Injury creating area of discolored skin on the body, caused by a blow or impact rupturing underlying blood vessels without damaging the skin. Medically speaking, bruise is a contusion, an injury to tissue usually without laceration, and a type of hematoma of tissue in which capillaries and possibly venules are damaged by trauma allowing blood to seep just under the skin.
Easy bruising can occur because of deficient blood-clotting elements or when the blood vessels are weakened by diseases (such as scurvy caused by a deficiency of vitamin C), medications (such as aspirin, corticosteroids, coumadin, clopidogrel, prednisone, and prednisolone), supplements (fish oil, ginkgo), nutrient deficiencies (vitamins K, E, C, iron), low estrogen levels (pregnancy, perimenopause, 1st half of menstrual cycle), and aging - because of thinning skin and weakening capillaries.
Easy bruising can occur because of deficient blood-clotting elements or when the blood vessels are weakened by diseases (such as scurvy caused by a deficiency of vitamin C), medications (such as aspirin, corticosteroids, coumadin, clopidogrel, prednisone, and prednisolone), supplements (fish oil, ginkgo), nutrient deficiencies (vitamins K, E, C, iron), low estrogen levels (pregnancy, perimenopause, 1st half of menstrual cycle), and aging - because of thinning skin and weakening capillaries.
