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 is bruising or blood leaking into the tissues surrounding your eye and bone if you get hit there. Most bruises start off as a kind of dark reddish–purple, and as the bruise gets older, it may turn a yellowish, caused by the blood breaking down into its different components.

Bruises gradually disappear over a number of days without needing to do anything. (The leaked blood gets digested by other cells in your body and it 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 it can help keep the bruising to a minimum.

Elevate the injured area to keep the bruising and swelling down. However ugly and painful 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.