How to Quickly Heal a Bruise
If you’ve had a bruise before, you likely have wished that it could go away faster. I mean, certainly it gets annoying being asked the same question over and over again: “What happened to your (insert body part here)?” Well, good news! There are several ways to get rid of them!
What is a Bruise?
A bruise is blood from tiny broken blood vessels that collect between the skin and the muscle. It can take about two to three weeks to heal, depending on the severity. Within 1-2 days of an injury, blood that has collected at the injury site turns a bluish or dark purple color. After 5-10 days, the bruise turns a green or yellow color. This is how you know you are healing and recovering. After about 10-14 days, the bruise will turn a yellow-brown or light brown color. This is the body absorbing the last bit of blood.
Treatment of a Bruise
If you were unable to treat the injured area before a bruise formed, making it go away quickly is a bit more difficult. Two methods you can try are sunlight and massage.
Images taken one week apart. Exposure to sunlight, massage, and arnica helped to speed up the healing process.
Sunlight. Exposing the bruise to up to 15 minutes of UV radiation may help break down bilirubin, a substance that causes a bruise to turn brown-yellow.
Massage. To stimulate blood circulation and augment the lymphatic circulation process, gently massage around the outer edge of the bruise using small circular motions.
How to Heal a Bruise Overnight
Arnica
Arnica is an herb that helps reduce inflammation, swelling, and the discoloration of bruises quickly. Although diluted arnica can be taken orally, it is suggested to use only a topical arnica gel on your bruise two times per day.
Vitamin K
Since vitamin K deficiency is known to cause easy bruising, supplementing with vitamin K can help the healing process. Topical vitamin K cream is the perfect therapy to promote rapid resolution of bruising, especially when used in combination with arnica. You can also support your body’s blood clotting process by eating vitamin K-rich foods such as green leafy vegetables, fermented dairy, and brussel sprouts.
Bromelain
Bromelain has been found to reduce the amount and severity of bruising. It is believed that it breaks down proteins that trap fluids in tissue after an injury. Researchers support the idea that taking a bromelain supplement of 200 to 400 milligrams will make a bruise disappear faster. They also suggest making a pulp of pineapple and/or papaya and applying it directly to your bruise.