Thin fragile skin due to long term cortisone therapy.

[louannwp]

My husband has been of cortisone/now decadron for close to 30 years. He is 60 years old He had a pituitary tumor removed in 1972.(benign).. He also is a survivor (2 years) of glioblastome stage 4 !
His arms and hands have had fragile skin for many years. He works as a mechanic so he is always bumping & banging his arms & hands. He has the discoloration/tears and bleeding that fontunately NEVER gets infected! but his co workers are constantly complaining about the bleeding and appearance. I use Aveno moisturizer whenever I can catch him, but the problem seems to be getting worse.
Are there any topical or therapeutic treatments that can get this under control? He wears long sleeves but since he works in a resort laundry where, due to heat he is constantly pulling up his sleeves. So far no other areas are affected, except his neck area, which doesn't get banged too often. He is dark complected of Italian Portuguese descent.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as he is in danger of loosing his job of 32 years over this condition.
Thank You for any suggestions you can offer.
Sincerely
LA

[louannwp]

Thank you very much for your response to my question.  We have not seen a dermotologist yet as we are dealing with other medical issues, namely A glioblastome multiforme stage 4, which was diagnosed 2 yers ago. Mitacle of miracles, he is not only still with us, but also well and working full time!  With the stress of waiting for any little symptom and living from MRI to MRI, I have lost track of other medical issues.I make sure yo keep him moisturized, and attend to any wounds (he does mechanical work- so you can imagine that's fun!) Work also got him long sleeved shirts, which help, when he has the sleeves down!
Your answer pretty much jives with my other research and I Thank You for taking the time to respond.

Sincerely
LA Poncirolo

[Dr J Singh]

Hello,
Skin thinning resulting in easy bruising (purpura) , skin tearing after minor injury and dry and fragile skin are frequent side effects after long term use of steroids. Unfortunately there is no medicine for this thin skin and the degree of damage depends on the length of the time, the steroids are used. If it is used for longer periods of time then it may become irreversible. Since your husband has used the steroids for many years, it may require the examination of a dermatologist to comment on the confirmed status.

I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.