Everyone has had a bruise at some time or other and most people know that a bruise is simply broken capillaries leaking blood under the skin. But, most people do not realize that there are three different kinds of bruises. You can bruise your bone, your muscles and your skin. Bruising your skin is the least painful. You can prevent bruising easily altogether by following simple safety precautions.

Most of the time bruising is caused by injury. You can run into a counter, get hit during a sports game, when you are doing home repairs and fall off the ladder or by simply tripping. To prevent bruising in your day-to-day life, take the proper precautions for the activity you are doing. In sports, wear protective equipment, such as a helmet, knee pads or elbow pads. Wear your seat belt when driving or riding in a car. Watch where you are walking to avoid tripping and be careful on icy patches during the winter.

But some people tend to bruise more easily than others. Bruising seems to happen spontaneously even when they take care. Why is this? Your risk of bruising goes up if you smoke, have a bleeding disorder, such as hemophilia, are anemic, are overweight or if you have leukemia.

People taking particular medications tend to have an easier time bruising. Blood thinners, allergy medication, penicillin, anti-depressants or cortisone can all have a negative impact on your ability to sustain minor injuries. People also bruise more easily as they age. Some vitamin and mineral deficiencies, including B12 and folic acid, can also lead to easy bruising. It is extremely rare to find someone in a first world country who is deficient in vitamin K; however, a vitamin K deficiency will make it easier to get a bruise.

You just cannot stop bruising completely. Sometimes people are just plane klutzy. Sometimes life just happens. There are things you can do to minimize your risk of bruising.

Your entire body, not just your capillaries, will thank you if you quit smoking and bring your body weight down. These two things alone will decrease the likelihood of bruising. Avoid taking aspirin and ibuprofen for pain as these over-the-counter medications thin your blood.

You have heard that eating leafy, dark green vegetables, broccoli and alfalfa are good for you. Eating these vegetables will increase your vitamin K levels. Berries and citrus fruits are rich in bioflavinoids (anti-oxidants) and will help support your body’s connective tissue. Eating foods with a high zinc level, such as soy and wheat germ, and eating plenty of carrots, potatoes and yams which are high in lipoic acid, will help your capillaries heal faster. Adding garlic and onion to your diet will help counter inflammation. A good multi-vitamin is definitely worth considering.

In the event that you do get a bruise (and you will), Arnica cream is known to speed healing and make bruising less painful. Arnica can also be taken in a homeopathic tablet or in an herbal tablet. Do not try and drain your bruise with a needle. This will make it worse and take it longer to heal.

It is virtually impossible to prevent bruising easily altogether. However, you can see that there are plenty of things you can do to decrease your risk and to improve your ability to heal more quickly. Be sure to see your physician if your bruise does not go away, hurts or if you find that you spontaneously bruise.

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