Should you be a total klutz just like myself, developing bruises is as common to you as breathing air. Not a day goes by that you do not trip, knock and bump into something or someone, and when a new bruise crops up, chances are you don’t even know how how it happened and then proceed to move on with your life. They occasionally remained unexplained and well, you’re okay with it.
With that said, why do you bruise so easily compared to some of your friends? How does it happen and more importantly, why? We divulge:
How do bruises form?
The splotchy, purple patches on the skin are scientifically labelled as contusions and what happens when a bruise forms is that the blood vessels get broken due to a skin injury. The discolouration is caused by blood that leaks from these injured blood vessels, pooling into the surrounding areas.
Why do some bruise more easily than others?
Around 18% of the world population bruise more easily than others and this can be the result of a whole plethora of reasons. This includes fragile blood vessels, lower platelet count, clotting deficiencies, thinning skin (more prone in ageing men and women), and a poor diet that lacks the proper nutrients, such as Vitamin C which is essential for any sort of healing.
Of course, high-intensity exercises can also cause bruising as you’re exerting the muscles, so much so that tiny tears form in the blood vessels. Unfortunately, the fairer sex also often have more fragile blood vessels so bruising will be more common no matter what you do to avoid the little accidents.
The occasional bruising definitely isn’t worrying, but should any bruise swell or cause debilitating pain, head straight to the doctor!
