I've noticed in the past couple of years that the skin on the backs of my hands and tops of my forearms easily bruises or abrades when scraped and is generally dry. I'm 55 y.o. and have fairly light reddish pigmentation that burns easily. However, I notice that I don't burn as easily as I did before I became raw. In my adult life I have avoided the sun because of the sunburning. I've been fully raw for almost 2 years and have done a number of deep cleanses and fasts in the past 8 years.

Is this from sun exposure over the years, aging in general or am I lacking something in my diet?

Because of the construction work that I do I've been getting banged up a lot lately and have to wear gloves all the time or deal with the injuries.

Does anyone else have any experience with this or suggestions?

Many Thanks, Uti

maybe its not so much that you are getting bruised "easily"

but that the nature of your job is such that bruising is inevitable

its like a boxer saying " i'm not sure why it is that i seem to bruise so easily"

when they get in a ring
and they get hit

they are GONNA get bruised

that's all there is to it

that's how i see it

now, if it was your job to be in a swimming pool all day and swim
and you said you were getting bruised

yeah, i would get worried

Just wondering if the materials you work with are causing a defiency or challenge as your body tries to deal with the toxicity of inhaling their dust or fumes or sawdust.

My body reacts similarly to toxic inhalants as it does to foods I'm allergic or sensitive to - they act like xenoestrogens and I get many similar symptoms. (dry skin, though not bruising that I have noticed)

It's partly your ethnicity, partly intrinsic aging and declining testosterone levels.

Your calorie-restricted, methionine restricted diet is slowing down your rate of decline. But it does have a down side: delayed wound-healing.

You could try a little bit of extra protein on your bruised days, maybe 10 g or so.

And you could cover your bruises, cuts, and abrasions with a bland, nonreactive lipid mix like vegetable shortening, which will work better than a saturated fat like coconut oil. A second choice would be an oil rich in polyunsaturated fats such as sunflower oil like Hain's (but not the high oleic variety which is mostly monounsaturated). And keep these areas covered with a bandaid to hasten healing.

Hi Uti:

That reminds me of something. When I was in my teens, I remember playing and dancing around the kitchen one day with my grandmother and I grabbed her arm. Not hard, it didn't hurt her, but the next day she had dark ugly bruises on her arm in the shape of my fingers. She swore it didn't hurt (and I hope that's true, because I honestly meant her no harm), but she always had a problem with bruising easily. And her skin always looked very fragile. We never learned why.

I don't know if it is the same with you (my family is fair hair and fair skin), but my grandmother was not raw and didn't pay much attention to her health that I was aware of. So whatever nutritional problem this might be, I think she might have had the same problem. Much of her life, they had a farm, so she had a typical diet of fresh meat and fresh (cooked) veggies that she mostly grew, lots of home baking. Later, they had a grocery store, so she had a pretty varied selection I think.

Despite having some horrific problems over the course of her life and some very big health challenges, she was nearly 90 when she died of old age. Her blood pressure was a little high towards the end, and she was crippled because of a bad hip, but her heart seemed fine, and her biggest problem was her mobility. So I don't think this is a symptom of any big immediate looming problem (if it's the same) I think she got pneumonia in the end.

I don't know if there is any clue in this, but I don't think raw has anything to do with it.

Sapphire

I searched online and found one person who said eating more greens cleared up this problem for him.

I also read that dry skin and bruising easily can be two symptoms of hypothyroidism. I heard iodine helps support the thyroid and they have more about that on curezone.com.

And lastly, are you drinking enough water especially since you work outside and probably sweat a lot. Dehydration can cause dry skin.

I've also heard that low Vitamin C levels can cause easy bruising, but you probably don't have that problem.

I hope you figure it out.

Hi Uti - the other thing is that our skin thins as we age. I know I'm brusing more easily now and my parents, at 75 sure are. Maybe longtime rawies will disagree but I do believe our skin thins as we age. Good luck!

Easy bruising = vitamin K deficiency.

Eat more dark leafy greens.

I learned this as a teenager and ever since then, all the times when I noticed easy bruising on my body, I've gone "ah, time to eat more dark green leafy things." Works every time!

Many thanks one and all for your suggestions!

Sunshine, interesting that you mentioned dark greens. I was drawn to the dark green section of the produce department the other day. The fall greens looked very vibrant compared to the romaine lettuce in my basket. So I am thinking about savory green smoothies and also had a craving for a seaweed salad. Perhaps these were messages from the body to pay more attention. My mind has been focussed on its melodrama concerning the passing of melon season and lack of ripe persimmons- both temporary conditions. More thanks for helping me to see that.

Sapphire, my mom is 89 and has had the bruising condition for years along with minor skin cancers. She says it started after she discontinued estrogen replacement therapy. I've always assumed that it was part genetics and part her SAD diet and the fact that she has been smoking since she was a young girl, an unbelievable 75 plus years and no pulmonary cancer or emphysema - yet. She just started trying to quit again with patch therapy. I think the only thing that has kept her alive this long is that she eats very little meat or processed foods and has a preference for fresh (cooked) veggies and eats fruit every day.

Thanks for the reminder about toxic substances around my work, aquadecoco. I use a dust mask/ respirator when sanding and finishing woods in my shop, but often don't use one for other smaller jobs outdoors.

I don't often drink water except on days when it's really hot and I'm sweating profusely, but I'm usually eating lots of watermelons during that time of the year and urinating frequently, which is sometimes a drag when in the middle of some task. Fortunately my workmates are close and in the same boat, so we've gotten over the shyness of relieving ourselves around each other.

Fortunately the type of work I'm doing has less and less exposure to toxics compared my early careers in photography and production crafts. It took years of diet changes and cleansing to rid myself of accumulated gunk. I don't know if I have more to go, but I sure am experiencing the highest level of health in my adult life and I'm almost 56. I've been 100% raw for almost 2 years, transitioned to 100% for 2 years, and was vegan for a number of years before that. It has been said that we completely replace every cell in the body every 7 years, so if that's true, then my body is now made of plant based components.

Wishing you all vibrant health!

Uti:

I am absolutely astonished that your mom is doing so great - how WONDERFUL!!

My mom is only 68 and the smoking has totally done so much damage - she has to use a walker to get around because she gets so out of breath, and she still puffs away. Drives me nuts! Last year I joined a dragon boat team of breast cancer survivors, and many of my team-mates are as old or older than my mom, and they are so fit and strong. Even after such a serious illness!

It's especially aggravating because my mom is the only living grandparent my kids have, but my kids hate being around her because of that smoking. What a shame for her to have to miss out on so much, but she goes ballistic if I am foolish enough to say anything. Still, it makes me angry to think how many years of life she will sacrifice over this stupid addiction.

Wow, if your mom is doing that well after some bad lifestyle choices, I wonder how you will be doing when you get to 89!

Sapphire

Thanks for your message Sapphire. I think my mom has done the best she could with the resources that were available to her and I'm very grateful for what I've learned from her, both what to do in life, as well as what to do differently. And one of the most important lessons I'm still learning is to focus on being present with what I'm doing right now and not spend my time worrying about what might come in the future.

If I judge her choices, I have come to realize that I am judging myself just as much or more so and that bars the love.