Question: I am a 65 year old white male and I bruise easily. I remember my mom doing the same. What happens to the skin as it ages to cause this condition?

Dr. Hibberd's Answer:

Susceptibility to increased bruising is often seen as our skin surface ages. All types of medications — prescription, non-prescription, and herbal products — may produce increased bruising. When we age, our skin loses much of its elasticity and underlying fat, making the fragile capillaries and veins underneath more susceptible to bruising.

However, increased bruising may be an early sign of internal disease, and usually deserves an evaluation along with simple blood screen testing. Remember that inherited disorders, endocrine (glandular) imbalance, leukemia, malignancy, immune dysfunction, and infections that are otherwise silent can cause an increased tendency to bleed or bruise. So, regardless of your family history, you now should see your primary physician to establish a cause for your increased bruising.