Many of us have had the unpleasant experience of dealing with a bruise. Whether you accidentally bumped into something or were hit during a sporting event, bruises can be painful and unsightly. But there are some things you can do to speed up the healing process with tips on how to heal bruises quickly.
Bruises are the most common minor injury experienced in daily life. But they always take a long to disappear.
They may be a major inconvenience and often embarrassing, especially when they're obvious on your face, arms, or legs.
Now read the below 10 tips on how to make a bruise heal fast.
How Bruises Happen
Like it or not, bruising is your body's natural reaction to trauma.
Bruises appear whenever there is a breakage in the capillaries near the surface of the skin.
The discoloration comes from trapped blood and the pooling of tiny blood vessels near the surface of the skin.
Over time, the pooling will lessen and fade. In most cases, bruises happen due to bumps, bangs, and accidents.
Sometimes, more serious problems cause bruises to happen for no reason at all.
Most bruises do not require medical attention, but there are cases where you may need to see a doctor for treatment. In most cases, simply following these simple tips will help you heal a bruise quickly and without any complications.
The most common causes of frequent, unexplained bruising
- Bleeding disorders. There are certain medical conditions that cause the blood vessels to break more easily.
- Medications. Certain medications can make you more prone to bruising. Blood thinning medications, for example, can cause bruising.
- Poor nutrition. In some cases, a nutritional imbalance may be the blame for bruising easily.
- Age. is a factor which causes the elderly to bruise more easily.
- A deficiency of vitamin K. which is involved in blood clotting. (Vitamin K is in dark leafy vegetables)
When to Seek Help If You Have a Serious Bruise
If you bruise easily, there are various potential causes.
Seeing your doc when you have a serious bruise is generally a good idea.
Some other potential reasons to contact your doctor include:
- Unexplained bruising on any part of your body that is extensive
- Bruising that happens under normal, everyday actions. In some people just doing something that causes the slightest pressure can cause bruising. This is not normal.
- If a bruise doesn't fade after two weeks, medical advice is generally advised.
How to Heal a Bruise Quickly
Now comes the most important part… Learning how to heal a bruise quickly.
To heal a bruise faster, the first thing you need to do is be prepared!
A fully-stocked first aid kit is always a good idea.
You cannot afford to wait until professional medical help arrives.
If you react immediately and apply a good ice pack to the bruised area, you can prevent most of the damage.
Take care of and heal your bruises quickly in 10 steps
Treating bruises is something that generally can be done at home. In most cases, bruises need nothing more than time to heal. It is, however, possible to speed up the healing process quickly with these 10 tips and tricks.
1. Hot and Cold Therapy
First of all, it's important that you follow a daily treatment regimen using hot and cold therapy packs.
Experts generally recommend using cold therapy every few hours for at least 10 minutes at a time (take care not to leave ice on the wound for too long). Icing can help reduce severe pain and swelling.
Consider heat therapy later. Warm heat can be useful for helping with the healing process. It should be used after swelling has been reduced and/or completely removed.
You can also make a warm compress using aloe vera gel to speed healing a bruise.
If possible elevate the affected area to reduce swelling and pain to speed up the healing process.
2. Vitamin E or K Cream
Another method is to apply vitamin K cream to the bruise directly.
Research has proven that Vitamin K can minimize the look of bruised skin.
3. Apply Pressure
Though it might sound impractical… One home remedy is to push the bruised area quite hard for about 30 seconds to stimulate blood flow to the spot.
4. Salt and Butter to Help the Bruise Heal Faster
Rub a mixture of salt and butter on the bruised area as soon as possible to help the bruise heal faster.
Butter is a fat and contains phosphate which is the leading ingredient in phospholipids that make up your blood vessel cell walls.
By applying butter you encourage phospholipids and prevent bleeding into the tissue.
5. How To Get Rid of Bruises With Toothpaste
Toothpaste for bruises is a strange one, but this toothpaste bruise hack actually works.
Apply a dab of mint toothpaste directly to the bruise.
The mint helps to increase blood flow to the area and helps to break up and release the blood which can help the bruise heal faster. So if you're looking for how to heal a bruise quickly, give minty toothpaste a try!
Keep it covered with a band-aid overnight.
6. Toothbrush Bruise Hack
Interestingly enough, some have even tried gently rubbing the bruise with a toothbrush and found it to be quite effective.
Comb out the bruise gently with a toothbrush.
You may want to try combining this with the toothpaste suggestion above!
7. Bromelain Tablets
Bromelain is a super protein-digesting enzyme used because it's an anti-inflammatory and anti-swelling agent.
It works because it breaks down proteins that trap fluids in the tissues after an injury.
8. Arnica Gel or Cream
The use of Arnica gel for bruises has been around for hundreds of years.
Cover the affected area of your bruise with Arnica gel or cream for best results.
9. Essential Oils
After your bruise stops swelling, it's important to encourage blood circulation to the area.
Blood Circulation is what speeds healing.
Lavender, lemongrass, and geranium essential oils mixed with helichrysum and cypress will promote faster healing.
10 drops of Helichrysum essential oil
8 drops Lavender EO
6 drops Cypress EO
5 drops of Geranium EO
4 drops of lemongrass EO
Mix oils with an equal amount of carrier oil in an amber-colored glass bottle with an orifice reducer. Shake well to blend and apply 3 drops of the blend onto the bruised area. Repeat this 3 times a day until the bruise completely fades.
Make This Comfrey Salve Recipe to Treat Bumps, Bruises and Cuts
Essential Oils Guide to Health and Non-Toxic Living – In this essential oils guide, we share how to use essential oils for health and non-toxic living. We'll also explore some of the most common essential oils and questions people have.
10. Vitamins and Minerals
Increase your intake of Vitamin C, bioflavonoids and Zinc to help the health and strength of the capillaries.
How to Heal A Bruise Quickly – Conclusion
So, now you have a list of 10 tips and tricks to take care of and heal your bruises within days naturally.
These natural remedies are safe to use as long as the bruises are not associated with extreme pain or swelling.
While there are cases where medical advice is called for… Typically doctors have no more options at their disposal than the basic home remedies I've given you above.
The passage of time is the best remedy of all, but when you don't have that luxury, choose a daily treatment plan, and stick with it.
It takes the body a while to collect the pooled blood and remove it from an injured area, but these natural remedies can speed things along.
Don't forget to like us on Pinterest. Thank you for your time and reading.
Great article! I work with patients and have recommended ice therapy to my patients for their bruising to help reduce the swelling. I also had no idea that tooth paste and butter could get rid of bruising – I will definitely look into that!
What would you recommend for bruising in hard to reach areas, like your back?
Hi Erich,
If the bruise is in a difficult to reach area, it would be best to have someone else assist you. Hopefully that someone loves you. There’s nothing like love to heal! 🙂 Here’s to love! Be well, Jackie
I think this is a fantastic site, very informative. All the links seem to work and the pictures look great. On the about page your fonts are different sizes but it looks great. I found some things to try with bruising, I take blood thinners for my mechanical heart valve and sometimes I get bruises. Keep up the great work.
Hi Dave,
Thanks so much for your feedback and I’m thrilled that you found the post on How to Heal a Bruise Quickly useful! Thanks for taking the time to connect. 🙂 Be well, Jackie
I had never really thought about the fact that a bruise looks the way it does due to the blood rising to the surface just below the skin. I would think that applying pressure would hurt but I will give it a try next time I have a bruise! I have never heard of vitamin K cream either, Great tips, thank you.
Hi Louise,
Thanks for connecting… And happy to give you a few remedies for the next time you find yourself with a bruise.