WEBVTT - Why Do Bruises Change Color?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from how Stuff Works. Hey, brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Lauren Bogle Bomb And if you're anything like me

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<v Speaker 1>and absent blindedly attempt to walk through solid objects instead

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<v Speaker 1>of around them, you're familiar with bruises. They can be

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<v Speaker 1>embarrassing reminders of less than graceful moments, or, perhaps for

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<v Speaker 1>an athlete with hard one marks from a vigorous workout,

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<v Speaker 1>a mark of profound pride. But however you choose to

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<v Speaker 1>view bruises, they're pretty fascinating. The variety of colorful patterns

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<v Speaker 1>they create on the skin is reason enough to want

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<v Speaker 1>to learn more about these weird and sometimes painful spots

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<v Speaker 1>that everyone is coped with at one point or another.

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<v Speaker 1>Otherwise known as a contusion, a bruise is a mark

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<v Speaker 1>that appears when blood is trapped underneath the surface of

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<v Speaker 1>the skin. Bruises occur when some type of trauma or

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<v Speaker 1>injury crushes tiny blood vessels known as capillaries, but doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>break the skin. As a result of the injury, the

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<v Speaker 1>broken capillaries leak out red blood cells, which get trapped

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<v Speaker 1>under the skin, collecting in a pool that forms the blue, purple, red,

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<v Speaker 1>black blemish. Bruises can feel tender when they first form

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<v Speaker 1>and can be accompanied by some swelling. They usually take

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<v Speaker 1>about two weeks to heal, but some bruises can last months.

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<v Speaker 1>During the healing period, the body breaks down and reabsorbs

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<v Speaker 1>the pooled blood that produced the mark. As this happens,

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<v Speaker 1>the color of the bruises can fade from dark to

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<v Speaker 1>light and take on all kinds of interesting hues along

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<v Speaker 1>the way. When a bruise first forms, it's usually some

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<v Speaker 1>shade of red thanks to the fresh blood just below

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<v Speaker 1>the skin surface. After about a day or two, the

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<v Speaker 1>hemoglobin in the blood cells starts losing its oxygen, which

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<v Speaker 1>is what gives blood its red color in the first place.

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<v Speaker 1>Hemoglobin is the protein that transports oxygen to cells, so

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<v Speaker 1>as it's broken down by the body, it loses that

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<v Speaker 1>oxygen it was carrying, and its red tone darkens and

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<v Speaker 1>shifts to blue, purple, and blackish tones. After a few

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<v Speaker 1>more days, the mark usually fades to green or yellow,

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<v Speaker 1>before being hit with a hint of brown and then

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<v Speaker 1>fading away completely. This color change occurs as the body

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<v Speaker 1>uses the iron in the hemoglobin to form new red

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<v Speaker 1>blood cells. The unused decomposed hemoglobin transforms into a green

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<v Speaker 1>pigment called billa verden, which then converts into a yellow

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<v Speaker 1>or light brown tinged compound called bilirubin. As all these

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<v Speaker 1>products are either reabsorbed or purged from the body, the

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<v Speaker 1>mark fades and disappears. Just About everyone gets bruises, but

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<v Speaker 1>some people are more prone to them than others. Elderly people,

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<v Speaker 1>for example, may be more likely to bruise to too

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<v Speaker 1>thinner skin and softer tissue. Other factors like certain diseases,

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<v Speaker 1>medical conditions, and medications can also increase a person's risk

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<v Speaker 1>for bruising. So what do you do when you get

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<v Speaker 1>a hickey, a shiner, or any other form of contusion.

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<v Speaker 1>The usually time really does heal all wounds. Eventually, a

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<v Speaker 1>serious bruise can develop clots that take months to resolve,

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<v Speaker 1>but will usually go away on their own. And while

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<v Speaker 1>there are plenty of urban myths and tails about how

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<v Speaker 1>to magically banish bruises in a snap, the only legit

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<v Speaker 1>healing method is to chill, literally and figuratively. Doctors recommend

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<v Speaker 1>applying ice right after the injury occurs, and then resting

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<v Speaker 1>the injured area as much as you can for the

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<v Speaker 1>next few days. After that, you can try applying mild

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<v Speaker 1>heat to increase blood flow, which might speed the healing

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<v Speaker 1>process up a little bit. By the way, if you

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<v Speaker 1>find yourself constantly battling bruises, you might want to talk

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<v Speaker 1>to a doctor to investigate whether you have a nutrient deficiency.

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<v Speaker 1>Because your blood requires vitamin K o'clock properly. If you

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<v Speaker 1>don't have enough, you might bruise more easily. Vitamin C

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<v Speaker 1>is also important to protect your blood vessels. Today's episode

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<v Speaker 1>was written by Michelle Konstantinovski and produced by Tyler. Playing

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<v Speaker 1>for moundness and lots of other tender topics, visit our

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<v Speaker 1>home planet, how stuff works dot com