Purpura is more commonly known as blood spots—those purple-colored lesions that you sometimes get on your skin. Purpura spots tend to go away on their own, but they do look unsightly and can cause social discomfort.

There are various creams on the market that contain Vitamin K, an essential vitamin involved in blood clotting, that helps bruises heal, and they can be used to reduce the duration of the visible purpura lesions.

Purpurex--our most recommended oral treatment for senile purpura—has shown promise in improving the appearance of the skin in people suffering from senile purpura1.

What is Purpura?

Purpura are formed as small blood vessels under the skin burst, similar to how a bruise is formed. These spots can range from small to quite large and can be visually and socially distressing.

Many sufferers will get these lesions on exposed areas of skin, such as the arms, legs, or hands. These areas can get very big and can draw a lot of negative attention in social settings.

Luckily, most purpura spots are benign, though they do tend to get more frequent as people get older. However, if you get purpura spots often, it may be a sign of some other, more serious medical condition, such as a blood clotting disorder.

Purpurex

Purpurex is an oral treatment for senile purpura. It consists of a proprietary blend of citrus bioflavonoids and Arnica montana extracts that can offer up to a 50% reduction in the number of purpura lesions. Purpurex has also been shown to hasten the healing process of new lesions.

The various components used in Purpurex work synergistically to reduce the formation of new purpura lesions and lessen the appearance of existing ones as well. Other studies have shown that citrus bioflavonoids can strengthen capillaries, as well as prevent the breakdown of hyaluronic acid, one of the major components of skin health.

Arnica montana extract helps speed up the clearing of red blood cells found in bruises by making capillaries permeable. And of course, vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is a significant factor in the formation of collagen, which helps keep skin elastic and helps strengthen capillaries.

Finally, Purpurex also contains an anti-oxidant, which can prevent skin damage by binding to free radicals.

So not only does Purpurex help with purpura, it can actually do a lot to prevent the signs of aging skin, and restore some youthful elasticity to your skin. Every person in the clinical trial who took Purpurex reported that they thought their skin condition had improved in appearance in general.

Every compound found in Purpurex has been tested for safety individually, and many of them have been available as over-the-counter drugs or supplements for decades.

The ingredients in Purpurex are all obtained from plant extracts, and their safety has been proven by at least one large-scale study2,3. This finding was also replicated in the Purpurex clinical trial, and nobody reported any adverse effects from taking Purpurex for six weeks.

If you're looking for a simple solution for purpura that doesn't include the repeated application of a cream, Purpurex may be the ideal option for you. Not only does it reduce the appearance of purpura lesions, but it also prevents new lesions from forming and can even improve the overall appearance of your skin.

Purpurex contains only natural botanic extracts from citrus fruits and arnica and has been proven to be safe for prolonged use. If you're tired of struggling with unsightly senile purpura lesions and don't want to use a topical cream, Purpurex may be the ideal solution for you.

Dermlogic Vitamin K Cream

Vitamin K plays a significant role in blood clotting and is usually used to prevent excessive bleeding in patients who take blood-thinning medications. Vitamin K is also commonly used in skin creams and can be prescribed by doctors to treat spider veins or dark circles under the eyes.

Vitamin K cream works by helping your blood clot faster and strengthening your capillaries, leading to fewer lesions and a faster healing time for existing ones. It's usually combined with other nutrients and compounds for a synergistic effect.

Dermlogic's vitamin K cream contains both vitamin K and arnica extracts to help bruises heal faster, and can be used in the treatment of purpura as well.

It has been dermatologically tested to be suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin, though it's always smart to do an allergy test on the inside of your arm before using the product in a large area.

What Are the Causes of Senile Purpura?

There are many different kinds of purpura, including idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, Henoch-Schonlein purpura, and senile purpura. They all have different causes, but the end effect—purple or red blotches—is the same. Some purpuras arise when the immune system attacks a patient's blood vessels, resulting in large-scale lesions.

Others can occur due to a blood clotting disorder which prevents blood from clotting; instead, it pools under the skin. Some purpuras can even be indicative of a vitamin deficiency, such as scurvy, which causes the blood vessels to weaken and become inelastic, leading to blood seepage.

Purpura can be indicative of an autoimmune disease or a blood clotting disorder, but in general, these occur in people with healthy skin. Senile purpura, on the other hand, has been attributed to thinning skin and aging blood vessels.

As you age, your skin tends to get thinner and more delicate, making it more susceptible to bruising. One main factor in skin aging is UV rays, which damage connective tissue such as blood vessels.

Over time, people who have been exposed to lots of UV in their life have very fragile blood vessels, which break at even the smallest amount of pressure. Once the blood vessel has broken, the blood will leak out under the skin and remain there until the blood vessel has healed and the blood has been transported away.

Blood thinners, such as NSAIDs or Warfarin, can further exacerbate the condition, as they result in larger lesions; the blood pools expand further thanks to the lowered blood viscosity. Blood thinners are also known to interfere with clotting, which again, can easily make senile purpura lesions worse and take longer to heal.

What Are the Symptoms of Purpura?

Senile purpura usually appears on exposed areas of the skin, such as the arms, legs, and hands. Many people experience purpura symptoms as they start to age, and their skin gets thinner. The main indication of senile purpura is the distinctive, purple or red lesions that look like bruises.

Senile purpura lesions are irregular and can vary in size, ranging from small red dots to large purple lesions, and can affect large areas of the body. The other main symptom of purpura is thin skin, including having skin that breaks or tears easily, and skin that is loose and inelastic.

Senile purpura is usually diagnosed based on a visual diagnosis without the need for additional tests. However, if you have a history of blood clotting or autoimmune disorders in your family, the doctor may request further testing to rule out any other similar purpuras that may have a more serious underlying cause.

Once the tests are complete, the best senile purpura treatment can be determined for your particular case.

How Long Does it Take for Purpura to Go Away?

Purpura lesions can take quite some time to heal, usually between one to three weeks if left untreated, and they may sometimes leave a yellow residue behind that takes months—or even years—to go away.

As purpura is the direct result of aging, there's not much that people can do to prevent lesions from forming. One suggestion for prevention is to use a broad-spectrum sunscreen to block UV damage. It won't reverse any existing damage, but it will help prevent further damage which may exacerbate the condition.

The use of capillary strengthening agents, such as vitamin C, can also help prevent new lesions from forming. By strengthening the capillaries, you stop the lesions at the source. If your capillaries are stronger, they're less likely to bleed into your skin spontaneously.

Conclusion

Senile purpura is a benign condition that affects up to 30% of elderly patients. It's caused by aging skin and is usually not indicative of a more severe medical condition.

However, despite being benign and pain-free, purpura lesions can become large and unsightly. This results in patients experiencing social discomfort until the lesion subsides, which can take up to three weeks if left untreated.

Luckily, there are a number of treatment options that help reduce the healing time of purpura, including Purpurex, a citrus bioflavonoid blend of compounds that can be taken orally, or various topical vitamin K creams.

These treatments have been proven to be effective and safe and can be used in the treatment of multiple lesions. Users of Purpurex also report that their skin, in general, feels better and stronger after continuous use of the drug, and also report getting fewer lesions.

References

1. Berlin, Joshua M., et al. “A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of a Citrus Bioflavonoid Blend in the Treatment of Senile Purpura.” Journal of Drugs in Dermatology: JDD, vol. 10, no. 7, July 2011, pp. 718–22.
2. Richer, S. “Multicenter Ophthalmic and Nutritional Age-Related Macular Degeneration Study--Part 1: Design, Subjects, and Procedures. Age-Related Macular Degeneration Study Group.” Journal of the American Optometric Association, vol. 67, no. 1, Jan. 1996, pp. 12–29.
3. Richer, S. “Multicenter Ophthalmic and Nutritional Age-Related Macular Degeneration Study--Part 2: Antioxidant Intervention and Conclusions.” Journal of the American Optometric Association, vol. 67, no. 1, Jan. 1996, pp. 30–49.