Bruise

A bruise is a mark on your skin.

It happens when you bump or fall. This can break tiny tubes inside you. Blood leaks out under your skin.

The blood makes a blue or purple color. It might feel sore or tight. Soon, the mark may turn green or yellow.

Your body works to clean up the blood. Then the bruise will go away. It is amazing how your body heals itself!

A bruise is a mark on your skin. Scientists call it a contusion.

It happens when you bump or fall. This causes blunt trauma, which is a physical hit. This hit can break tiny tubes called capillaries.

When these tubes break, blood leaks into the spaces around your cells. This is called internal bleeding. The blood stays under your skin. This makes the area look blue, red, or black.

As the bruise heals, the colors change. This happens because your body breaks down hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the part of blood that carries oxygen. It changes into biliverdin, which looks green. Then it becomes bilirubin, which looks yellow. Finally, it turns into hemosiderin, which looks brown.

Your immune system helps clear the blood away. Most small bruises heal in about two weeks. Some big bruises can be more serious. They might cause swelling or deep pain. If a bruise is very large, you should see a doctor.

A bruise is a type of internal bleeding called a contusion.

It happens when blunt trauma, like a hit or a fall, damages your body. This trauma causes physical compression or deceleration forces. These forces break tiny blood vessels called capillaries. When they break, blood leaks into the surrounding interstitial tissues. This blood stays under the skin instead of escaping through it. If the skin breaks, it is called a hemorrhage instead of a bruise.

Most bruises happen close to the surface of the skin. This makes the bleeding easy to see as a color change.

There is a specific way a bruise works inside your body. First, the damaged capillary endothelium releases a hormone called endothelin. This hormone narrows the blood vessel to help stop the bleeding. Next, the broken vessel exposes a factor called von Willebrand factor. This helps start coagulation, which is the way your body makes a clot. This clot acts like a plug for the wound.

As time passes, your immune system works to clear the blood away. The bruise stays visible until the tissues absorb the blood or the immune system removes it.

Scientists use different names to describe different kinds of marks. A bruise is a type of hematoma, which is a collection of blood. Small marks under 3 millimetres are called petechia. Marks between 3 and 10 millimetres are called purpura. If a mark is 1 centimetre or larger, it is called an ecchymosis.

Some ecchymoses are far away from where the injury actually happened. For example, "raccoon eyes" can happen from a skull fracture. These different names help doctors understand how the bleeding started.

Bruises can look many different colors as they change. At first, they might look red, blue, or almost black. This depends on if broken venules or arterioles caused the leak.

The colors change because your body breaks down hemoglobin. Hemoglobin produces a red-blue color. When it breaks down into biliverdin, the bruise looks green. Then it turns into bilirubin, which looks yellow. Finally, it becomes hemosiderin, which looks golden-brown.

Most light bruises heal in about two weeks.

Many things can change how a bruise looks or feels. For example, females may bruise more because they have more subcutaneous fat. Elderly people often bruise easily because their skin is thinner. Even your genes can matter, as natural redheads may bruise more easily.

Sometimes, bruises can be very serious and need a doctor. A harm score can be used to measure this danger from 0 to 5. A score of 5 means a critical bruise that could lead to death. Serious bruises might lead to things like compartment syndrome or even a brain injury.

A bruise, scientifically known as a contusion, is a specific type of hematoma. A hematoma is a collection of blood that has pooled inside your body's tissues.

Most bruises are caused by blunt trauma. This occurs when physical compression or deceleration forces damage the body. These forces break tiny blood vessels called capillaries. When these vessels break, blood leaks into the surrounding interstitial tissues. This is called extravasation, which means the blood moves into the spaces between cells. Because the skin remains intact, the bleeding is localized under the surface. If the skin actually breaks, the injury is classified as a hemorrhage rather than a bruise.

When a bruise forms, your body immediately begins a complex biological response. The damaged capillary endothelium, which is the inner lining of the vessel, releases a hormone called endothelin. This hormone causes the blood vessel to narrow to minimize further bleeding. As the endothelium is destroyed, a substance called von Willebrand factor is exposed. This factor initiates coagulation, which is the process of forming a blood clot. This clot acts as a temporary plug to seal the damaged vessel.

Nerve endings in the area may detect the increased pressure from the leaking blood. This pressure is often perceived by the person as pain or physical pressure.

Medical professionals use specific terms to categorize different types of skin discoloration based on size. Small spots called petechiae are less than 3 millimetres in diameter. These can result from many causes, such as straining, asphyxiation, or reactions to medications like warfarin. Larger marks between 3 and 10 millimetres are called purpura.

When a mark is 1 centimetre or larger, it is called an ecchymosis. While some use the terms bruise and ecchymosis interchangeably, some schemas differentiate them. An ecchymosis may be remote from the original site of trauma. For example, "raccoon eyes," or periorbital ecchymosis, can result from a basilar skull fracture or a neuroblastoma.

The changing colors of a bruise are a visual map of how your body breaks down blood. This process involves the sequential degradation of hemoglobin, which is the protein in red blood cells. Initially, the bruise may appear red, blue, or almost black. This color depends on whether broken venules or arterioles caused the leak.

As the body processes the blood, hemoglobin breaks down into biliverdin, which creates a green color. Next, it turns into bilirubin, which appears yellow. Finally, the process results in hemosiderin, which looks golden-brown.

These products are eventually cleared by the immune system, and the bruise disappears.

Several biological factors influence how easily or severely a person bruises. Age is a major factor, as elderly skin is often thinner and less elastic. Gender also plays a role, as females may experience more bruising due to increased subcutaneous fat. Even genetics can be a factor; for instance, natural redheads may bruise more visibly.

The location of the injury matters as well, because areas with more extensive vascularity, like the arms and shins, tend to bleed more. Additionally, the type of tissue affects the spread. In soft tissues, blood can invade more easily, resulting in a larger bruised area than in firmer tissues.

While many bruises are minor, some can be life-threatening and are measured using a harm score from 0 to 5. A score of 0 represents a light bruise with no damage, while a score of 5 is a critical bruise that carries a risk of death.

Serious bruising can lead to a hematoma that forms a hard, fluctuating lump. This swelling can cause compartment syndrome, where pressure cuts off blood flow to the tissues. Severe impacts to the head can cause traumatic brain injury, involving brain swelling and bleeding. In such cases, emergency surgery might be required to relieve the pressure on the brain.

Understanding the context of a bruise is vital for medical diagnosis. For instance, bruising around the navel combined with severe abdominal pain may suggest acute pancreatitis. Unexplained bruising can also be a warning sign for various medical conditions, including leukemia, meningococcal infection, or clotting disorders.

In forensic science, bruises found during an autopsy can indicate if an injury occurred while a person was still alive. By studying these patterns, doctors and scientists can better understand the underlying cause of the injury.