Thin Skin, Blood Thinners and Arm Protection.

By: Arm Protectors For Thin Skin on 07:27

Share it Please

Tweet

It is very important to make sure that you don't get injured or hurt when you're taking medication like blood thinners. When your blood is thin you have a much harder time healing if you cut or bruise yourself. A blood thinner is a kind of drug called a anticoagulant. Blood thinners work well when they're used correctly but your blood clots very slowly so if you get a cut it can continue to bleed for a long period of time.

When people get older their skin becomes more fragile and they lose the layer of fat that lies underneath the skin this layer is what protect them from bumps ,bruises and cuts when they were younger. If you're on a blood thinner like aspirin Coumadin or Plavix, which are commonly used to prevent strokes and heart attacks in older patients you are at a even higher risk of easy bruising as well as getting infections from cuts. Other medicines that can cause thinning of the skin is prednisone and cortisone steroids. A  lifetime of too much exposure to the sun can cause thin skin in the elderly as well. Once your skin becomes thin it becomes much easier to tear or bruise and if you have medical conditions like diabetes or psoriasis these tears can take much longer to heal and put you at a much higher risk serious infections. There are many different things that you can do to stay safe and protect your arms when you are on blood thinners or have thin skin.

 

·         Use thin skin arm protectors / bruisestoppers to prevent bruising and cuts.

·         Install rubber mats and safety rails in your bathtub to help prevent falling.

·         Be aware of your surroundings!  Pay attention to those everyday things that have sharp edges.

·         Avoid activities and sports that could cause injury such as bicycling. Swimming and walking are considered safe exercise activities

·         Be careful when you use knives, scissors, or any sharp tool that can make you bleed.

·         Wear shoes or nonskid slippers in the house to avoid falls

 

You can still do almost all the things you enjoy if you are taking blood thinners or have thin skin. You just need to take a few extra steps to make sure you stay safe, bruise and cut free. If you do get it cut or a skin tear there are many over-the-counter products that are available to help seal the cut or skin tear and help prevent infection . Seal-on is one of these products and is available as a spray,  powder or sterile pad. Bruise protection can be worn over these type of cut sealing products after they have dried.