Why Some People Bruise So Easily

We’ve all had those moments where we run into things and come away with a nasty bruise, but this DNews video explains why some of us seem to be more resilient and heal quickly while others of us seem to wake up with mystery bruises with no memory of where they came from.

After explaining exactly how the bruising process works and looks (for lighter skinned people, that is), the video explains that some people may bruise more easily if they’re prone to specific blood conditions like haemophilia or Von Willebrand Disease — where the blood doesn’t clot as quickly as it should or the proteins in the blood that are supposed to clot don’t work properly. Also, people who are on blood thinning medications for heart conditions or blood pressure conditions may also bruise more easily because of the way the medicine interacts with your blood. Similarly, if you’re particularly athletic or do a lot of weight training, you may be prone to bruise more often because the process of building muscle involves causing small amounts of damage to muscle tissue and then letting it heal back, stronger than before.

Beyond that though, if you do really get those mystery bruises and you have no idea where they’re from, they could be an underlying condition that you should speak to your doctor about. If none of the above applies to you, and you don’t remember bumping your shin in the middle of the night — or you do and that bruise seems to be taking forever to go away, it might be time to call the doctor.

Why Do Some People Bruise So Easily? [DNews (YouTube)]