All the colors of (unhealthy) skin
Older skin is different from baby skin, not just in texture but also in color. Or, let’s say, colors, like in plural?
Older skin looks almost like a map, with different spots reminding you of all the ays we mistreated our skin as we grew up.
That burn while we were boiling water in the kettle? The time we stayed way too long in the sun after the sea had rinsed away the sunscreen.
How about broken capillaries? They produce bruising that changes color with time and may take months to disappear.
You may also get those pin-size red spots. Many illnesses require the use of anticoagulants: heart arrhythmia, cancer, and any condition that may increase the chances of strokes and heart attacks. That’s many people, especially as we get older. Sometimes, just a baby aspirin a day may increase the appearance of those tiny (and not so tiny) red spots. The main change to adopt when you start on anticoagulants is to be more careful when exercising or doing activities. A fall that, without anticoagulants, may lead to mild bruising could take you to an ER and haemarthrosis with damage to nerves if you are on anticoagulants. A fall can be deadly.
Many of these skin discolorations can be treated with laser, but what’s the point if they keep reappearing in other places? This is why it’s best to prevent them if at all possible. One way is to keep Rosehip Seed Oil on hand and apply it to your skin as soon as you feel an impact, before the bruise appears. Somehow, the oil helps prevents the leaking of blood from the damaged vessel.
Can you help your blood vessels by applying actives topically? Yes! Some plant extracts contain chemicals known to strengthen blood vessels. Use those (as many of them as possible) for best results, because different chemicals work in different ways. Find out more about these plant extracts and how they work in my glossary.
How to make yourself a DIY capillary health cream:
Base cream (like European): 1 oz (30 mL)
Horse Chestnut 0.18 gm
Grape Seed Proanthocyanidins 0.16 gm
Soy Isoflavones 0.12 gm
Butcher’s Broom Extract 0.18 gm
Centella Asiatica Extract 0.8 gm
Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone 0.8 gm
Rutin 0.8 gm
Licorice Extract Powder 0.8 gm
Rosehip Seed Oil 1 teaspoon
Sea Kelp Bioferment 1 spoon
References
Ceilley RI. 2017. Treatment of Actinic Purpura. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 10:44-50. Epub 2017 Jun 1. PMID: 28979656; PMCID: PMC5605207.
Moreta-Rodríguez M, Miramontes-González JP, Solera Arroyo JC, Martín Guerra JM. Apixaban-Induced Skin Purpura. Ann Geriatr Med Res. 2021 Sep;25(3):226-228. doi: 10.4235/agmr.21.0035. Epub 2021 May 12. PMID: 33975419; PMCID: PMC8497939.
Vu TT, Gooderham M. 2017 Adverse Drug Reactions and Cutaneous Manifestations Associated With Anticoagulation. J Cutan Med Surg. 2017 Nov/Dec;21(6):540-550. doi: 10.1177/1203475417716364. Epub 2017 Jun 22. PMID: 28639463.
DISCLAIMER: These claims have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent any disease.