Bruises

A bruise, or contusion or an ecchymosis occurs because of injure to the muscle fibers and connective tissue following an injury. No damage is done to the skin in case of bruises the rupture of the capillaries present beneath the skin generally causes a bruise. The red or purplish mark that appears on the skin is because of the trapped blood from these rupture capillaries beneath the skin.

Causes

Bumping and banging more often than not result into a bruise.
The body heals the bruise all by itself during this healing process the color of the bruise changes from one color to the other. This indicates various stages of healing one can determine the stage of healing with the help of the color of the bruise.

Reddish – immediately after the injury due to the buildup of the blood beneath the skin
bluish-purple or even blackish- after 1 or 2 days as the hemoglobin in the blood changes
greenish or yellowish- After 5 to 10 days
Yellowish-brown or light brown- after 10 or 14 days, it turns

After about 2 weeks the bruise heals completely.

Treatment for a bruise

The following steps can help in speeding up the healing process:
The accumulation of the blood can be reduced by applying ice wrap in a bag or cloth on the bruise immediately after the damage. The swelling and inflammation is reduced by this.
The same process must be sustained for about 2 days.

Even ice-covered vegetables can be used instead of ice.

One should raise the part which has the bruise above the heart level to slow down slow the flow of the red blood cells to the bruise this way less blood will get accumulated.

If the bruise does not heal for a long time then it is improved to consult a doctor.