When someone hits you — or you bump into something hard — it can break the small blood vessels beneath your skin. That's where a bruise forms. This happens because the blood leaks out and has nowhere else to go. It stays there until your body absorbs it while you're healing.
Once you're bruised, you'll have that telltale black-and-blue mark on your skin for up to two weeks. The bruise should change colors as it heals. You may also have some pain and swelling. It will hurt most in the first few days after your injury.
When you're bruised, there are simple things you can do to help with the healing process. Here are some tips that may help your bruise go away faster.
Ice Therapy
Put ice on your bruise right after you get injured. That can reduce the size of your bruise, which may allow it to heal faster. The cold temperature from an ice pack makes the blood in that area flow more slowly. It may reduce the amount of blood that leaks out of your vessels.
Don't put ice directly on your bruise. Protect your skin by wrapping the ice in a washcloth or paper towel. Take the ice off after about 10 minutes. Leaving it on for too long could harm your skin. It's OK to put ice on your bruise several times a day, as long as you take a break after every time you do it. Ask your doctor before using ice if you have blood flow or nerve issues, as ice can make these problems worse.
Peas, yes. If you don't have any ice in your freezer, reach for a bag of frozen peas instead of a steak. Place the whole bag of veggies on your bruise for 10 minutes at a time to ease the pain, just like you would with ice.
Steak, no. You may have seen people in old movies or cartoons putting raw steaks on their bruises — especially on black eyes. Don't do this yourself. It's not safe to handle raw meat or place it against your eye or another body part because it may be loaded with bacteria. Steaks and other raw meats don't have special healing powers that can help with a bruise. Raw meat tends to be cold, and that's why it may have been used to soothe sore spots in decades past.
Heat Therapy
Heat boosts blood flow, and that can help clear up a bruise. Put a heating pad or warm compress on the bruise several times a day for 15-20 minutes each time.
Don't use heat right away. Use ice first to limit swelling, then switch to a warm pack after two days. Putting heat on a fresh bruise can make it swell and hurt more.
Wrap in a towel. As with an ice pack, always wrap the warm pack with a towel before putting it on your skin. To avoid burns, make sure the warm pack is not hotter than 113 F.
Take a bath. If your bruise is larger, try soaking in a warm bath to help ease your pain. This can help cover a bigger area and loosen up your muscles.
Ask your doctor about using heat (pads or hot baths) if you have diabetic nerve damage, blood flow or heart conditions, or open sores or if you're pregnant. Heat can make these issues worse.
Rest and Elevate
Running around after you get a bruise keeps your heart pumping hard and sends more blood into the injured area. This can make the bruise bigger and more painful.
Stop what you're doing. If you get kicked during a soccer game, get off the field. Get off your feet. This slows down the blood flow to your bruise.
Use gravity. Lift the bruised area above the level of your heart while you rest. When the sore spot is below the level of your heart, the blood there pools more easily, which can make the bruise larger. But when the sore spot is lifted above your heart, more blood will flow back to your heart.
For best results, combine steps: Rest the bruise, and raise it above the level of your heart.
Compression
Compression is when you put pressure on the injured area. It can help ease any swelling caused by the bruise. Use an elastic bandage you can find in many pharmacies over the counter.
Make it snug but not too tight. If your skin below the bandage turns pale or blue or feels cool, numb, or tingly, loosen it right away, as blood flow is getting cut off. If you have health issues related to blood flow, ask your doctor before using it.
Wrap the area for the first one or two days. This keeps the swelling from getting out of control while the bruise is forming.
Don't massage the area. You may break more blood vessels under the skin and make the bruised area larger.
Pain Relievers
Your pain should begin to go away about three days after you were bruised. In the meantime, if the bruise really hurts or is swollen, you can take over-the-counter (OTC) drugs to relieve your pain. These include:
- Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
- Menthol topical (Biofreeze, Icy Hot, and others)
- NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Caldolor, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn, others)
If you choose an NSAID, there's a risk of a slight increase in bleeding, especially in elderly patients or if you're already taking a blood thinner drug.
Natural Treatments
A few natural substances may help get rid of a bruise more quickly, including:
Arnica. A cream made with this flower may help lessen the effects of a bruise.
Bromelain. A group of enzymes found in the pineapple may help make a bruise go away faster.
Aloe vera. This plant has vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that soothe and moisturize the skin. It's used to treat many types of skin conditions, including bruises.
Vitamin K. Older research has shown that phytonadione, or vitamin K1, may speed up the healing of bruises.
If you have any health conditions or take any medicines, check with your doctor before using natural remedies. Some may interact with drugs in harmful ways or make existing health problems worse.
Hematomas vs. Bruises
A bruise is a flat, colored mark caused by minor blood leaking under the skin. It typically heals within a week or two. A hematoma is a larger pool of blood that forms a painful lump or swelling. It can take a few weeks to a few months to go away, depending on how big and deep it is.
Key Differences
Causes
Bruises usually happen after a minor injury that breaks tiny blood vessels under the skin. For example, you may get a bruise from a bump, fall, or a sports hit. Hematomas come from impact to bigger or deeper blood vessels. They usually happen from more serious trauma, such as car crashes, major falls, fractures, or head injuries. Certain factors raise your risk of getting a hematoma, such as if you take blood‑thinning medicines, live with a bleeding disorder, or have certain viral infections.
Symptoms
A bruise is generally a flat area of skin that may look red, blue, purple, brown, or almost black, depending on your skin tone and the bruise's age. It may feel tender, swollen, and sore. The body part where you have the bruise may feel stiff, or you may have a hard time moving it. The color of the bruise usually changes over many days as your body breaks down the blood, then fades away. Most simple bruises start to fade within a few days. They usually clear in about one to two weeks.
A hematoma can look and feel a lot like a bruise but may be more firm, raised, or swollen because blood has pooled in one spot under the skin or deeper in your muscle. But hematomas, especially deep or large ones in muscle or around organs, may take weeks to months to heal.
Treatments
You can use many of the same home remedies used for bruises to help a hematoma heal, such as resting, icing the area, and taking OTC pain relievers. Your doctor will also treat any clotting problems or give fluids or blood if the hematoma causes a big drop in your blood counts. Large, growing, or very painful hematomas may need a procedure to drain the blood or a surgery to remove blood clots and stop ongoing bleeding.
When Should You Call a Doctor About a Bruise?
You can treat most everyday bumps safely at home. But deeper or more serious hematomas, especially in the head, can also cause symptoms such as:
- Severe headache
- Confusion
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Seizures
- Vision changes
If you have these symptoms, you may be bleeding in your brain and need to get emergency care.
Even if your bruise is not a hematoma, there may be signs that it still needs a doctor's care. Some bruises can point to other issues such as blood disorders, liver disease, medicine side effects, or serious injuries such as brain bleeds or compartment syndrome. Here's how to know when to call your doctor:
| Treat at home | Get care |
|---|---|
The bruise follows a clear bump or fall. The bruise is in a typical spot like your arm, leg, or hip. | You get bruises often from minor bumps. You don't know why you keep getting them. |
The bruise is small to medium in size and only a little sore. Your pain improves over a few days. | The bruise is very large or very painful. Your swelling gets worse. |
| The bruise changes color over one to two weeks (blue‑purple to green‑yellow) until it fades. | You still have a bruise after one to two weeks. A new bruise appears in the same spot or other spots for no reason. |
You can move the bruised area normally even if it's a bit sore.
| You can't move the bruised area. The bruise feels weak, numb, tingling, very tight, or full. |
You don't have any other symptoms, such as bleeding, in other body parts.
| You have a bruise along with other bleeding or tiny red or purple dots (petechiae). You feel tired or sick. |
Your swelling is mild and goes away with the help of home remedies and time.
| Your swelling gets worse. You feel a firm lump or very tight pain under the bruise. |
| You have a bruise on your head or neck but no headache, confusion, vomiting, or vision changes. | You have a head or neck bruise with these symptoms. |
Takeaways
Bruises are usually a normal response to everyday bumps. Most get better and clear up on their own with rest, ice, or other remedies such as heat or OTC pain relievers. If a bruise is small, follows a clear injury, and fades over a week or two, home care is typically all you need.
But some bruises are hematomas. This means that there's more blood pulling deep under the injury. This can be more painful and take longer to heal. Other bruises may point to other health problems or more serious injuries. It’s a good idea to call your doctor if you feel stronger pain, have a lump or tight swelling, or have any unusual symptoms along with your bruise, especially if you don't remember a recent injury.
FAQs
What does the color of my bruise mean?
Bruises change color as they heal. They're often red at first, then turn blue or purple in a day or two, then green or yellow, and finally yellow‑brown before fading over about one to two weeks.
Can you bruise without an injury?
Bruises can show up even when you don't remember a bump. If you get bruises you can't explain often, you may have a health condition such as liver disease or blood clotting issues. It's worth checking with a doctor.
How long does a deep muscle bruise take to heal?
A deep muscle bruise often takes around four to six weeks to heal.
