Thin Skin 101: What Causes Bruising, Thinning & Friable Paper Skin?

Do you have thin skin that tears easily? Starting to notice a few more veins and wrinkles than you'd like?

Crepey, tissue paper-like skin is a very common problem for older adults, and it's just part of the normal aging process. As a person ages, things like sun exposure and pollution begin to take their toll, and they manifest as damage that leaves skin thin and wrinkled.

So is there anything we can do to help keep our skin strong and healthy? Is thin skin reversible?

We've got answers to all of your questions and more! Here's your guide to thinning skin, where we'll show you what makes skin thin, and what you can do to make your skin less sensitive and fragile.

The Structure of Healthy Skin

First things first, let's get to grips with the structure of our skin, so we can understand why and how it becomes thinner over time. Your skin is composed of three layers: the hypodermis, the dermis, and the epidermis.

The Hypodermis

The hypodermis is the lowest, deepest layer of the skin. It contains mostly fat, connective tissue, and sweat glands. This layer supports your skin's structure, adds plumpness, insulates the body, and absorbs shock (protecting your body from bumps and scrapes).

The Dermis

This is where the magic happens! The next layer is the dermis, which is the middle layer and an essential part that provides structure and support for your skin.

It is composed of a rich web of collagen and elastin fibers, blood vessels, nerves, hair follicles, and skin cells. The main type of skin cell in the dermis is called a fibroblast, which is a type of cell that works to create more collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid to keep skin strong and flexible.

The Epidermis

Finally, you have the epidermis, which is the outermost layer of your skin i.e. the bit you can see!

This layer is made up mainly of keratin, and it is the barrier layer that protects your skin against the environment, UV light, irritants, and allergens. This layer is also important for holding moisture in, preventing water evaporation, and keeping skin from drying out.

The epidermis is also where your melanin-creating cells are held, which determine the color of your skin and protect you against UV light.

Signs & Symptoms of Thin Skin (on the Arms, Hands & Face)

The average skin thickness varies depending on where on the body it is. On the soles of your feet, where skin can become calloused, you might have up to 4 mm of skin. At the other end of the scale, you might only have 0.5 mm where the skin is most delicate, such as around the eyes.

The thin skin around the eyes is noticeable even from a younger age, as you will notice that it wrinkles easily and is more sensitive to knocks and scrapes than, say, the skin on your arms. The skin under your eyes is also prone to becoming thin and translucent, revealing blood vessels below which appear as dark under-eye circles.

However, as we get older and our skin gets weaker, you will also start to see signs of skin thinning in other areas of the body – especially on your face, neck, arms, and hands.

Signs of thinning include skin that tears easily, bruising that appears after minor bumps, and cuts and scrapes that happen almost out of nowhere. As a person ages they might also start to see translucent patches and more visible veins, as skin loses the protective cushioning that typically keeps these hidden.

What Causes Thinning Skin?

Although some thin skin is inevitable, there are also lifestyle and environmental factors that lead to some people having naturally thinner skin than others. Let's take a closer look:

Age

Thin skin is a natural product of the intrinsic skin aging process. Over time, our body's supplies of keratin, collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid deplete, and this makes our skin weaker, drier, and thinner.

The fibroblasts in your dermis slow down and begin to produce less collagen and elastin as you get older. On average, after the age of 20, your body produces 1-2% less collagen each year and by the time you reach your 40s and 50s, this will really begin to show on your skin. 1

Hormonal changes, particularly for women, will also drastically impact the thickness of your skin over time. The sharp decline of estrogen during menopause causes a significant decrease in your skin's collagen. This is why, unfortunately, women are more prone to premature aging than men! 2

We also begin to lose fat in the hypodermis during the normal aging process, which causes the skin to lose a lot of its youthful plump appearance.

As the epidermis thins and hyaluronic acid supplies decrease in the dermis, your skin will also lose a lot of moisture, becoming more dry and prone to wrinkles.

Sun Exposure

Aside from the passing of time, our skin is also aged by external factors, and this process is known as extrinsic aging. Sun exposure is the number one cause of extrinsic skin aging, with approximately 80% of extrinsic aging coming from exposure to ultraviolet light. Scary, right? 3

When your skin is exposed to UV light, it responds by producing enzymes and free radicals that break down collagen. When collagen fibers are damaged, skin becomes weaker and thinner.

This kind of skin damage is extra significant with tanning beds, so you'll need to stay away from those UV rays if you want to avoid weak, wrinkled skin and age spots!

And it's not just tanning beds you need to watch out for, you should also be careful of the light that comes from your phone and computer screens – which is known as blue light. Skin damage like thinning and wrinkling occurs when radiation from your devices triggers the production of free radicals, which are unstable molecules that weaken your skin's collagen and elastin supplies.

Medications

Certain medications can make skin thinner over time. These include:

• Topical corticosteroids – these medications can shrink the cells in the epidermis, causing the skin to become more thin and loose if used for long periods of time. This includes the steroid creams often used to treat eczema.
• Prescription blood thinners
• Aspirin
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen

Long-term usage of certain medications can cause damage to your skin (not to mention medical problems) so you should speak with your healthcare provider if in any doubt about how long you are taking them.

Lifestyle

Certain lifestyle factors contribute to the accelerated degradation of your skin health. These include:

• Alcohol – Excessive alcohol consumption is very dehydrating and it creates a build-up of toxic waste in your system, which can lead to weak, thin skin.
• Smoking – Chemicals in tobacco smoke constrict the blood supply to your skin and trigger the creation of free radicals throughout the body, which wreak havoc on your collagen and elastin supplies.
• Poor diet – An imbalanced diet high in sugar, caffeine, and processed foods will leave your skin malnourished and prone to thinning.

5 Ways To Fight Thin Skin & Restore Skin Health, Naturally

Unfortunately, there is no surefire way of reversing thin skin for good! There is, however, hope for regaining some of your skin's strength and flexibility with these simple lifestyle adjustments and skincare hacks:

1. Protect Your Skin

Firstly, the most important thing you can do for frail, paper-thin skin is to protect it against any further damage.

This should include simple actions such as:

• Cover up and protect thin skin regularly by wearing long sleeves, gloves, and wide-brimmed hats. This creates a physical shield or cushion layer that will protect thin skin and help you avoid unnecessary bruising or tears.
• Wear sun protection with a broad-spectrum SPF cream or lotion, every day. This helps avoid harmful UV rays and prevents further damage to fragile skin.
• Avoid harsh chemicals and potential irritants that might cause any negative impact on your skin. The last thing thin skin needs is any itching and scratching!

If your skin is severely thin or you are suffering from minor injuries, you might find it helpful to use rolled gauze bandages to cover the affected areas. Rolled gauze bandages can be worn under layers of clothing to prevent skin irritation or tearing.

2. Support Your Body's Collagen Production

When it comes to actually repairing and strengthening your skin, the most important thing your body needs is collagen. You can increase collagen in your skin in a number of ways:

• Eat plenty of collagen rich foods, such as egg whites, tofu, and dark leafy greens.
• Get more antioxidants into your diet and skincare routine to protect your skin's collagen against harmful free radicals. Important examples include vitamin E, C, and A.
• Try a daily collagen supplement

Collagen supplements are a great way to proactively boost your skin's strength and flexibility, and they are a particularly helpful option for anyone struggling with thin skin.

Taut Premium Collagen Drink is a delicious liquid supplement designed to promote healthy skin by boosting your natural collagen and elastin supplies. Each tiny bottle packs a punch with 13,000 mg of hydrolyzed marine collagen peptides; plus elastin peptides, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, grape seed extract, ceramide, and vitamin B6.

This winning combination of nutrients, antioxidants, and moisture magnets works synergistically to make your skin firmer, fuller, and more radiant!

3. Get Your Vitamin A Fix

Vitamin A is an antioxidant that protects your skin against sun damage, speeds up collagen synthesis, and helps repair your skin barrier.

It's not just something you get from your diet, it's an ingredient that also plays a key role in anti-aging skincare. Topical retinoids are vitamin A derivatives that can be used for a host of anti-aging benefits, most notably for their ability to speed up skin cell turnover and encourage new collagen growth in the dermis. You may know this ingredient better as retinol, which appears in countless night creams and anti-aging serums.

Research from 2018 has shown that topical retinol application can improve the thickness of your skin, with positive results in as little as 13 days – making it the perfect addition to your anti-aging skincare routine. 4

4. Stay Hydrated

Dehydration is the enemy of plump, luminous skin, so you should make sure you always carry that water bottle with you!

Staying hydrated not only prevents dryness, but can also improve skin elasticity, reduce wrinkles, boost circulation, and minimize irritation. So it's not just important for dry skin types – all of this helps support skin health and prevent thinning.

In addition to drinking water, it's super important to keep skin well moisturized. The best moisturizer for thinning skin will be packed with moisture magnet ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, or aloe vera, which all work to attract and retain water and boost your skin's moisture content.

To maximize skin hydration and add to your topical moisture fix, you can also try a solution like Taut Hydrate hyaluronic acid supplements. The hydrating pills give your body a dose of pure, plant-based hyaluronic acid and grape seed extract, combining serious moisture with a potent antioxidant to offer your skin the support it needs to stay strong, flexible, and smooth.

By boosting your body's natural hyaluronic acid supplies and keeping skin well moisturized from the inside out, these supplements can truly plump and add volume to your skin – reaching even deeper than fillers or moisturizers can. Consider it your best-kept secret for plumper, fuller-looking skin!

5. Eat a Healthy Balanced Diet

For truly healthy, strong skin, good nutrition is key. The main thing your skin needs is a healthy supply of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and collagen – and the foods you eat can play a big part in that.

Incorporate collagen-boosting foods like egg whites, dark leafy greens, citrus fruits, chicken, fish, beans, gelatin, and soy into your daily routine. These foods are all also rich in antioxidant vitamins that help support skin thickness and overall health. 5

Healthy fats like omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids can also help plump up your skin, reducing thinness and wrinkles. You can find these in foods like salmon, olive oil, avocados, nuts, and seeds. Avocado toast, anyone?

When To Visit a Doctor

If thin skin is becoming bigger than merely a cosmetic concern, leading to health problems like continued persistent bruising or bleeding, then it is important that you seek care from your healthcare provider.

However, thin skin typically doesn't require medical intervention, and it's totally natural for older adults to experience it. If your concerns are mainly cosmetic, there are a number of possible treatments that you can get from a board-certified dermatologist to help with that. These include:

• Microneedling – this is a treatment that uses tiny needles to create pinpricks on the surface of your skin, which triggers a wound-repair response in your skin cells that results in a collagen boost.
• Dermal Fillers – for larger indentation and crevices in the skin, dermal fillers can be used to plump up these areas and restore your skin's thickness.
• Laser treatment - laser treatments are a more invasive procedure, using a laser to remove the outer layer of skin in order to stimulate the growth of new collagen fibers. This results in skin that is thicker, smoother, and tighter.

Protect & Rejuvenate Your Skin with the Ultimate Transformation Program

If you were wondering how long does collagen take to work, you should know that you can supercharge your body's collagen creation and achieve visibly stronger, smoother skin in as little as three weeks!

Our Ultimate Transformation Program gives you the tools you need to fight visible signs of aging and achieve a more youthful, radiant complexion. This skincare bundle combines a three-week combination of our Taut Collagen Drink, Taut Hydrate, and Taut Collagen Masks.

A daily dose of our collagen supplement triggers collagen production in the dermis, giving you stronger, thicker skin. Combined with our hyaluronic acid supplement, which boosts your skin's natural moisture content, you have the perfect duo for beating thin skin.

What tops this program off is our Taut Collagen Mask – a soothing and rejuvenating facial treatment that infuses your skin with collagen peptides, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, and botanical squalene. This is a truly plumping sheet mask that fights wrinkles, sagging, and thin skin and gives your complexion a radiant glow.

So if you want to promote skin health and maintain your skin's elasticity, look no further than this energizing skincare bundle!

Found this article helpful? You might also like our skincare guide, which matches you with your perfect skincare solutions!

References:

1. Why Skin Wrinkles with Age and Prevention Tips
2. Characteristics of the Aging Skin
3. Sun's Impact on Aging in Caucasian Skin
4. Topical Retinol Reduces Stress-Induced Aging via EGFR Activation
5. 13 Foods to Boost Collagen Production