Vitamin K. According to Women's Health, vitamin K deficiency could be the cause of easy bruising. Vitamin K is a fat-soluble nutrient that is essential for blood clotting and helps strengthen the walls of the capillaries so they will be less prone to breakage.
Vitamin C, K, and B12 have all been linked to increased risk for developing bruises easily on the skin. If any one of these essential nutrients is low, it could lead to more frequent or severe cases of easy bruising.
Vitamin K Deficiency
Vitamin K may not get as much attention as some other vitamins. But it plays an important role in blood clotting. If you don't get enough vitamin K, you could get more bruises. Still, most healthy adults get enough of this vitamin from foods like leafy green vegetables.
Vitamin C supplements have been shown to reduce bruising in people with low vitamin C intake. Doctors often suggest that people who experience easy bruising supplement with 100 mg to 3 grams of vitamin C per day for several months.
Easy bruising sometimes indicates a serious underlying condition, such as a blood-clotting problem or a blood disease. See your health care provider if you: Have frequent, large bruises, especially if your bruises appear on your trunk, back or face or seem to develop for no known reasons.
The dermis becomes less flexible. Subcutaneous fat, which pads and protects small blood vessels underneath, thins out. And blood vessels underneath the subcutaneous fat become more fragile. These changes are more pronounced in people born with female anatomy, so women tend to bruise more easily than men.
Someone lacking in iron, needed to make the hemoglobin for blood to carry oxygen throughout the body, might bruise easily.
One of the best ways to avoid bruises completely is to make sure our capillaries are strong and flexible. A balanced diet, with plenty of bioflavonoids is your best bet. Good sources of bioflavonoids include dark, leafy greens, garlic, onions, and dark-coloured berries.
Unexplained leg bruising can be due to liver disease, nutritional deficiencies, autoimmune conditions, and other disorders. Bruising often occurs when blood vessels beneath the skin incur damage. Blood leaks out of the vessels and pools beneath the skin, which causes skin discoloration.
If you develop bruises easily, you may have a vitamin B12 deficiency. Vitamin B12 is needed for your body to produce healthy blood cells and is in many types of food, but according to research, a large number of adults are deficient in this vital nutrient.
A mild deficiency may not cause any discernible symptoms, but at levels moderately lower than normal, a range of symptoms such as feeling tired, weak, lightheadedness, headaches, dizziness, rapid breathing, rapid heartbeat, cold hands and feet, low-grade fevers, tremor, cold intolerance, easy bruising and bleeding, ...
Without enough vitamin D, you may be more prone not only to increased bruising, but also to longer bruise-repair time. Although not specifically related to bruises, this study suggests that vitamin D may have a role in the process of forming new skin, assisting in injury or wound recovery.
While leukemia bruises can form anywhere on the body, they are most commonly found on the arms and legs.
The connective tissue of the dermis is no longer able to adequately support the microvasculature. Consequently, minor trauma can rupture blood vessels, leading to extravasation of blood. This age-related condition is called actinic purpura.
Pineapple (Bromelain)
The anti-inflammatory properties of Bromelain help reduce bruising and swelling. Here at Jae Kim, MD Facial Plastic Surgery, we encourage our patients to eat pineapples or drink pure pineapple juice to help reduce downtime.
Heal bruises on the skin
“Banana peels contain tons of antioxidants and potassium, both of which help heal dark spots or hyperpigmentation, leaving your skin looking healthier and more even,” Phoebe says. Just apply a small piece of the banana peel to a bruise, cover with a bandaid and let it sit overnight.
Ironically, bananas can help us to heal our own bruises faster. Similar to the wart remedy, cut a patch from the banana peel the size of your bruise, and tape it to your skin.
People with iron deficiency anemia may experience itchy skin (pruritis) that can become red, bumpy and sore when scratched. Rashes associated with aplastic anemia usually appear as tiny red or purple dots under your skin (petechiae). The dots can form large patches but aren't usually itchy or painful.
Other causes of easy bruising
Certain types of cancer. Inherited bleeding disorder. Certain medications (NSAIDs, aspirin, and other blood thinners) Aging as the subcutaneous tissue decreases, leading to easily damaged blood vessels.