Getting mildly-hurt or bruised is a common occurrence for both young and old. They are seemingly harmless, but need medical attention nonetheless. Bruises are typically red or blue-black blood spots than are caused on skin after it has been injured. The thing is, when the body gets hurt or hit hard, small blood vessels under the skin in that particular region tend to get damaged. But, there’s no need to call an ambulance just yet. The black-blue spots are just a consequence of this sudden breakage of blood that leak out from the blood vessels to the underlying tissue that surrounds it.
Medically classified as a contusion, a bruise requires mere minutes to turn your skin purplish black, after it has been hit hard. And although they don’t pose any health risks, bruises take days or weeks to completely heal and fade away. They can however, be very uncomfortable and annoying, especially if they’re located on joints or frequently stretched patches of skin. A bruise will normally heal on its own within a couple of weeks, but there are a wide variety of natural home remedies for bruises that you can use to get rid of them sooner.
How are Bruises Caused?
There are probably a million ways how a person can incur a bruise, but they are categorised as either of the following:
- Physical injury from fighting, falling, etc.
- Banging or bumping against a hard or rough surface
- While hurting yourself while exercising, or
- Simply because you were born with fragile skin that bruises easily.
Symptoms
You don’t need to be a doctor to recognize whether you have suffered from a bruise. Although some bruises may be less obvious than others, the most common symptoms include a:
- A purplish, green, blue or black Mark on the skin
- Mild pain and/or swelling on the affected region
There are a number of simple yet effective home remedies for bruises that you can use to treat anything from black eyes to bruises on the arms and legs. Let’s discuss some of the best ones.
Home Remedies for Bruises
1. Bandage
A bandage always works for small cuts and bruises, but an elastic bandage can be used to prevent a bruise from spreading further. It is considered to be the most effective home remedy because it not only prevents bruise from spreading, but speeds up the healing process and even covers up the unsightly bruise!
2. Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a great natural healer and rich foods like vegetables & fruits like broccoli, peppers, mangoes and oranges will considerable reduce the chances of skin inflammation and bruises. Vitamin C can even be used to get rid of old bruises or scars.
3. Vitamin K
Just like Vitamin C, Vitamin K is also an effective remedy that can treat blood clots and heals tissue damage. The best sources of Vitamin K are vegetables like broccoli, sprouts and other leafy greens.
4. Ice Therapy
Putting a pack of ice or some frozen food packet over a bruise is effectual way to get rid of bruise. Ice therapy is known to cool down the damaged blood vessels, effectively slowing and regulating the leakage blood. A mere 10-15 minutes will save you hours or even days of discomfort and inconvenience.
5. Raw Potatoes
A common home remedy used in the boxing industry, slices or shredded raw potatoes are applied to bruises in order to keep the bruising in control.
6. Sugar Syrup
Finally, a health benefit of sugar syrup! It is said that if you apply warm sugar syrup on a bruise and cover it up with a bandage, the sugar will eventually dry up around the skin and tighten it, so that the bruise doesn’t spread.
7. Hot Water Bottle
Using a hot water bottle to reduce clotting or slow down the flow of blood to the damaged tissue is also another popular home remedy to get rid of bruises. A hot water bottle will work best if it is kept on the bruise for at least 15-20 minutes.
8. Onion
This aphrodisiac also has anti-inflammatory properties that work as well on your insides as they do on your skin. Onions work well to repair damaged skin cells, and it is even said that the layers on an onion resemble the layers of the skin. Extract the onion juice or just rub a freshly cut onion on your bruise.
9. Vanilla
Vanilla extract also serves another purpose apart from making baked goods smell better. You can use vanilla extract to provide relief to a swollen or fresh bruise.
10. Vinegar
If you don’t like the taste of vinegar in your food, you shouldn’t mind applying some on your body. Vinegar is said to be effective in circulating the blood that has clotted up in an affected area. Best used as a warm water and vinegar mix, vinegar can provide instant relief to a blood clot.
11. Pineapple
This delicious fruit is as good for your tongue as it is for your skin. Pineapple contains an enzyme known as bromelain, which has the potential to reach damaged blood vessels and eat out the excess protein that has leaked out under a bruise.
12. Castor Oil
Although a bit on the expensive side, you can use castor oil to quickly treat a bruise. Massaging castor oil into a bruise not only has the potential to reduce its size, but even forms a protective later for the fresh skin.
13. Chocolate
Applying warm melted chocolate on a bruise or bruised region and covering it up with a bandage acts as a hot compress for your skin. This compresses the damaged blood vessels and regulates blood flow.
14. Butter
This delicious multipurpose spread is great home remedy for treating minor bruises and even burns. All you need to do is apply some on the affected area and massage it into the skin.
15. Cayenne Pepper and Vaseline
The uncanny combination of Cayenne pepper with Vaseline is a great way to make a bruise heal and disappear faster.
16. Lemon
This citrus-based home remedy is probably the most effective, but also the most painful. Applying some lemon juice on a bruise and rubbing it for 5 minutes provide faster healing for a bruise.
17. Papaya
Papaya is a great fruit that also contains the digestive compounds, bromelain, which treats blood clot in the same way that pineapple does.
18. Coffee
Ground black coffee that is applied onto a fresh bruise is a great home remedy to get rid of bruise that will ensure the wound heals within a few days.
Safety Precautions
You can prep and use any of the above home remedies yourself, with no training whatsoever. But, it’s useful to keep the following tips in mind while you do so:
- Avoid consuming aspirin or anything else with paracetamol in it.
- When treating bruise on the hands and legs, try treating it from top to bottom, and not the other way around!
- If you’ve gotten a bruise at a joint of area of skin that is constantly moving, its best to just restrict the movement of that region because physical strains like walking, jumping or running fast will only aggravate a bruise.
- In case of blood clots, its best to treat them within a 24 hour period, other the clot my get severe and would require professional medical treatment.