Oh yeah. It’s common. Except it takes more than a week. Long sleeves help during healing, but it usually happens again pretty quick. Maybe keeping skin well moisturized helps.

When my DH was in the nursing home, he and many other residents had their forearms covered with a soft moleskin-like fabric. I asked why, and the staff told me about fragile skin. I didn't realize it was a problem for those vigorous enough to garden and take care of animals.

Maybe the moleskin sleeves are available to buy. Or you could make them. An added benefit is no tick bites on that part of your skin. :-)

Dry skin with lines like elephant skin and easy bruising happen to all of us I think as we age. I must have bumped my arm on something because I now have a round red bruise. Vitamin E cream is my buddy.

Okay, I am officially worried about you. Have you had a complete physical lately? I agree with Alisande. This doesn't seem the norm for someone who is active.

It happens every time I am out in the garden. I no longer pay any attention to it :-) Skin thins as we age....it is completely normal.

Being vigorous has little to do with aging skin. Time takes it's toll on skin and the rest of our bodies whether you are active or not. Aging skin is thinner and dryer. People who take certain drugs especially blood thinners are more apt to bruise. I am around horses and I have mystery bruises, cuts and splits all the time in some of the strangest places and I am healthy and don't take any medications. Sometimes I will look at myself in the shower and it looks like I am battered. I tell DH it would be a bad time to end up in the ER some weeks and have to explain those injuries to keep him out of jail. LOL I recently spent one week with two large fist sized bruises on the right side of my my mid section. Figure I got smacked with a stirrup or other tack and didn't notice at the time.

We always bemoan, Getting old is not for the faint of heart......it just ain't EASY! Never purchased so many bandaids as I have now we're old! Or cared so much about which ones stay on in water, which ones are cloth, plastic......

I'm not a fan of thinning skin either....but everyone gets it. BTW, fish oils and olive oil are mild blood thinners, can contribute to bruising more easily. If you've increased your intake of these substances and are taking any cardio drugs be sure you doctor knows about it.

I try to remember when I bang my arms so that when I get a bruise I'll remember where it came from. Of course, when one shows up, I don't remember.

My arms bruise and I hate my ugly, ugly arm skin.

OMG Alisande, I live in Central Fl, its already getting up to 90 degrees, moleskin or any other kind of covering for the arms is out of the question! I'd rather look like a domestic battered case than to die of heat stroke, thank you! When DH takes the DR out in the woods and brush, he wears heavy denim long sleeves, even in the Summer, still gets battered, bloody and bruised. He does have some leather arm chaps but that's just too brutal. He can only pull that off in the Winter. I asked the Dr.'s about it and they politely told me without actually saying "it's because you're old" that it was normal, nothing to worry about. Well I still don't like it.

When I look at my arms, I see my mother.

Nicole, I agree about the bandaids. I have a wide selection too. Sometimes you need waterproof, sometimes tiny, sometimes big, etc.

Glad to read this is normal. I am 57 and prone to itchy rashes from various substances. I've noticed that if I scratch too hard, I get ugly purple bruise spots under the skin that take days to go away. I've had a recent physical/blood tests and all is okay, so it must just be aging, thinning skin. Husband is in his mid-60's and bleeds a lot easier than he used to, mostly on his arms and legs after yard work. He is also healthy. Might have to invest in arnica cream for me, and calendula for him. :)

I have saggy wrinkly arms, and we won’t even mention CHIN hairs, haha

My biggest gripe is skin tags. They are tiny but everywhere - just feels gross.

I get it Rita and others. I never bruised easily in my life. Until I got old. Now I get small, ugly bruises on the back of my hand quite easily. They really are reddish not black and blue and I know it’s usually because I’ve been working in the yard or garden and scraped or hit something. Sometimes in the house I’ve just hit the cabinet or something else just right and there it is. Thinning skin is the problem and there doesn’t seem to be anything that helps. And yes I wear garden gloves but I do heavy duty work many times.

Crazybrunette, I have had a couple of small skin tags that bugged me. My DD who is a Nurse Practitioner cut them off with surgical scissors. Heck I could have done it myself if I could reach them properly. They hardly bled or hurt.

Yep all of the above! Wrinkling aging skin, chin hairs, and skin tags. However continual use of the 91% alcohol on the skin tag areas is keeping them under control. I still have a few tough ones but they are much smaller.

The gifts of old age!

Yeah, I was going to say, I am very healthy, also on no medicine, but I am outside several hours most days, and that doesn't help I am sure. My friend's mother is 82, and I marvel at her arms and legs and feet! Looks like a teenager, but she is Brazilian and has had maids, and gardeners, and had nannies for her kids. Never goes outside...never has done any hard work, and takes excellent care of herself. She is perfectly preserved...but her health is failing anyway.

My problem is basal cell carcinoma. I've only had a small amount removed from my chest, but it left a scar about six inches long. I have to see my dermatologist every six months to check for more. This shows much more more in people over 60. I've protected myself from the sun most of my life (especially as a child and teenager, which helped), but since I grew up in Texas, it was difficult to avoid the sun altogether. If you grew up further north or in a place with less sun, you are less at risk.

This happens to my husband. He is very active but always has bruises and/or a bloody place on his arms. I dont want him wearing short sleeve shirts when he goes out. He starting to feel that way too.

Marilyn, my mother was the same. She still had beautiful skin when she died at 91. She never gardened or spent an excessive amount of time outdoors. And she took care of her skin all of her life. Unfortunately, I haven't done the same.

Wow, I was thinking I'd chime in with "my new passport photos show that the Gold Bond Neck Cream isn't working". But yes, my father has had long-lasting bruising and easy skin tears for years, and he's now 92. I got him a pair of wrist warmers that go over your thumbs to help with the bumping, but he never wore them. Now he's in the nursing floor and they have him in the "sleeves" and with moleskin, keeping his skin safer. The bruising on his hands, though, seems to be permanent, more like a stain under the skin.

Ah, welcome to old age! I always carry a supply of bandaids with me and a packet of tissues, as a boo boo on my legs looks like I"m about to hemorrhage to death. This can be caused by a light bump against the shopping cart. I still have the scar from where my dog (sitting on my lap) used my outstretched leg as a launch pad and tore an L-shaped wound that required suturing.

What I have learned from all these over the past few years is that an Ambulatory Clinic is a good thing to have nearby. I always go to one with my various boo boo's and have them properly cleaned and dressed. My skin is now so fragile that a bandaid is not a good idea for more than an hour or so - I must use a non-stick dressing and then a wrap to hold it in place. I also have learned about the value of a PRESCRIPTION antibiotic ointment for the wound.

Medicare has always paid for all this for me. I know a few older/elderly people who have actually died due to a small cut or abrasion. I take them seriously. One required oral antibiotics as well due to infection, even with proper treatment.

DH had skin tags. He had to take a round of antibiotics for something else at one point and the skin tags all fell off and were never seen again. The doctor seemed surprised. I have never heard of antibiotics impacting skin tags. DH is prone to warts as well so perhaps there is a connection to that.

After I turned 80, I began to have 'thin skin' problems on the backs of my hands, especially in winter when my house air becomes very dry. I have tried three skin cremes: Jergens ultra Healing, Neutrogena hydro boost, and O'Keeffe's Working Hands. Each of the 3 did help. The Jergens and Neutrogena were similar with maybe Neutrogena slightly better. Working Hands was a little better than the other two, however it is more messy with a greasy layer lasting longer than the others, and during this period, it can be transferred to clothing and other articles. I found that any of these 3 products may help.

This is from the Mayo Clinic. I try to follow their recommendations but I wasn't aware of the last one - treating skin with vitamin A. I also think I'll try one of the creams they suggest.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/healthy-aging/expert-answers/thin-skin/faq-20057753

To protect thin skin and prevent tears and cuts:

• Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants and wide-brimmed hats. Consider
  wearing two layers to protect your forearms when doing yardwork or
  gardening, common areas for minor injury to the skin. You might also try
  wearing tubular or rolled gauze bandages.
• Avoid prolonged sun exposure.
• If you must be outside in the sun, use a broad-spectrum sunscreen
  with an SPF of at least 15. Apply sunscreen generously, and reapply
  every two hours — or more often if you're swimming or perspiring.
• Keep skin well-moisturized and protected by using a good moisturizing cream, such as Vanicream, CeraVe or Cetaphil.
• Talk to your doctor about treating skin with vitamin A (retinol), which might improve your skin's ability to tolerate injuries.

Jem, as a long-time user of Working Hands I can tell you it's just as effective if you use only a small amount. Apply it when your hands are damp, use less than you've been using, and it'll soak right in. No residue.

Maire, after reading your list I'm thinking I haven't had the problem (yet) because I'm so covered up outdoors in an effort to avoid ticks. When I mow the lawn or do something in the garden I wear long sleeves and long pants, no matter how hot the weather. Not pleasant, but it beats getting sick.

I don’t have any input regarding the thinning of your skin, but unless you take medications that can cause blood thinning, the excessive bruising and bleeding you mentioned is what I find to be concerning. It may be something worth asking your physician about.

I have had the bruising problem all my life and it seems to be worse when I eat a diet with lots of green veggies. Doctors have found no health problem but I think it is because they think I have hit something and not remembered it. Only time they believed was the one time the doctor helped me down from the table and left fingerprints in my arm. Since cerebral hemorrhages seem to be the way most in my father's family die I believe it must be partially genetic.

For bleeding when my husband was on coumadin I carried a product called Bleedstop but there are similar products. It is a dark powder that you sprinkle on the cut and it will help the blood clot quicker. Recently I have only been able to find a pack of three large packages rather than the small plastic box with 3-5 small packages in it. Until your wound heals it can appear as a dark stain on your skin but for me it stops the blood with no need for additional bandaids although if it is in a place like my arm or back of the hand that would rub on the bedding I do place a bandaid over it when going to bed. I have started using it for the normal gardening tears than you get every season.