As you age, your body produces less and less collagen,which in turn makes skin thinner and thinner.

I have seen collagen supplements in stores but have not seen any true evidence that they do anything.

The only thing I have heard from an actual dermatologist is retinol or vitamin A. And I dont know if it can reverse it, prevent it, or if it just slows the process down. I should havepaid more attention......

I am a living example of terribly thin skin not helped by decades of sunbathing. Even the slightest bump leaves a mark or bruise on my lower legs under the knees. On May 4, I ripped my leg on a jagged branch on the Appalachian trail and had to walk a mile back to the car with my shoe filling up with blood. Patient First couldn't do anything so I had to go to the ER where they put steri strips on it, bandaged it, and gave me a tetanus shot and 30 antibiotic pills. Eventually, I had to go to the wound center to be taken care of and it has healed but left an ugly triangular mark. It was a very ugly wound. Just glad the months of a bandaged leg with a compression stocking are over.

I have thinning skin as well. I thought it had to do with hormones. My skin has always been 'delicate' and see-through, but became even more fragile once perimenopause started.

I always check myself for damage now whenever I bump against anything.

I wonder if it is more in the 70 and up age group? My husband has the same issue.

But, not quite as bad as you describe.

Make sure the dog’s nails are trimmed and buffed before babysitting.

It is hard to be quick and tell the dog no jumping, we try to do that as sonetimes our jumps when happy.

Our father had this problem, and we children seem to be following suit before 70. Dad could bump his arm or leg against anything and the skin would tear, and he always had bruises or bleeding. But, he liked to lay out in the sun; I wonder how much that had to do with it?

Arm bruising is so annoying because it looks bad and takes so long to go away. I’ve never had it bad enough to need medical care. Sorry that happened to you, Jane. Dogs’ claws can be very rough.

I‘m happy with a product my dermatologist recommended: Dermend Moisturizing Arnica Bruise Cream. About $26, a bit more than I like to pay for lotion but it does keep my arm skin looking good. (I don't slather it on so a tube lasts longer, just apply lightly.). Not sure it actually speeds up bruise healing, but the arms look better.

When gardening or certain other chores, wear gauntlet gloves. Don’t think, ”I’ll be cafeful.”

My Dad had it, I have it. Hope my daughter doesn't get it. It's like you lose the surface "fat"

or "filling?" When the "brown spots" come...I am running away. LOL Yeah...getting old sure does suck!

The only cure for getting old is to die young. I’ll take getting old any day.

https://www.cedars-sinai.org/blog/collagen-supplements.html

With five animals running around my house, I have to guard myself all the time. Lucky two of the cats are declawed( not my doing, they were found that way) but the 25-pound dogs do the most damage by running into me and jumping around when I'm feeding them. The dachshund caused a bleed last week when the tag on his neck got my other leg. Getting old is not for sissies but I have a pic of my mother's 80th b-day party and her legs looked great. I must take after the other side.

So here's some info on aging skin and thinning - looks like sun exposure is a major culprit, but aging itself is as well...

https://www.webmd.com/beauty/cosmetic-procedures-aging-skin#1

It is a combination of hormones, aging cells that dont replicate as quickly as they used to, systems breaking down, loss of fat under the skin and of course collagen which is structural. It isn't just the skin that gets thinner.

Combination of genetics, some people have less collagen and use of steroids also damages collagen.

My dad has the same problem. He worked outside his whole life and has terrible sun damage on his forearm. Any bump causes dark marks, and his skin tears so easily. One time he had a huge bandaid on his arm and when he pulled it off, it pulled off the skin, too. It was a tiny bit stomach turning to watch that happen! I also have sun damage on my arms but have been wearing long sleeves or sun block the last few years to help delay that kind of tissue paper thin skin from happening. I got some really cheap retin-A from a friend who traveled to another country earlier this year, where it can be purchased over the counter, in the hopes of repairing my skin a bit, but it'll probably be years before I know if it works.

Why? Less collagen production. Contributing factors: genetics, sun exposure, alcohol use, medications, esp. topical/oral steroids.

It begins in 20's.

Sadly, not just our skin thins as we age, but also our hair. My hair has thinned our a lot on the top/front of my head & what hair I have is wispy fine. I've let it grow since Covid & I look like a witch in the mornings,,,, or Albert Einstein. I have very little body hair, hardly even noticable.

I saw a pic of myself at my mother's 80th birthday party. It was a humid hot day and I looked like Rosanna Danna(SNL character). My hair stood out six inches from my face. Not any more. It's much thinner today than the thick hair of my youth.

Thanks, everyone. I guess I'm not the only one dealing with this skin thing. Spoke to my daughter today, she's 46 and told her what happened to my arm and how thin my skin has gotten. She said she notices her skin bruises and cuts easier and just seems thinner.

The dog I watch weighs about 65lbs and loves coming to stay with me. I love her dearly. But her care is not the greatest. I always had large dogs and always trained them not to jump. We had three Rottweilers all close to 100lbs or over. I made sure they would never jump on me or anyone else. That training starts in puppy-hood. Unfortunately, this dog has had little training. But I adore her and will not say anything to her owner for fear he'd take it out on her. However, her nails are horrible. For some reason they are very sharp and broken causing very sharp, wooden like nails. She just got me without warning.

Two weeks ago I was pruning some rose bushes in front of the house when my cell phone (in my back pocket) rang. I turned to answer it and got nailed by a bush. Nasty, bleeding.

That is just healing, and now this!. I thought maybe there was some sort of supplement I could take, but I guess its age.

Mdln, thank you for that interesting graph. I guess its natural. I had been worried about bruising which happens frequently. I seem to bump my arms into the car doors, cabinets, etc. I now grab an ice pack and put pressure on it to stop the bruising. Obviously, can't have ice packs everywhere you go.

Bee, I agree! My hair is so thin especially on the left side where I had Shingles. I can see my scalp and am really thinking of a wig. Its so hot here in Florida, the thought of wearing a wig seems impossible.

Thanks again, everyone!

Jane

I hope you heal up fast. I have really thin skin on the back of my hands. I used to have tiny, pretty hands, not any more. Now you can see the tendons and veins in them. I'm also losing an enormous amount of hair and it's really noticeable in the front. I'll be 60 next September.

Maybe, wear long sleeves to provide some protection when dog-sitting? (I wear long sleeves when volunteering at cat shelter).

Also, if hair loss is really bothering you, have you tried OTC Rogaine? Unfortunately, need to use it regularly and keep using it to get & keep desired hair growth. (Patient told me, mens version is same product but cheaper.)

Enjoy living!

Kaths, same with me. I'm thin and my hands look like I'm 100 yrs old. But I would sat that started 15 yrs ago when I noticed it. Just got worse, looks like skeleton hands!

Mdln, I tried Rogaine two years ago. It really worked, (I think), but when I got Shingles, my scalp was so sore. I stopped and tons of hair started falling out. The problem with Rogaine is that you have to use it every day. It makes your hair look dirty so you have to wash it every day. I still have such nerve pain on the left side of my scalp I'm afraid to start it again.

I'm not handling 'old age' very well. I'm 72 and physically in good health, no joint pain (so far) but just look so old. Depressing.

Jane

Another cause of thinning skin is climate. I live in the deep south with a sunny, warm, humid climate. Then I moved away to a less sunny, colder, dryer climate and noticed how much older the people here looked. When I first moved, I looked at least ten years younger than those here that have lived here the majority of their lives.