Common skin disorders in the elderly

Skin diseases commonly seen in the elderly are more often than not the effects of sun damage or vascular disease. The effects of a lifetime of even casual sun exposure can be dramatic. Chronically sun-exposed skin becomes thin, loses collagen, and has disrupted elastin and decreased glycosaminoglycans. The result is skin that breaks easily, bruises, sags, irritates easily, and itches. The spots and bumps that patients associate with age are all sun-induced. Consider how lesionless a 60-year-old's buttock is compared to the extensor forearm. The reason that bruising attributed to anticoagulation seems to occur exclusively on the extensor forearm and not the volar aspect of the arm is that sun-induced elastin degradation is greatest on the extensor forearm. Even trivial trauma will cause unsupported capillaries to shear and bleed whether the patient is anticoagulated or not. This article reviews the primary skin disorders associated with the elderly and some of the management approaches that the primary care physician can use.