used Coumadin for 18 years and she develops what look like blood blisters and, with the very thin skin covering them, they often rupture causing significant bleeding. We found a product called Quikclot to deal with those bleeds. Quikclot is a gauze pad that is impregnated with a substance that causes clotting, even with blood thinners. When she had bleeding, she takes a Quikclot pad and presses it to the wound and applies pressure for a few minutes. It stops the bleeding! Previous to finding Quikclot, she might have had to call 911 for help.
Quikclot is available on line at Quikclot.com .

Thank you for your response. Laurie, I gave him similar advise on how to deal with his passengers. Just smile and act like everything is normal. The horrible places on his arms and hands could even be a plus on his job...........might deter the crazies. lol

Barbara - thats even better --- now a days, Im sure his arms are not the scariest things he sees -- I know that walking down the street now a days can scare me -- you know those big jeans hanging down to their knees - the spiked and dyed hair--every possible place on their bodies pierced and chains hanging from everywhere. No your husbands arms are not scary :) Remind him of that.

my arms look horrable is there any thng ica take

Barbara wrote:

My husband has been on Coumadin for the past 9 months for atrial fibrillation. He takes 5 mg three days a week and 1/2 on the other days. He is having trouble with easily bleeding and very thin skin on his arms. They look horrible, bruises and cuts from the elbows down. Just bump against something or play with his puppy and there is another bleeding cut. His doctors told him this is normal and there is no other treatment for his condition. Doug goes to the Vetrans hospital and that is the only choice medically for us. Just can't afford anything else. Anyone else have this problem?

I am terribly concern for my husband who is only 56yrs. old. He has had this problem since he was in his early 40's. He is a truck driver and I can understand he should wear a long sleeve shirt but he's had this problem way to young. Does this happen to young people? Thank you, Cecelia

I am not on any blood thinners. I take thyroid, and meds for essential tremors, thats all. This thin skin on forarms, and easily bleed with slightest bump has only been for the last 4 or 5 months. Heals quickly, and clots quickly, but skins or cuts easily and bleeds. Any ideas, Thanks

I sure can identify with you folks. Because we use our hands & arms more for our daily activities they get the brunt of the cuts, tears, bruises. I slightly touch or scrape a door jam and I've got a bruise which eventually pops open and bleeds and then begins to dry. I'm not on coumidin but several other meds for coronary artery/heart disease and COPD. Doctors advise it's old age when the skin becomes thin and tears easily. I had on a bandage and when removing the skin on both side with tape peeled the skin like paper. I also look like I've been in a battle zone. Suggestion for you which I've been trying...take a "white sock", cut the toe end off and pull on up over the arm for protection. I also do it when I've got oodles of bruises and sores and bleeding cuts. Use gause pads for coverage and then feed sock over....not pretty but it helps. The senior years have given me great joy...lol. Age 65, open heart surgery and you name it, I've had it. Good luck and happy bandaging. Bob

Both of my arms bleed or have blood pools below the skin easily. Whenever I work in the flower beds and become hot, my arms look like I have been "beaten up". If lightly scratched it becomes an open wound. I read that the sun is a great healer, but I cannot get hot. Is there anything I can do?

i have thin skin that bleeds i didn't know that the sun can heal as i was told to stay out of the sun i live in florida and have been protecting my arms. does anyone have any other information regarding healing by the sun

Laurie wrote:

Barbara,
Unfortunately the doctors are telling him the truth. The older we get the thinner are skin can become, almost thinner than paper. I honestly cant tell you how many older men and women I cared for in the hospital that had very thin skin and trying to tape anything to them was a nightmare as the skin would tear when trying to get the tape off - it was horrible. Maybe if he tried wearing long sleeves around the puppy and trying not to let it jump on him would give the cuts some time to heal up -- also the summer sun is a great healer, hopefully that will help also. The medications he takes arent causing this, it is just that he is getting older and this happens. One more thing, tell your husband to smile and say hi to everyone that gets on his bus and I promise you, no one will ever notice his arms :)

Laurie
I'm 65 with the same "thin skin" issue; however, I also have developed Beau's Lines on the finger nails of my left hand. Are these issues somehow connected?

Can anyone tell me if long time use of pain killers can cause paper skin, bcuz some of this thread looks like that and my mom is having issues. She's not even 60 and she's experiencing paper skin on her arms and it's starting to get her down. She has chronic pain caused by degenerative arthritis and has had both knees replaced, two neck surgeries and two lower back surgeries. Could this be a reaction from trauma from the surgeries? I can't find any studies about this. She recently had her arms cleared and now it's back with a vengeance. Sometimes without getting cut she gets big splotchy/blood under the skin in the areas of thinner skin. she is kinda anemic and will sometimes bruise easily- is this the same thing, but w/paper skin? I'm looking for any answers so I can help her.

I also have very thin skin on my arms with tearing and bleeding at the slightest bump. I found some fingerless gloves that were long enough to go past my elbow. Now when I bump my arms, the fabric takes the brunt of the bump and have very little bruising. I found these gloves on EBay under Men's or Women's accessories. I also bought some fingerless gloves that look elegant under my blouses when i go out or to church. Hope this helps someone.

I have the same problem of thin skin that tears easily. It's too hot to wear stuff on my arms. I think some medication is causing this problem and that some type of vitamin could toughen the skin of my arms but don't know which in either case. I wish someone would seriously research this problem.

I have had thin skin on my arms since I was 50.When I asked my Doc about it then he said it was my age! I thought a bit much as I don't consider 50 old. I wondered if it could be blamed on taking the pill or HRT? I have never taken other medication on a long term basis.I just try and protect my arms and get angry with my own carelessness when I rip them open on a rose bush or something. I guess I could have a lot worse wrong and it hasn't got any worse as I am now 65...

Is there a vitamin regimen that could/can help the skin on the arms bleeding easily problem? Seventy years old, and my doctor doesn't even want to discuss it. Just tells me I am getting old and live with it. I was very aware that I am getting old,btw.

I have had thin skin since o was 47 years old and have never been on any medicines. I believe it is the deplition of a vitamin or mineral in the system, but the doctors only want to tell you how old you are getting. B. S. They need to get off their kesters and work on it, give people some hope and not tell them that they are going to be like that until they die. Almost every one in my family have it so it heriditary, thatis why I believe at least some of it can be fixed.