How to Prevent and Heal Bruises

Bruises are caused by broken blood vessels usually from a fall, bump or a strike to the area of the body. Bruises can turn purple, red, green and yellow and be an ugly, if not embarrassing, sight when you are wearing shorts, short sleeves or a bathing suit. If you bruise at the ever so slightly bump, these steps will help prevent and ease those painful and colorful bruises. To prevent a bruise from ever surfacing try using some arnica cream. Spread the cream over whatever body part that gets hit or bumped immediately after the incident. If you tend to bruise very easily and the slightest touches cause bruises, you may want apply a small amount of the cream just in case you come in contact with something throughout the day.

Arnica cream not only prevents bruises but also can ease the pain of bruises and heal it quickly. Spread the cream several times a day on the area that is bruised but don’t use it if the skin is broken. Arnica is great for external use but poisonous internally. Bromelain, a protein enzyme that helps break food down and is found in pineapples, is just not good for digesting it also may help to break down fibrin, which is a substance produced in the body after you bruise yourself that contributes to the swelling and inflammation. Bromelain helps to minimize the bruising by helping to digest the proteins that trigger swelling and pain in the body. You will need to buy Bromelain supplements in tablet or capsule form, which you can get at any nutritional store. Take 250-500 mg between meals until the bruise heals.

Hydrotherapy also works in fighting bruises. Get two cloths, soak one in hot water, but not so hot that it will burn your skin, and soak the other one in very cold water. Put the hot cloth on first for 3 minutes, remove the hot cloth, and apply the cold cloth for 30 seconds. Repeat this four times but keep soaking the cloths to keep them hot and cold. What this process does is the heat brings the blood to the area, and the cold takes it away. This process removes waste products and produces fresh nutrients to the bruise and helps heal the bruise much quicker. Aromatherapy can help heal bruises by combining these three oils. Mix three drops of peppermint essential oil and three drops of lavender essential oil with one ounce of sweet almond oil. Spread the mixture over the bruise several times a day covering it with a gauze or bandage. Don’t wrap too tight allow some breathing room. Peppermint helps reduce the swelling and lavender helps relieve the pain. A great combination to heal bruises.

After a couple of days of using this combination, start using this combination of oils up to two additional weeks. Three drops of rosemary, black pepper, and juniper combined with one ounce of sweet almond oil. These oils provide warmth helping to increase blood circulation to the bruise. For those, like myself, who tend to bruise easily eating fruits everyday will help strengthen blood vessels. Fruits are rich in bioflavonoids, which help prevent blood platelets for sticking together, and therefore, preventing easy bruising.

If you bruise for no apparent reason or have one that doesn’t heal, you should always see a doctor.