Hematomas Or Bruises: Know Everything About Them

It is very common to observe that children have bruises (bruises) in some part of their body, the vast majority caused by bumps or falls while playing or starting to walk. However, there are some that have different characteristics and require other care. Let’s learn to differentiate them.

Hematomas or bruises are more common than we think, at the time of receiving a blow or injury to any part of the body, we can observe the color change in the place where it occurred.

The bruises come out as a result of the rupture of the blood vessels that are under the skin, thus forming a blood bag that is visible.

Main causes

The main causes of bruises or bruises are:

• Unexpected or conscious knocks
• Muscle injuries, due to extreme sports or high-risk activities that cause impacts on any part of the body

• They usually appear after a sudden fall, it is the most common in children
• Unexpected that they are those that appear without having had a blow or fall, they are not the most frequent, however, it is important to know about them.

Types of bruises

There are several types of bruises, below we will mention the most frequent:

• The subcutaneous, forms under the skin after an injury
• Intramuscular in areas such as buttocks, legs and arms, an example of this type of bruising can occur when an injection is placed, this can break some of the blood vessels and form the hematoma
• Periosteum, is the one that directly affects the bone, either by drastic falls, or accidents. This type of bruise is very painful.

Any of the bruises mentioned above cause changes in skin pigmentation

How long will the bruise last?

Through color you can also induce the time in which the blow occurred, we show you an easy way to guide us:

Recent: presents red and blue color

Up to 3 days: go from dark blue to purple

After 7 days: yellowish green

Normally, the purples disappear between 2 and 4 weeks depending on the intensity of it.

Bruises without bumps

There are cases of bruises that are noticed frequently and suddenly without being the result of blows. It is important to be vigilant and go to the doctor to make the relevant evaluations.

Some causes of bruises without bumps are:

• Infiltration of blood under the skin, possibly due to insufficient red blood cells

• Decrease in platelets, through a blood test the normal values ​​of the same can be verified
• In the case of women, spontaneous bruising can also be stimulated by venous problems. Blood clotting disorders, called hemophilia
• Age causes capillaries to age, therefore they are more fragile and break more easily
• There are medications that can trigger bruising on the skin such as: anticoagulants or steroids

The appearance of bruises without bumps can occur due to more delicate diseases such as:

• Lymphocytic leukemia
• Hepatic cirrhosis
• Hodgkin lymphoma

Symptoms and care of bruises

Some symptoms of bruises or bruises are:

• Intense pain depending on the magnitude of the blow, otherwise it is mild but very sensitive to the touch
• Local inflammation that can even spread internally to other areas
• Almost immediately, discoloration of the skin begins to show and in many cases the muscle is sensitive and it is painful to mobilize that member

Caring for a bruise or bruise

At a medical level, treatment is generally based on the use of analgesics that help relieve pain and local anti-inflammatories and taken orally. However,  at home we can also help improve each of the symptoms with the following recommendations:

• Ice is an effective alternative, reduces inflammation and relieves pain
• A homemade and natural product such as chamomile is ideal to reduce inflammation

• If the bruise is on the legs, elevating them a bit can help with swelling and improve circulation.
• Medications, if necessary, must be indicated by the doctor
• Depending on the degree of the blow, rest can be beneficial

The most important thing in terms of bruises and hematomas is to know in detail how it happened and if there is no known explanation, go to the specialist to detect any health problem in time.