Bruises locally limited | Blue mark

Bruises locally limited

In the following, we will go into more detail about bruises in certain parts of the body. As the face is rarely affected by bumps and falls, bruises are usually less common. Particularly in the case of falls, it is the body’s own reflexes that should protect the head in the best possible way if the arms are supported (in time) by the head.

The most frequent bruises on the face are thus caused by sudden accidents or by scuffles and violence against the head. Again, bruising is particularly easy to develop in those areas of the face where the skin over the facial bones is thin: for example, over the cheek bones, around the eye sockets and on the chin or forehead. A good example of a bleeding in the facial area is the eyeglass haematoma.

This is a ring-shaped bruise around both eyes (a bruise around only one eye is called monocular hematoma). Equally well known is the “violet”, a bruise around the eyelid, which can be caused by a blow or impact on the eye. Bruises on the lip are easily caused not only by falls, accidents or the like, but also by accidental bites on the lip tissue.

The reason for this is the very sensitive mucous membrane of the lip and mouth area. As a result, bruises on the lip can be very painful, depending on their size, and can interfere with chewing or speaking. However, as highly sensitive as the mucous membrane of the lip is, bruises there also heal very quickly. To support the healing process, the affected area can be cooled, arnica and heparin ointment can be applied and St. John’s wort oil can be applied. Other ointments/gels containing camphor or menthol should not be applied to the lip area, as they are not suitable for contact with mucous membranes.

Bruise on the chest

A bruise can also occur on the chest – as everywhere on the body. Here, the skin and breast tissue is usually somewhat thicker. This provides a greater buffer to the underlying bones.

As a result, bruises do not usually occur as easily here as in other parts of the body. Nevertheless: the breast tissue and the skin above the breast are also well supplied with blood. In the event of knocks, falls, blows or accidents, the blood vessels can be injured here as well and bleeding into the skin tissue can occur.

Hickeys are also nothing more than bruises. They are caused by a suction effect which injures the vessels and thus causes a small bleeding. Depending on the strength of the bleeding and the size of the bruise, it can also feel rough and knotty.

But this should not immediately make you think of breast cancer: the blood that has leaked from the blood vessels and seeped into the surrounding tissue can appear as if it has been encapsulated during the process of organizing and healing. If, on the other hand, bruises on the breast occur without any prior violent action and other changes to the breast (e.g. inflammation, changes in shape, palpable lumps, etc. ), then a doctor should be consulted.

Because these may be signs of benign or malignant breast tissue changes after all. Bruises are also common on the arm, as the skin over the bones is not too thick either. This means that the blood vessels running in it are not excessively well embedded and buffered.

Especially in the area of the elbow, which is often affected by falls, accidents and impacts, bruises and bruising occur easily. If this only results in bleeding into the skin tissue, this is not serious. Depending on the size and strength of the bleeding, the bruise can be more or less painful during the healing phase.

However, if it bleeds into the elbow joint itself, it can cause severe pain. The same applies to the shoulder joint, which is often affected by falls and impacts. How easily bruises occur depends on the blood circulation in the respective tissue, the resistance of the blood vessels and the tendency to bleed.

Bruises on the stomach can have various causes. Apart from minor uncomplicated injuries such as a blow or injection, there can also be more serious reasons. Especially haematomas, which are simultaneously accompanied by severe pain and swelling as well as circulatory disorders, should be examined more closely.

Traffic accidents can result in injuries to the abdominal cavity, which can injure both larger and smaller vessels. The blood loss then takes place inside the body. In addition to circulatory problems, abdominal pain also occurs.

The bleeding can be fast or slow, so the symptoms can sometimes take several days to appear. Large haematomas on the abdomen and flanks should therefore always be clarified by a doctor to avoid major blood loss and the complications associated with it. Most bruises on the leg are caused by bumps, injuries or during sporting activities.

These bruises are not dangerous and usually heal within two weeks. Bruises that occur spontaneously and without any explainable reason should be observed more closely. These bruises can also be the result of a serious disease such as haemophilia, in which coagulation is disturbed and the patient is more prone to bleeding.

Another problem is a greater bleeding into the muscle tissue of the lower leg. These injuries can cause a lot of blood to flow into the muscle and eventually lead to compartment syndrome. The leg swells very strongly.

The superficial skin is also very tense. Due to the swelling, there is a risk that the following but also surrounding tissue is no longer supplied with blood. If this symptom is not treated, there is a risk that the tissue will die.

Bruising occurs particularly easily in those parts of the body where the distance from the skin to the underlying bone is not great. Especially in the area of the knee the skin is only very thin. The blood vessels running in the skin and the blood vessels around the knee are therefore not too well embedded.

This means that they can easily burst in accidents, falls and shocks, causing bleeding into the tissue of the knee and eventually causing bruising. However, bruises in the area of the knee sometimes become unpleasant if they do not only occur in the area of the knee skin, but if there is bleeding into the knee joint itself. These usually do not occur as a result of a slight impact or fall, but rather in the context of sports injuries, when there are tears in the menisci, the knee ligaments or bone fractures.