Although bruising on the skin surface, which is also known as bruises among the people, is a situation that almost everyone experiences more than once, it can be a sign of many different health problems if the person does not hit something, develops even though he has not been exposed to trauma or is too large to be incompatible with the size of the trauma.
What is Bruising on the Skin? What Causes Bruising in the Body?
The purple color of the skin surface, which is called bruising, bruises or bruises and defined as ecchymosis in the medical language, can be defined as damage to the capillary structures under the skin due to impacts and blows to the skin. .
Bruises, which become visible to the naked eye from the skin surface, may occur in different colors and shapes, as blood leaks under the skin from the damaged capillaries and this blood settles on the tissues. As the blood leaking from the capillaries to the body tissues due to the blow or trauma gets deprived of oxygen, the bruises, which are first purple, turn brown and finally green over time. Bruises that heal in a maximum of 18 days can cause pain in the first period. The pain and stinging sensation, especially when it is touched, becomes undetectable over time.
Although bruising due to impact and blows is a very normal situation, in some cases, bruising may occur outside of these factors.
- The decrease in platelet count or functionality, which is defined as blood platelets in the blood and helps to stop bleeding by forming a plug in case of bleeding, is disproportionate and manifests itself with sudden bruising in the body.
- Some people may experience bruising in the body due to heavy infections.
- Weakening of the tissues supporting the vessels due to aging can also cause bruising larger than expected in the person's body.
This type of bruising usually takes longer to heal. If the presence of non-traumatic bruising due to many different health problems is noticed, the person must undergo a health check. Thus, it is possible to investigate the cause of the disorders that cause unexplained bruising in the body. The underlying disease can be cured with proper treatment methods.
What Can Bruising on the Body Be a Sign of?
Symptoms of non-traumatic bruising are not different from other bruising. If bruising, which is mostly seen as purple formations on the surface of the skin and causes pain when pressed on, is thought to occur spontaneously, this situation should be informed to the physician.
- Recurrence of bruises,
- Painless,
- Purple in more than one area,
- Bleeding in the gum or genital area accompanying the bruise,
- Fever,
- Additional symptoms such as malaise If there is any, a hematology (blood diseases) specialist should be consulted.
What is the Cause of Bruising in the Body?
Some of the causes that cause bruising in the body can be listed as follows :
Excessive Sunbathing: Exposure to the sun for a long time and not taking protective measures suitable for the skin type may cause bruising by weakening the capillaries in the lower part of the skin.
When pressed on bruises caused by the sun, pain, soreness or tenderness is felt.
It also takes longer than normal to heal bruises due to sun exposure, which mostly occurs on the back of the hands and arms.
Excessive Exercise: During exercise, more blood is pumped to the blood vessels than normal, thus ensuring a healthy oxygenation of the muscles and tissues. However, doing exercises that are not suitable for the person's condition and body type or doing more exercise than necessary can cause the blood in the blood vessels to escape into the tissues.
In the presence of this situation, especially seen in marathon runners and weight lifters, it is recommended to apply cold compresses to the area.
Alcohol Consumption: Alcohol consumption, which can cause many different health problems, can cause bruising in different parts of the body when excessive. Alcohol, which has a toxic effect on the bone marrow, can prevent the production of platelets by the bone marrow.
In case of excessive consumption of alcohol, liver damage also occurs. In both cases, thrombosis cattle production is affected. Depending on the degree of deterioration of liver functions, bruising and itching may occur in the body.
Low levels of vitamin C, which has a share in the production of collagen in the skin, can lead to bruises and bleeding gums.
Steroids and some types of drugs used in the treatment of depression can also cause non-traumatic bruises on the skin.
In addition, unconsciously used nutritional supplements and vitamins can also cause bruises on the skin by causing a decrease in platelet count.
This is caused by the thinning of the skin layer and the blood vessels becoming more fragile.
Therefore, the skin of the person may become bruised even with very light blows.
Which Diseases Caused Bruises on the Skin?
Non-traumatic bruises on the skin can be caused by many different diseases. Blood diseases are at the forefront of these diseases.
- The bruises that occur frequently due to coagulation disorders can be seen due to serious health problems such as leukemia, lymph node diseases and bone marrow cancer.
- Sudden bruises are typical in bruising due to blood diseases. In addition to bruising due to blood diseases, symptoms such as bleeding gums, nose bleeding, genital area bleeding can also be seen.
- In addition to blood diseases, in diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, pneumothorax (air filling in the lungs) and bronchitis of the respiratory system, the skin is purple-blue due to insufficient oxygen reaching the end points of the body or circulatory system insufficiency. takes on a color.
- Intracranial hemorrhage,
- Oxygen deprivation of the brain,
- Congenital cardiovascular anomalies,
- Valve diseases,
- Heart failure,
- Like heart attack Serious health problems can also cause bruising on the skin surface, lips and mucous membranes.
- In addition to all these, bruises may occur due to reasons such as being exposed to cold, living at high altitudes, or suddenly going to high altitude.
How to Treat Bruising ?
Although bruises due to trauma do not require the person to worry, they can accelerate the healing process and alleviate the feeling of pain and pain.
Immediate application of ice dressing to that area after the trauma will cause constriction of the vessels, thereby reducing bleeding into the tissue and related bruising. Providing less blood supply for a while will reduce both swelling and bleeding.
In Which Situations Should a Physician Be Consulted for Bruising on the Body?
Multiple, sudden and spontaneous, non-traumatic or disproportionate to trauma, accompanied by nose and/or gingival bleeding, especially in young boys Unexplained bleeding should be evaluated by a physician as it may be a sign of blood diseases.
Read: 21
