Bruising

Bruises and “Black Eyes”

Everyone gets bruised at one time or another, some people more than others. A bruise forms when a blow or a contusion breaks the small blood vessels near the skin’s surface, allowing some blood to leak out under the skin. The trapped blood appears as a black-and-blue mark. The blood leaking into the tissues surrounding the area underneath the skin causes that purplish color. Sometimes, there also are tiny red dots or red splotches.

A black eye denotes bruising or blood leaking into the tissues surrounding your eye and bone after you get hit there. Most bruises start as a kind of dark reddish–purple; as the bruise gets older, it may turn a yellowish color, due to the blood breaking down into its different components. These bruising episodes can be caused by the rupturing of small blood vessels that cause the blood to “leech” out into the surrounding tissues. As the blood cells break down, they release an enzyme that is very irritating to tissue, and is a reason why bruises hurt and are sore for some time after the injury.

Bruises gradually disappear over a number of days without your needing to do anything. (The leaked blood gets digested by other cells in your body and is kind of absorbed). Some bruises can be very large and painful, however. Putting an ice pack of some kind (a bag of frozen peas from the freezer works well) on the bruised area as soon as possible can help keep the bruising to a minimum.

Elevate the injured area to keep the bruising and swelling down. However ugly and painful they are at the time, bruises will all disappear in a few days or a week.

If you notice multiple bruises on your body for no known reason, see your health-care provider, as this may be a sign of something more serious.