You’ve probably noticed that, as you age, your skin has suffered in a number of ways. One of the most obvious is more frequent bruising that takes longer to heal than when you were younger. It’s a painful, unattractive and sometimes embarrassing fact, but it’s something that most older adults have to deal with – often by covering bruises up.
As a natural process of aging, your skin begins to thin. The supple, protective layer of fat under your skin starts to deplete. This layer helps act as a cushion when you’re younger, keeping blood vessels from breaking when you get bumped. When aging skin has less of this cushion, bruising happens more easily and frequently, even if you don’t remember any impact in the first place.
Another fact of aging is the common need to take more medications. Many types of medication, both oral and topical, can turn bruising into a bigger problem. Many common prescription and over-the-counter drugs have a blood-thinning or anticoagulant effect. Even common supplements like fish oil can have a similar impact.[1] Bleeding under the skin from broken capillaries may take longer to stop, making bruises bigger and darker than they would have been otherwise.
Medications that contain corticosteroids can cause the skin to thin with frequent use, whether taken orally or topically, making it easier for bruising to occur. Sun damage can have a similar effect, with UVA rays causing a breakdown in elastin and collagen, leading to more easily damaged and bruised skin.[2]
Fortify Against Damaged, Bruised Skin
Skin changes that result in easy bruising may seem like something you’ll just have to cope with, but there are products made to address bruising as you age. Paying special attention to your sun care regimen and the side effects of your medications is important, but it’s not the only safeguard to take.
DerMend® Moisturizing Bruise Formula is a dermatologist-recommended cream that can improve the look of bruises you already have, plus it helps rejuvenate and restore the skin’s natural barrier. DerMend features ingredients proven to be beneficial to your skin, like retinol, alpha hydroxy acid, ceramides and arnica montana extract.
If your skin already has bruising, the ingredients in the targeted formula can help rejuvenate your skin and improve the appearance of bruises faster. When DerMend is used twice a day as a moisturizing cream, important ingredients like ceramides fortify the skin’s lipid barrier. Regular use can help combat the depletion of the protective layer that comes with aging. It’s especially important to focus on your arms and legs when applying DerMend for its protective benefits, where bruising is most likely to occur.
Aging is a fact of life, but we can help slow some of the consequences of it. If you want to improve the appearance of bruises you have, DerMend can help. Find it at in the first aid aisle, as well as Walmart, CVS/pharmacy and Walgreens.