Do bruises itch: Bruising 101: Why some people bruise easily, how bruises should look during healing and when to see a doctor

27.06.202214.07.2023 by alexxlab

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Bruising 101: Why some people bruise easily, how bruises should look during healing and when to see a doctor

What causes bruising?

Bruises occur when blood comes out of blood vessels into the skin or just below the skin’s surface. Bruises can occur from a fall, accident, sports injury or medical procedure.

“Everyone experiences bruising, but they are more common in older people,” says dermatologist Ronald Sulewski, MD. “There are also some bleeding disorders and medical conditions that can make you more prone to bruising.”

What do bruises look like?

Bruises typically show up as red or purple dark spots or patches. They can change into various colors, including yellow, orange and green, as they evolve over a week or so.

“These changing colors in the skin are the result of hemoglobin being broken down by the body,” Dr. Sulewski explains. “Hemoglobin is the protein that carries oxygen to our tissues in our blood.”

How do bruises heal?

Bruises heal as the body’s immune system (white blood cells) breaks down the blood in the skin and under the skin over time.

“Bruises can itch as they are healing because the body’s immune system is breaking down the bruise,” says Dr. Sulewski. “The white blood cells use chemical signaling that can lead to itching.”

Can bruising cause blood clots or swelling?

Visible bruising in the skin is a superficial process. Signs of other deeper blood clots are usually swelling of the tissue and pain.

“Bruising can cause swelling, especially if more blood is present than the average bruise,” says Dr. Sulewski. “Sometimes patients get hematomas, which are larger and deeper than a bruise.”

Hematomas can be painful and swollen and can affect internal organs. They may require medical attention.

How can I help my bruise go away?

Most bruises will resolve within a week or two without treatment. Severe bruising and hematomas can last for a month or longer. To heal faster, you can:

Rest and elevate the injured area to reduce swelling and relieve pain
Apply ice packs for the first 24 to 48 hours after injury
Apply a heating pad or warm compress to the injured area after two days
Take over-the-counter pain medication, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol). Check with your doctor before using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like Advil or Aleve

Why do I bruise so easily?

Many things can cause frequent bruising. Most of these causes aren’t serious and don’t require treatment. You should discuss with your doctor to pinpoint what is causing your frequent or unexplained bruising.

Things that may cause you to bruise more easily include:

Medications to thin blood/prevent clotting, like aspirin or blood thinners
NSAIDs such as ibuprofen or naproxen
Use of steroids, such as prednisone
Past excessive sun exposure
Low blood platelet count
Vitamin C or vitamin K deficiency
Bleeding disorders
Medical conditions like cancer or liver disease

When should I see a doctor about my bruise?

“If you have a bruise that doesn’t go away, it might actually be a skin lesion rather than a bruise,” explains Dr. Sulewski. “If your bruise remains for more than a month or is extremely painful or swollen, you should have it checked by your doctor. ”

Also, if you have multiple, unexplained bruises or a bruise that keeps returning to the same area, your doctor may order tests to pinpoint the cause. Tests may include X-rays to check for bone fractures and blood tests to check for clotting disorders and vitamin deficiencies.

Why do bruises itch? Causes, treatments, and when to see a doctor

A bruise develops when an injury does not break the skin’s surface but still causes small blood vessels just below the surface to break, leaking blood into the surrounding tissue.

Bruises are also called contusions.

Most bruises heal without medical treatment, and it is normal for a bruise to change colors and even itch during this process.

A bruise will look different according to a person’s skin color and may be more difficult to identify on darker skin. In general, bruises appear as discolored or darker patches on the skin.

Learn more about how to identify bruises on darker skin here.

Bruises can look red or purple when they first appear, changing to yellowy-green as they heal. This is the time when bruises may start itching.

Muscles and bones can bruise, too. Bruises can cause the surrounding areas to become swollen, stiff, and sore. A bruised muscle may cause reduced motion, while more severe bruises, or hematomas, can cause a raised, swollen, and painful bump to form.

Researchers have not determined why some bruises itch. Contributing factors can include dry skin and the healing process itself.

Dry skin is often itchy. If people with dry skin develop a bruise, the area can become very sensitive and painful. If a person does not moisturize the dry skin where the bruise is, the bruise might become itchy.

Older adults may be particularly vulnerable to itchy bruises since they tend to bruise more easily and are more likely to have dry skin.

Long-lasting bruises on the hands and arms are called actinic purpura.

Most often seen in older adults, actinic purpura typically develop due to thin skin, weakened blood vessels, and the use of steroids and blood thinners, such as coumadin and alcohol. People with dry skin may develop itchy bruises.

Bruises are a type of wound known as a pressure wound. According to a 2015 article, itching is a typical healing response for all types of wounds.

Experts say histamine, which the body releases as a wound heals, and high bilirubin levels, which can also increase as wounds heal, can cause itching.

Sometimes, bruises develop as a result of an itch. For example, some people are so sensitive to bites from mosquitos, bed bugs, or other pests that they scratch hard enough to give themselves bruises.

An itchy bruise is usually not a sign of infection.

Experts list increasing pain and swelling, expanding discoloration of the skin, pus, and feeling sick as key signs of wound infection. They do not mention itching as a sign.

Additionally, while many different infections, such as cellulitis, folliculitis, impetigo, and chickenpox, can affect the skin, these do not resemble bruises.

According to the American Cancer Society, itching can have associations with severe illnesses, such as leukemia, cancer of the blood cells. However, when a person has leukemia or another blood cancer, they typically experience itching over their whole body, not just one spot. A person cannot trace this kind of itching back to a rash, bruise, or dry skin.

The basic treatment for bruises, whether they itch or not, involves:

resting and elevating the bruised area if possible and comfortable
icing the site in the first 2 days after the injury
applying heat to the injury after 48 hours
taking over-the-counter (OTC) pain relief medication, if needed

Further treatment can benefit an itchy bruise:

washing the bruised area with warm, not hot, water
using gentle, non-irritating soap
applying soothing lotions to treat dry skin and calm the itch
taking OTC antihistamines, if needed

People who have what appears to be an itchy bruise but have no apparent reason for a bruise may have a skin condition that causes a rash.

For example, skin conditions, such as eczema or atopic dermatitis can cause rashes that are so itchy that people bruise themselves while scratching or rubbing.

The condition can also cause the skin to discolor over time, so the affected area looks more like a bruise than a rash.

Psoriasis is another common skin condition. According to the National Psoriasis Foundation in 2014, more than 8 million people in the United States had psoriasis. Psoriasis can cause itchy scales to develop anywhere on the body, particularly the knees, elbows, and scalp.

When People of Color have psoriasis, their plaques tend to be purple, grayish, or darker brown and may look more like bruises than psoriasis plaques.

The majority of bruises heal without medical treatment. Indications that it may be time to contact a doctor for treatment include:

frequently bruising with no apparent reason
having a bruise that lasts for more than 2 weeks without much improvement
developing signs of infection, such as increasing redness or swelling, around the bruise

Experiencing significant pain or pressure in the injured area may signify a serious condition called compartment syndrome, which requires prompt medical treatment.

Bruises are very common injuries that generally heal on their own without medical treatment.

During the healing process, it is normal for bruises to change color, and some people may experience itching as well.

Experts have not determined one particular cause for itchy bruises, although dry skin and the natural healing process may be factors.

Some skin conditions, such as eczema or psoriasis, may cause rashes that people might confuse with bruises.

It is also possible for people to develop bruises after intensely scratching their skin due to another condition, such as an insect bite or eczema.

Anyone who experiences bruising that seems unusual, infected, or very painful, see a healthcare professional.

Bruises on the body indicate dangerous diseases

May 20, 2021
14:31

How often do many of us get domestic injuries at home or on the street! A hematoma quickly appears at the site of the injury. But what if bruises on the body occur by accident? In the program “About the Most Important” on the channel “Russia 1” they said that this could be a sign of serious illness.

Irina Khodkevich from Chekhov applied to the program “About the Most Important Thing”. She cannot, as before, wear her favorite sundresses and skirts, because bruises began to appear on her arms, legs and even her stomach. On the air of the Russia 1 channel, Sergey Agapkin and Mikhail Politseymako, together with a hepatologist, gastroenterologist, candidate of medical sciences Pavel Bogomolov, discussed diseases that may indicate random hematomas.

Spontaneous bruising is one of the symptoms of liver disease. Other signs that this organ is out of order include swelling, drowsiness, yellowing of the whites of the eyes, and impaired concentration. The heroine is already familiar with some of these symptoms.

“Spontaneous bleeding, bruising is either a rather aggressive course of hepatitis, or emerging or already formed cirrhosis of the liver,” the doctor said.

He added that if liver functions are impaired due to disease, the synthesis of coagulation factors is reduced, which can manifest itself in the form of bleeding. In patients with liver diseases, not only plasma factors of the blood coagulation system decrease, but also cellular ones. These people have low platelet counts, so minimal or no exposure results in skin changes that resemble bruises.

The spectator showed a slight enlargement of the liver, but no other evidence of hepatitis was found. The doctor recommended that she undergo an additional examination.

If you are faced with cirrhosis of the liver, in the first place, according to Pavel Bogomolov, you must give up alcohol. Carbonated sweet drinks are also banned. In addition, Bogomolov advises a diet with limited salt intake. Fermented milk products should appear in the diet, which will help prevent hepatic encephalopathy and infectious complications of liver cirrhosis.

As for the treatment of liver cirrhosis, hepatoprotectors should not be used. “If the cause of the disease is viruses, then we prescribe only antiviral therapy. If the cause of the disease is overweight, insulin resistance, then we prescribe drugs that affect insulin resistance. If these are autoimmune hepatitis, we prescribe hormonal drugs,” the doctor said.

Even more interesting news is in our Telegram channel @smotrim_ru .

health
Sergey Agapkin
Russia 1
bruise/hematoma
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news
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Bruising? This may indicate health problems!

Perhaps, many people have experienced the appearance of bruises on the body, while it was not always possible to remember where they came from. As a rule, a person forgets about minor bumps and injuries during the day, which can cause bruises that turn into bruises over time. However, the sudden and inexplicable appearance of bruises can sometimes indicate health problems. There are 6 possible reasons for their occurrence.

Avitaminosis. Some vitamins play a role in the condition of the blood, its clotting during cuts and wound healing. Minor deficiencies in these vitamins may not cause symptoms, but their deficiency can lead to many symptoms, including bruising. Among these vitamins is vitamin B ₁₂, which, along with folate, is involved in the formation of erythrocyte DNA. Its deficiency may be associated with the appearance of bruises on the body. Vitamin K is important for blood clotting, and a lack of it can lead to rupture of blood vessels, which in turn explains bruising. Finally, vitamin C is responsible for the synthesis of collagen and other proteins that form the skin and blood vessels. Not surprisingly, its lack in the body leads to fragility of blood vessels and bruising.

In this case, the lack of vitamins can be filled by adding foods rich in these compounds to the diet, or starting taking multivitamins. This will help not only eliminate the deficiency of vitamins in the body, but also get rid of bruising caused by this cause.

Aging process. Unfortunately, the aging process is an inevitable cause of bruising. Skin aging leads to its thinning and blanching due to changes occurring in the epidermis. At the same time, changes in the dermis, the deeper layer of the skin, can lead to bruising. The blood vessels of the dermis become more fragile with age, which leads to bruising. Although it is not possible to reverse the aging process, it is believed that avoiding skin damage from direct sunlight for a lifetime can reduce the likelihood of the above skin changes. In addition, good nutrition and hydration of the skin can also help fight the signs of skin aging, as these measures can slow down the process.

Willebrand disease. von Willebrand disease is a hereditary blood disorder characterized by the occurrence of episodic spontaneous bleeding, similar to bleeding in hemophilia. Their cause is a violation of blood clotting due to insufficient activity of the von Willebrand factor. One of the signs of this pathology is also the appearance of bruises on the body.