What is a bruise?
A bruise is basically occurs when tiny blood vessels in the skin are damaged. What then happens is blood leaks out from the broken vessels and results in a raised area that becomes filled with blood and cells that migrate to the area as a result of the body’s natural response to injury. The bruise will change color over time.
Different people bruise differently
Different people react differently to injury, so while one person may require a relatively light blow to the skin, others tend not to bruise with quite a hard knock. While the tendency to bruise varies from person to person, it also changes with age. It takes a pretty big force for a child to bruise while for an elderly person all it takes is a small knock. This is because the blood vessels become increasingly more fragile as we age.
Causes of bruising
The most common cause of bruising is injury to part of the body. There are a number of other causes that can lead to a bruise. If the bruise occurs spontaneously then it may be a sign of a bleeding tendency. Under normal circumstances there is a balance between bleeding and clotting in the body. When this balance is shifted towards bleeding, one of the signs is bruising. Because the body has an increased tendency to bleed in such cases, people may end up with multiple bruises. If you notice that this is happening to you then you should consult a doctor immediately.
Treating bruises
There are many ways of treating bruises, but the mainstay of treatment is a cold compress. The cold will reduce the amount of blood flowing to the area, and therefore reduce the size of the bruise. The best thing to use is ice, or a bag of frozen vegetables. The vegetables would work better for things like ankles, as it would be able to mold to the foot. If you are using ice wrap it in a towel or a cloth first. Applying ice directly to your skin can cause damage to the tissues. You should always try to elevate the area that you have injured.
Preventing bruises
Accidents happen, so there is no real way to prevent bruising due to injury. If you do, however, lead a very active lifestyle and love to play sports then always make sure you wear your protective gear.
Try to increase the amount of vitamin K in your diet. It is essential for the clotting process to take place. A deficiency in this vitamin can result in excessive bruises. You can get vitamin K in green leafy vegetables, especially spinach. Vitamin C is also good for making blood vessels stronger. This you can find in citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit.
Another thing that can affect your clotting is aspirin. If you use a lot of aspirin daily for whatever reason and you are bleeding and getting bruises then you should stop the aspirin or consult your doctor.
