| A bruise gets its deep color from a blood vessel or | | | | conditions such as bleeding disorders can also lead to |
| vessels that break under the skin and leak blood into | | | | more generalized or excessive bruising. People with |
| the surrounding area. As it heals, it becomes paler in | | | | these conditions bruise easily and more than normal. |
| color and less painful to the touch. Depending on how | | | | Some possibilities include hemophilia (genetic disease) |
| many vessels were broken, bruises can be the size of | | | | and the lesser known and often undiagnosed Von |
| a pencil eraser or 6 or more inches across. A black | | | | Willebrand's disease. Any unexplained bruising needs |
| eye is also bruise-if there is no accompanying eye | | | | medical investigation. |
| damage or nose breakage, it can be treated just like | | | | Bruises, on the other hand, do not involve the opening |
| any other bruise. | | | | of the skin. While bleeding is present it is kept inside the |
| Bruising is bleeding that occurs underneath the surface | | | | skin thus creating the black, blue, and purple hue that |
| of the skin. Normally, it is usually caused by injury. In | | | | you see when experiencing a bruise. Bruises are |
| patients with bleeding disorders, however, spontaneous | | | | caused by bumping into objects, by being hit with blunt |
| bruising may occur or a bruise may appear with | | | | objects, and from falling. The symptoms of a bruise |
| minimal injury. Since bruises are formed from clotted | | | | include pain at the site of injury and skin discoloration |
| blood, they tend to start out as dark or reddish | | | | discoloration from a build up of blood under the skin. |
| shadowing close to the surface of the skin. As the | | | | Signs and Symptoms: |
| trapped blood is broken down and absorbed by the | | | | Bruises can last from days to months and usually |
| body, it changes color -- typically to green and yellow | | | | occur in several stages. A bruise generally starts out |
| -- because of chemical changes in the blood. | | | | as a pinkish-red area or as tiny red dots or blotches on |
| Eventually the body reabsorbs the blood and the mark | | | | the skin. The bruise may be very small and may blend |
| disappears. | | | | in with the texture of the skin, or it may be large, |
| The injury required to produce a bruise varies with age. | | | | swollen, and painful. Within days to a week or so, the |
| While it may take quite a bit of force to cause a bruise | | | | bruise becomes more purple. As it heals, it becomes |
| in a young child, even minor bumps and scrapes may | | | | brownish-yellow. Generally, bruises heal and disappear |
| cause extensive bruising or ecchymosis in an elderly | | | | within 2 to 3 weeks. |
| person. Blood vessels become more fragile as we | | | | During the first 24 to 48 hours after injury (acute |
| age, and bruising may even occur without prior injury in | | | | phase), you will probably need to continue using rest, |
| the elderly. | | | | ice, compression bandages, and elevation of the injured |
| Bruising (medical symptom): Bruising is the body's | | | | area to control bleeding, swelling, and pain. While the |
| normal response to local trauma or damage. Local | | | | injured part heals, be sure to keep exercising the |
| bruising needs investigation to diagnose and treat the | | | | uninjured parts of your body to maintain your overall |
| underlying cause of the bruising. Certain medical | | | | level of fitness. |