bruise

Does This Bruise Make Me Look Old?

Getting older has many interesting twists and challenges. Easy bruising is yet another of those. Some folks, including me, just wake up in the morning and find a big ugly bruise on their arm, hand or leg – with absolutely no pain and no idea how the bruise happened!

Walking around with big ugly purple spots on your skin seems to be yet another hallmark of those lucky enough to age. Bruises DO make us look old.

bruise

A bruise (contusion) is the result of tiny blood capillaries bursting on impact and bleeding into the skin. Typically a bruise will go from red to blue/black to green to yellow and back to normal skin color in a couple of weeks.

Apparently we become more susceptible to bruising after the age of 55 because our capillary walls weaken, and our skin gets thinner. We also lose collagen support in the dermis skin layer (where the capillaries are). Years of sun exposure, smoking and lessening production cause breakdown of collagen.. In addition, some of the medicines we take (those like aspirin, fish oil, garlic, ginger and others) interfere with blood clotting – allowing the blood to spread further in the bruised area.

So what’s an older person to do to control easy bruising?

Beef up your body

Avoid further sun damage to your collagen by staying out of the sun or wearing sunscreen and quitting smoking.

Build up collagen by using skin replenishing moisturizers with retinol and vitamens.

Get enough vitamin C – again to help build collagen.

Don’t bump into things.

Wear long sleeves and long pants to provide another layer of protection if you are prone to bumping into things.

Clear your pathways – to lower your chances of getting bruised.

Help the healing.

As soon as you notice the bruise, start icing it for the first couple of days. Elevate the bruised area to try to keep the swelling down. After a few days, judicial application of hot clothes or heating pads can help speed up the disbursement of the blood from the bruised area.

Cover it up!

If the bruise is in an area you can cover with clothing you can easily cover the area.

Otherwise, try concealing it with concealer makeup. A yellow based concealer lightly applied to the bruised area, then covered with foundation and powder that matches your skin tone may do the trick. Some folks suggest trying to apply mauve lipstick instead. An alternative might be a commercial bruise covering kit – similar to ones used to cover up tattoos. A couple of these (which I have only just heard about) are DermaBlend and CoverMark.

Some folks bruise so easily, that merely touching the skin causes more bruising. If you are one of those, you might not want to try the cosmetic approach.

Usually bruises are a minor inconvenience, but they can be the sign of things more sinister. Please consult proper medical professionals for your unique medical situation and do NOT rely on this article or site for medical advice.