by Stacy Matthews Branch
You may have bumped your leg into a table or had a misstep that led to a painful twisting of the ankle leading to sore or unsightly bruising. Bruising is a common result of skin trauma and is due to escape of blood from these broken capillaries and trapping of the blood under the skin. The severity of a bruise indicates whether you can help yourself or if you need medical attention. When in doubt though, do not hesitate to seek advice and care from your healthcare provider. Below are some steps you can take to heal bruises faster to get your skin back to normal.
Step 1: Rest – Limit use of the affected body part to avoid more leakage of blood beneath the skin, which can worsen the bruising.
Step 2: Ice – Apply ice right away but not directly to the skin (wrap in a towel or other skin-protecting material). The ice can be applied to the bruised area for 15 min. Then wait from 30 minutes to an hour before repeating. This helps reduce swelling and blood flow to the area, limiting the size of the bruise.
It is good to do this step with some compression also (but not too much); this further reduces blood flow and leakage into the skin.
Step 3: Elevation - Raise the bruised area above heart level. This directs blood away from the bruise.
Step 4: Heat – Although ice usage is crucial at the earliest stages of bruising, using some heat a few days later will help promote normal blood flow carrying healing cells and factors to the area.
Step: 5: Massaging the area further promotes normal blood flow. Massaging using Seaside’s Post-Traumatic Response Gel containing MatrX B provides powerful bruise-healing properties to bring back your skin’s health and function.
We hope these tips help you get rid of bruises fast. Remember to seek medical assistance if the bruise involves muscle or bone or is very painful. Also see your doctor if you have unexplained bruising as this may be a sign of an underlying medical condition.
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