Paper Thin Skin Tears Easily
It is not unusual for a patient to see me with 3 or 4 bandages on his or her arms from insignificant bumps that lead to large tears of their skin. Thinning of the skin is a serious problem for some elderly patients. But what can you do about it?
As we age, the thick collagen layer of the skin (the layer that leather is made from) atrophies or thins out. This is due to normal aging processes where breakdown of collagen and elastin (the proteins that makes skin spring back when stretched) is not balanced with production of new collagen and elastin.
This loss of collagen is accelerated by ultraviolet light damage. Ultraviolet light, which is a form of radiation from the sun, leads to a gradual but relentless destruction of the collagen and elastin in the skin. Thin, tissue paper-like skin occurs mostly on the arms and hands — two areas that have very high levels of exposure to ultraviolet light over a lifetime. Here in the US, the left arm is usually worse than the right; this is from a lifetime of exposure from the driver’s side window when driving.
The only thing that can be done for thin skin is to minimize damage before it is too late. This is especially important on the forearms and hands. The best way to do this is to wear long sleeves. Long sleeve shirts provide excellent protection from ultraviolet light damage (even plain cotton is an excellent sun barrier, probably better than any sunscreen). When long sleeves are not practical, then applying a broad spectrum sunscreen (that blocks both UVA as well as UVB light) is a good alternative. Sunscreens need to be reapplied every 4 hours to give good protection.
Once thinning of the skin has developed, there is little that can be done to reverse it. Again, wearing long sleeves is helpful because the clothing protects the skin from tears from minor bumps or scrapes.
Dry skin is also more susceptible to damage. Applying a thick moisturizing cream twice a day can help keep your skin protected. Minimizing washing with soap can also help preserve the natural oils on your skin, protecting it from further damage.
Eating a diet high in lean protein and getting adequate calories can also be helpful in maintaining your skin’s strength and in helping it repair quickly when a tear develops.
Lastly, avoid using topical steroids for longer than necessary — topical steroids hasten thinning of the skin and can make the problem worse. Fortunately, thinning of the skin from steroids is reversible and will improve after the steroids are stopped.
Another excellent article. elan medical skin clinic
great article.. My sister has a thin skin and i think this article will be very helpful.. Thanks a lot again…
-kenneth
Great blog. I just turned 80, am in good health, run, swim and work out reglarly. Now using Neutragena SPF 40 or higher and for midday ocean swimming, Shishiedo waterproof sunscreen. (Which is almost impossible to remove after swimming.) Blue eyes, silver (formerly black or dark brown)hair and pale skin. Like several others who have posted questions on this blog, my skin is paper thin and will bruise or tear and bleed after even minor bumps. Thanks, Aloha and, again, this is a great blog.
Is there any way by diet or by rubbing oil or other substances on the skin to restore its leather-like qualities? I remember, way back when I worked for a while digging ditches and got blisters on my palms, the boss told me to pee on them. It seemed to toughen them up. I’d like to do something now to “toughen up” my skin generally, especially the arms, legs and the backs of my hands. I’d appreciate any suggestions you might offer.
Great blog. I just turned 80, am in good health, run, swim and work out reglarly. Now using Neutrogena SPF 70 and for midday ocean swimming, Shiseido waterproof sunscreen SPF 55. (Which is almost impossible to remove after swimming.) Blue eyes, silver (formerly black or dark brown)hair and pale skin. Like several others who have posted questions on this blog, my skin is paper thin and will bruise or tear and bleed after even minor bumps. Thanks, Aloha and, again, this is a great blog.
Is there any way by diet or by rubbing oil or other substances on the skin to restore its leather-like qualities? I remember, way back when I worked for a while digging ditches and got blisters on my palms, the boss told me to pee on them. It seemed to toughen them up. I’d like to do something now to “toughen up” my skin generally, especially the arms, legs and the backs of my hands. I’d appreciate any suggestions you might offer.
I’ve been searching the web and going around to skin doctors and others concerning the skin on my hands, arms, legs which get blood marks & nicks from any pressure and also my skin rips off and I have scars. I also get red marks on my face and neck maybe where my granddaughter pressed. I just turned 60 – am very active and healthy except for knees and this. I have been taking B complex, C & K for collegen buildup and have been on a vegan diet for 1-1/2 yrs & vegetarian for 25 yrs. I lost about 30 lbs unintentionally on the vegan diet. I had some high porphyrins reading on 7CP and CP I & II. The article mentions 3 or 4 bandaids – I cant put bandaids because the adhesive pulls on my skin and causes a red buising. Any suggestions
I’m using tretinoin 0.025% cream on the backs of my hands every night, as well as using waterproof sunscreen each morning. My derm says in about 6 months I’ll see thicker skin on the backs of my hands.
Obviously this isn’t practical to use in multiple areas but the hands take the most abuse and I want to thicken that skin.
I am only 50 and I have had this skin condition for a couple of years. Was treated daily with steroids for a year,when I was 9 yrs old in Europe. I assume that there is nothing now that I can do for my skin…
Ok what about people that is not yet out of teen age and want to make thier skin s tough every where and theres is not much if any thing that can possibly damage it thats what i would like to have nothing impossible thats the way i belive so if any one knows what to eat and what i have to put my self trough please tell me im good with dieting been doing it for almost 2yrs now and i barley if ever get off maby 4 times a month so please i now thers a way just got to try thanks
Hi,
I recently suffered from some liver problems(all better now), but I was taking Lasix and Aldactone for swelling from the liver. Now my skin is paper thin and tears as soon as a slight injury occurs. I have also lost most of my hair. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
@Maureen Schweiker Hi,
I just wanted to let you know how I bandage myself when injury occurs. I am only 50, but due to steriods, I have this issue. When I have a tear. I use antibiotic ointment, or u can use vaseline (md i know says it is ok) over the wounded area, then use a guaze pad, then get some stuff called Coban. It is a self-sticking thin flesh colored type gauze that you can wrap around an arm or leg. It will not stick to your skin and will not cause injury. I use it all the time and it works great.
skin
I got pigmentation on my face
@kim sause
Kim, I want to thank you for your input regarding how you deal with your thin skin. I am only 57 and have been going through these discouraging occurrences often. I can bump the back of my hand on something, forget about it, then later find I have a blood spot at the surface of my
hand(s), which generally take at least a week to disappear. There was one day that I just burst out crying to my husband saying, I’m getting “old people” spots and tears! I guess we young people are not exempt to these incidents. There is no way I can monitor my hand movements every second of the day, so I just have to deal with it. I just had a major tear on top of my hand, and a gentleman said that if I put some neosporin on it and a band aid, for a couple of days, it would heal more quickly. I took his advice and am hoping/praying this will mend quickly. Thanks, again, Debbie 8/20/09
I have the very same problem…there is a product on the market (CVS) that is called Bruise Relief…not sure it works , but will give it a try. I bruise so easily and it takes 3 weeks to go away..
Can excessive use of Excedrin have anything to do with it?
September 21st, 2009 at 16.49
For a few years now I have had thin skin which might be due to using an inhaler for asthma and having to take methotrexate tablets for rheumatoid arthritis. I think somebody said a while ago that it could be due to these tablets. It is very annoying. I am 67 (just) and any slight knock on the back of my hands or forearms especially will result in a red bruise which takes about a week or more to fade. My skin on the front of my legs damages very easily and will bleed quite badly if I knock them.
I wish there was something that would help toughen my skin as it can be quite a problem and makes me quite nervous and I try to be careful most of the time.
I’m only 22 and my skin is so thin…I’ll probably be 35 and have skin ripping all over the place
Kill me now
I’m having a problem with bandaids tearing my skin. I’m having numerous questionable moles removed, primarily from my back. I put a bandaid over the stitches, but when I change bandaids, the adhesive pulls my skin and I’m ending up with worse scars from the bandaids than from the stitches! I’ve tried Curad’s sensitive skin bandaids, and they’re a little better, but still tear my skin after a few days. The Coban might work on my arms, but most of these moles have been on my back. Any help will be appreciated!!