Why do I Bruise Easily?
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Everyone bruises from times to time. If one is constantly banging against furniture or involved in heavy contact sports, bruises are expected. Some people bruise easily, while others can be knocked about frequently with no apparent bruising. However, there may be some factors to explain why you bruise easily.
The amount of fat covering your body may be a contributing factor if you tend to bruise easily. If you do not have an adequate layer of body fat, then bruises will sometimes appear with the slightest knock. This is one of the reasons why some elderly people and children bruise easily. They may not have adequate fat on their arms and legs and may tend to bruise easily in these areas.
Bruising occurs when blood vessels under the skin break or burst due to a knock or injury. When damaged, the capillaries leak blood under the skin, and purplish or red bruising results. The colors of the bruise will change as the swelling dies down and the bruise fades.
Bruising does not only occur on the skin's surface. Deeper bruising can affect the tissues and organs. Although you will not be able to see these bruises, they can still swell and cause pain. A doctor should be consulted for any internal injury or pain.
Another reason that some people bruise easily is a rare genetic disorder called von Willebrand disease, which prevents the blood from clotting properly. This disorder affects at least 1% of the population. The symptoms of von Willebrand disease include excessive bleeding, especially in the nose and gums. The condition can also cause sufferers to bruise easily, typically in unusual locations. Symptoms of von Willebrand disease can be very mild, and for this reason, the condition often goes undetected. Von Willebrand disease is treated with a medication called Desmopressin.
Bruising is not abnormal. In some cases, you may bruise easily for no apparent reason from time to time. The colors of a bruise can sometimes look frightening, but they depend on the severity of the injury. If you experience any bruising that seems unusual, consult a doctor. Bruising can sometimes be a symptom of other illness, such as an irregularity in the liver or the blood clotting mechanism.
If you bruise easily due to accidental or sports-related injuries, it is best to limit the amount of bleeding that occurs. This can be achieved simply by applying an ice pack to the area. If you have no ice available, simply take a bag of frozen vegetables from the freezer and apply it to the bruise.
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44
i am 17 years old. and i have had the same bruises for 3 months and they are not going away. I don't know what's wrong with me. - anon47336
43
I'm 15 and I bruise very easily. Just today, two have popped up; one on my right palm and another on the top half of my left arm. I don't play any sports to hurt myself in and I don't remember doing anything that could actually cause these bruises. It usually takes a couple weeks for them to go away, but even then the places still hurt if pressure is applied. Is something wrong with me? - anon46769
42
i keep bruising. i have seven bruises on my leg that came overnight. i seem to wake up with huge bruises always on my legs. I'm really worried about this. I take thryroine and cacium tablets. Could that be a factor? it's worrying. i am 28
- anon46454
41
I am 20 years old and for six months now I have been having problems with bruising really easily. I use to never bruise so when I started to get little brown bruises I didn't think anything of it but now the bruises are getting bigger and happen for what seems like no reason. My doctor has done tests on me and I am said to be fine. The bruises still come though, I am still tired all the time and I still have what I call the foggy brain. Now when we did my results she said that she can tell I have had mono before because she said it stays in your system. Here is the thing: I have never ever had mono. A sister of mine did but when she had it I was not around her. I am also getting sick more often. This might also help: at the beginning of this year I had a blood clot that came and went in like three weeks. No one knew why I had a blood clot and we didn't do anything to get rid of the blood clot. I want to know if I am just freaking and making mountains out of mole hills or could there be something really wrong with me. - anon45192
40
I went to the hospital for some back pain. I am currently on Warfarin. One of the doctors gave me a shot for the pain (which should not have been done). Within the hour I got a *large* hemotoma, probably the size of a cantaloupe. weeks later the hemotoma subsided, but I now have bruising going down my leg, and its very painful. I have been to the hospital a couple times since, and they can't seem to find anything wrong. I am scared to death because I had emergency surgery for a blood clot in my leg and the symptoms and pain are almost identical. Any idea/suggestions on what to do, or what can be causing it? Injection was on lower back, above the buttocks, and bruise is down on hip area? - anon42727
39
I tend to bruise easily without any knowledge on how I got them. It tends to be after a night of drinking at the local pub. I walk home and find myself waking up at the bottom of a set of cement stairs through the park covered in bruises. - anon42110
38
When I lightly scratch myself, large dark bruises occur and stay about two weeks. Can you tell me why? - e1448
37
i just counted 35 bruises. most of them on my legs. it's usually after drinking and i always wake up and think i must have fallen a lot. never put two and two together with the blood thinning though. makes sense now. - anon40139
36
I seem to have bruises on my arms and legs and I have no idea how they got there. I have several on my arms at the moment. I take multivitamins and a strong dose of EPA Omega 3 and wondered if this had anything to do with it? - anon39466
35
When i was taking therapeutic dosages of vitamin C i would get very large bruises which did not fade until i stopped taking the vitamin C. Usually vitamin C works the opposite for bruising. I was tested for bleeding disorders which were negative. Is there any other reason that this could happen. - anon38414
34
I'm 25 and bruise easily on my legs which i thought wasn't such a big deal until I noticed two long bruises on my thighs after leaning against a hard surface for about 10 mintues. They're proper bruises not just red marks and haven't really changed much in 4 days. I'm quite slim but wouldn't say my legs are lacking a proper layer of fat. It's just annoying. I also don't have an iron or vitamin deficiency. - anon37676
33
I easily bruise. Like for example, if some one grabs me, I bruise. my aunt told me that's bad. And I'm scared. Should I see a doctor about this? - anon36372
32
ok, ive bruised over the years. Im 42 now. I noticed during my party days i bruised easier when i drank.. So afer that its been normal for years to a point, excluding sports, or cabinet hits you etc.. well, as you get older you take precautions.. i was taking a bayer aspirin a day. Well, i had anxiety when i was younger, it went away, and with everything going on it came back. So , in case it was something else i was taking an aspirin each day. Well, i would have an attack and to make sure it wasnt anything else i would take, of course, an aspirin. Now i dont know if any of the older people here are taking aspirin but once i started doing this over a couple weeks and a couple a day, i noticed this started to happen. That is my guess. I take an highly absorbable iron pill and good multi. I have to rule out iron and C because i get that in food and my multi.. The aspirin and the blood thinning totally makes sense.
Any thoughts? --JP - anon36225
31
I have heard that bruising can be caused by malabsorbtion in the intestines. Not eating enough whole foods with enzymes to help you break down your food. This causes capillaries to become weak without the vitamins needed. - anon36147
30
I'm a 30 year old mother of 2. For most of my adult life I seem to bruise so easy. Most of the time I have no idea what I did to get them, just lightly brushing up aginst something seems to do it. Everyone is always asking me, how did you get that one, and every time my answer is I don't know. I'm starting to think I should be worried, especially sence they seem to last forever. Right now my legs are covered from my feet to my thighs. What should I do? - anon35609
Editor's reply: Consult your physician.
29
My mother is on coumadin and hit her head (not hard) on bathroom vanity and now has a bruise. Is this dangerous? She does not have a concussion but is internal bleading a risk or concern? --Karen
- anon35086
Editor's reply: Any head injury to someone on coumadin should be reported to her physician.
26
Reply to mnb1064:She could be allergic to latex, I know I am and I have problems with bandaids because of it. - anon32224
25
I pulled a stuck on bandaid off my 3 year old daughter's shoulder and it left 2 bruise like marks, one on each side where the sticky areas of the band aid were. Should I be concerned? Why did that happen? Has that happened to anyone else? - mnb1064
24
Why do I always bruise when I am having my period? - anon29095
23
My family is always getting bruises from playing rough, sports, bumping into things, surgeries, etc. My doctor recommended Bruise Rx from Remedies Cure. It's amazing how fast the bruises go away. I carry it with me in my purse and even have the kids take it ahead of time when things get rough. - sarahsmith67
22
I am 22 years old and not nearly as active as I was when I was a kid. I used to NEVER bruise but now, I bruise very easily. There are a lot of things that have changed so I can't put my finger on it. I used to be very athletic, took a lot of vitamins and overall ate much healthier than I do today.I'm trying to pinpoint if there's a certain vitamin that I should be taking that will help me.. not bruise so easily. I used to box, wrestle and swim; so I beat up my body all the time but never had bruises. I'm going to get back in shape and all that good stuff but I'd like to know if there's a vitamin or something that I can focus on specifically instead of just "living healthier". - anon23702
21
I have bruised easily my whole life, as has my mother. We are both fairly active. She gets nosebleeds but her doctor said it was due to high BP. I have good BP, and no problem with clotting or excessive bleeding otherwise. I have a doozy of a bruise right now from banging my hip into my desk drawer. This is common- I get a huge ugly bruise from something like that at least once a month, and other small ones in between. I have pale skin and the bruises are always black and scary looking. My doctor offered no opinion, other than I may be a bit klutzy. Gee thanks... - anon23311
20
when i lean against myself or talk on the phone for a couple minutes i will be temporarily bruised for ten or fifteen minutes later like a dark red mark, why is this and is this normal? - anon22102
19
If you bruise easily, here are possible reasons why:If you take blood-thinning medications, such as heparin or warfarin; over-the-counter medications such as aspirin or ibuprofen; or certain herbal supplements. If you drink too much alcohol. If you have a vitamin C deficiency. If you have certain conditions of the liver or kidneys. If you have certain bleeding disorders, including hemophilia or von Willebrand's disease. Normal aging. -- Diana Kohnle
- aprilita
17
Hi, I'm 13 years old are I get bruises just by a light bump, should I be worried? - MizukiS
16
ITP, you guys. I've had it for most of my life - and I'm amazed this article doesn't mention it, it's one of the more common causes behind excessive bruising. Get checked out by a doctor if you've had a lot of bruises or bruises that look especially bad and just won't go away (I had it like that, you're not alone). It also can happen in young children, although those cases often spontaneously resolve themselves. You'll have a blood test done to determine just how low your level of platelets is, and from there they'll try to determine the reason behind it. - anon20363
15
Good article. I was wondering if it's true that you shouldn't fly when you have a large bruise as it may cause clotting. - acwhizard
14
bunnys4me- A friend of mine is the same way. Anywhere she scratches welts up. She was diagnosed with dermographia which translates to "writing of the skin". She could literally scratch (lightly) words on here skin and they would welt up and last for hours. Her skin tends to be sensitive to chemicals as well (like chlorine in a pool). - anon15901
13
why when i scratch my side, later on i will notice scratches so bad it looks like i got into a cat fight? - bunnys4me
Editor's reply: our article, what is dermographia?, may have the information you seek!
11
I am a 6'2" male who weighs 180 lbs. I do not have excess body fat at all. I always have a tough time bruising. For instance, I just got nailed with a softball yesterday and it swelled up, but today there is no bruise at all. It is sore but no bruise. Why can I not bruise? Does it have something to do with blood circulation? - anon12729
10
my son bruises easily and gets marks every easily he can get a little scratch and it welts up he is only 18 months old and i dont know why. - anon11895
9
i play soccer and because it's a contact sport every collision i make with another player i bruise and the other person is fine. why is this? - anon11682
8
My sister, seven years old...she bruises easily and i my brother heard it occurs when someone has a illness like lack of blood? - anon6449
7
I always heard that lack of vitamin C was the problem with bruising easily. - anon6244
6
I have dark bruising on the knees frequently.What can be causing this problem?I cannot wear dresses or shorts when it's hot.Need advice. - anon4781
5
Hi, I play volleyball so I know that bruises are expected. But I bruise so much hat my legs (especially my knees) are always bruised during the season. I'm worried about this. No one else on the team bruises like this....I even get bruises from just moving on my knees (kneeling and things like that). Is this normal??? Also, is there something i can do to prevent this from happening?
- anon4044
4
Have you had his iron checked?? - cassntom
3
My son is 3 years old and as of recent (1 mth back) he started to bruise easily. It is all over his body as well as his limbs. I am worried on this. The bruising comes also with swell. Is this normal? - anon3865
2
I am 31 years old and i bruise very easily .. it takes awhile for them to go away i have had one bruise for about 3 months it has faded but it is still there what should i do and should i worry about this? - cassntom
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Written by
Garry Crystal
Last Modified: 04 October 2009
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