[Magdalen] Ravages of Time.

[Ann Markle]

I know you are a dermatologist and I'm not; and my skin will get much worse
with age (I'm now 63) -- but I blame blood thinners the most -- more than
age or sun (both of whichI' ve got plenty).  But the big purple spots
haven't got me yet!

Ann

The Rev. Ann Markle
Buffalo, NY
ann.markle at aya.yale.edu
blog:  www.onewildandpreciouslife.typepad.com

On Mon, Jul 6, 2015 at 11:11 AM, Cantor03--- via Magdalen <
magdalen at herberthouse.org> wrote:

>
>
> Now with the summer heat and the wearing of short sleeves,
> the increasingly appalling "senile purpura" is quite visible.
>
> These are secondary to subcutaneous bleeding from old, weakened
> blood vessels related to aging and excessive sun exposure.  They
> consist of the purplish non-blanching areas, most frequently seen  over
> the forearms and the backs of the hands.  They resolve after a  week
> or two, but in my case are just replaced by new areas.
>
> This is, I think, a combination of being susceptible due to age, and
> the playfulness of four (count 'em FOUR) dogs.
>
> Despite being one of the commonest skin problems I saw during
> practice years, I can scarcely believe how beat up my forearms
> now are.
>
> Patients would persist in asking me what to do about the lesions.
> Other than avoiding obvious trauma (raspberry brambles, trimming
> the thornapple trees, etc.) I would tell them to "turn the clock  back."
>
> I'm now having to eat those words.
>
> When my older brother, Jim, and I went over to Winchester for the
> 900th Anniversary in the 1970's, many of the events were scheduled  out
> on the close next to the north edge of the nave.  We had never seen  such
> a display of flowered dresses and hats on the ladies of riper years.
> I realized these dresses were all long-sleeved in order to cover the
> senile
> purpura.
>
> I'll bet the Queen doesn't appear in sleeveless dresses much these  days!
>
>
> David Strang.
>