Kitties -
I'm going to take a wild guess you probably use some form of steroid - either oral or inhaled. Paper skin is one of the side effects of prolonged steroid use. The skin tears easily, can bruise with just a casual brush against a door jamb or cabinet door. The round expanding ring is simply a bruise spreading beneath the skin.
I wear sleeves to protect my arms:
http://www.colonialmedical.com/geri-sleeves-P-4729.html
Before I started to wear the sleeves my arms were a mass of bruises and bandages from torn skin. With the sleeves the bruising has gone to about 10 percent and I've only torn my skin 3 times in the last month.
I'm sorry to say there is nothing I know of short of cutting off all steroid use and going for a vitamin C/Retin-A/vitamin E regimen http://www.ehow.com/how_5003780_solve-thinning-problems-caused-steroids.html
If you don't take steroids then ignore me...

Hugs,
Dennis

Emu oil is good,vitamin D3 ,lots of water ,maybe vitamin E base cream.
Ladies at my P.Rehab told me how to deal if I get that problem,
I use Almond oil and a lot of it,.

I will try the almond oil. I'm sure they have it at central market. The bruises are more unsightly than painful and the only part of my body that gets these splotches. Never would have thought the steroid inhalers.

DennyGene you know exactly what I mean. Anyone who has seen post office plastic buckets knows the plastic is all cracked and they leave bloody scratches. Then as you say any little bump that doesn't break the skin bruises . Maybe I'm saying this wrong but it is comforting at least to know that my inhalers (SPRIVA AND SYMBICORT) are destroying my skin. Decisions, decisions...do I want pretty skin on my corpse or do I want to breathe a bit longer and slide into home a bit beat up looking....Guess I'll take you chances with the latter.
>^..^

I know what you mean. I don't use inhalers, but daily prednisone and Kenalog-40. I do use Emu oil : http://www.jsemuoil.com/Hand-and-Body-Lotion.html
and it does make the skin a little smoother. But it doesn't appear to keep me from beating up my arms like the sleeves do. Mayhaps wearing them when at home and working around the house - an added protection...

Hugs

I can't figure out why just my arms. If I hang my grocery sack on my arm I end up looking like I've been beaten.
Even though my copd is very advanced I wasn't formally diagnosed till I had an almost fatal asthma attack 17 months ago. I still have my moments when I still feel like a super hero and try to carry too much and end up bruised. Most of the time that I get hurt I'm trying to rush and do things quick like I did before....being careful takes time.
Here in Texas I would die in long sleeves. I'm already burning up and sweating when most "normal people" are comfortable. I dread the relentless heat.

Yep - death valley is just north and east of us. If it ain't one thing it's another.
Slowing down and being careful is important. Where I used to walk in the dark, I now turn lights on, just so I won't bump into things.
During the hottest parts of the day I stay inside. Direct sunshine on us isn't beneficial either..

Don't even get me started about the sunshine. I never dreamed I'd dread the oppressive heat of summer. Been horrible....something about an El Ninio and a LA Nina making the summers so ungodly hot. Its already up to 85 here.
In the heat the air feels too heavy to go down.

I always get more bruises and bleeding on my left arm for some reason. Yes, our meds make our skin paper thin, and also because we lose a lot of muscle mass in our arms unless you lift weights all day.
Why just your arms? Because those are what is out front, to hit a door, or the bedside table, but sometimes I get a bruise on my shoulder and hip as I walk down my hall and stagger a bit and hit the wall or the corner if I am going into another room.
Sad when my 3 year old grandson looks at my arms and asks does Grannie have an owie?
BJ

Hey Kits:

You don't use coumadin or warfarin or a blood thinner do you? /h/

bjrapp2020, may be sun damage... I have very fragile arms, face with spider veins due to rosacea- is all worse on the left side because I drive a lot for my job and get more sun damage there... I also have noticed that my skin is "normal" where it is usually covered. Really frustrating to have skin tears and odd little bruises popping up- people think I am abused or something-

I am on Xarelto and I am full of bruises on my arms and legs. I also have the paper thin skin, skin discoloration snd wrinkled skin on my arms and legs. Another side effect of prednisone.

Hello: my arms and hands were like that, and people kept asking me if I was on blood thinners. The slightest bump or scrape caused bleeding---then bruising. I talked to my Pulmonary Doctor about this; and I asked him to lower my Advair from 500/50 to 250/50. My skin is still thin; but I do not bruise and bleed as easily. Best wishes.

i don't do any steroids & i bruise and my skin (especially hands) is like celophane & tears like you mentioned. (& the red veins on face especially triangle under eyes down cheek to end of nose on each side)
i am only 58 but i feel like i have "old lady skin" that i see on like 80 year old women. (nothing against 80 year old women---just i'm 58)
once i get a tear it takes FOREVER to heal also. i will itch it or something & re-tear it open.
i try putting bandages on i to stop me from re-hurting, but now i have been getting sores from the band aids (not sure if i've developed an allergy to the glue on bandages & tape or what)
interesting the "sun damage" thought; i did live in desert & have always worked outside with no sunscreen.
of course in the last few years i feel like the COPD has "aged'' me---i'm 58, but look like an old woman of 70-75.
has anyone else noticed "premature" aging since living with this disease?
anyone found a better way to bandage than with tape? (dennis those sleeves i end up all bunched up with, same with if i try to stretch wrap it---i'm so frustrated so looking to see what others do)
thanks for sharing about this as i couldn't figure out "why me" when i don't do the steroids.

There is a type of tape (comes in 1 and 2 inch width) that only sticks to itself. Curad calls it ouchless tape, but others make it also. You use a piece that is an inch or 3 longer than the circumference of your arm, place it over the gauze and around your am. Gently stretch it and push it against itself. Sticks pretty darn good. Band aids or tape (even paper tape) would take the skin off when I went to remove it. Just about everyone carries this stuff and really works good...

Hugs,
Dennis