Wrinkles and Grey Hair Are One Thing
Senile Purpura is quite another
The heat index is 105 degrees, yet I pull a long-sleeved shirt over my head to go for a walk. Sure, it will help keep the UV rays of the sun from planting skin cancer on my arms, but then, so would sunscreen.
Despite the stifling heat and humidity, I wear the long-sleeved shirt to hide the deep red and purple bruises on my arms, the ones that make me look like I‘ve been in a car accident, or fallen off my bike, or been abused by my husband, or mauled by a toothless gorilla.
I wear it so I am not asked by caring friends or nosy bystanders, “Oh, my God! What happened to your arms?”
Senile Purpura is what happened. It happened to my arms and the backs of my hands, and to a lesser extent, my legs. And it hasn’t just happened to me. It is prevalent in older people, one source cites, especially those with fair skin. Lucky me, on both counts.
(How old is older? And just who is the bright light who decided to include the word “senile” in the name of this condition?)
Some people call the purple blemishes bloodspots or skin hemorrhages. The artist in me wants to describe the color as magenta or violet or amethyst, but those colors would make them seem far too pretty.
