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Bruising

No matter how careful you are, there's no avoiding an occasional bruise. Also known as a contusion or ecchymosis, a bruise results when part of your body is struck hard enough to crush muscle fibers and connective tissue. As blood from ruptured small blood vessels pools up beneath the skin, you initially develop a red mark that may be painful and swollen.

As your body responds by breaking down and reabsorbing the blood, the bruise usually changes color from red to blue-purple or even black in a day or two. It then turns green or yellow in five to ten days, and then yellow-brown or light brown after ten to 14 days, before it finally fades away.

Although bruises are usually just a temporary nuisance, they can be a sign of other medical problems, and deep bruises to the muscle and bone can be severe enough to require medical treatment.

Who's Susceptible to Bruises?

Even the toughest athlete will develop a bruise if a blow is hard enough. But some people are more susceptible to easy bruising, from injuries that may be too slight to even remember. Factors associated with easy bruising include:

• Increasing age. As we get older, muscle fibers and connective tissue weaken, the walls of small blood vessels become more fragile and likely to rupture, and skin loses some of its protective fatty layer.
• Gender. Women of all ages are more likely than men to have tender, easily bruised skin.
• Medications and supplements. Medications associated with easy bruising include aspirin, warfarin (Coumadin), and clopidogrel (Plavix), which thin blood and reduce its ability to clot; and corticosteroids, which thin the skin. Blood-thinning supplements such as ginkgo biloba and fish oil may also increase the risk of bruising, especially if they're combined with blood-thinning drugs.

Home Treatment for Bruises

You can camouflage bruises with special cosmetics such as Dermablend and Covermark. You can help speed the healing process by:

• Resting the injured area.
• Elevating the injured area. If possible, raise the bruise (on your shin, for example) above the level of your heart to divert blood flow to the rest of your body.
• Icing it down. Apply anything cold — an ice pack or even a bag of frozen vegetables — to the bruise for a half hour to an hour each day for the first couple of days to decrease blood flow and inflammation.
• Taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications. Over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen may help reduce pain and inflammation.

Because bruises don't break the skin, they usually don't require bandages. But if you have a muscle bruise (contusion), lightly wrap the injured area in a soft bandage or ace wrap.

When to See a Doctor

You should seek medical evaluation if a bruise or bruises:

• Develop for no known reason.
• Are near your eye.
• Become more painful or swollen.
• Interfere with joint movement.
• Persist for longer than two weeks.

Unusually large, painful, or sudden bruising — especially for no known reason — or easy bruising associated with abnormal bleeding from other parts of your body such as the nose, gums, or intestinal tract may be a sign of a blood-clotting or other blood-related disorder.

These disorders include idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), a deficiency of clotting compounds called platelets that often occurs in older people. ITP causes red or purple blotches, most often on sun-damaged skin on the forearms or the backs of the hands, that last longer than normal bruises. Skin-thickening prescriptions for ITP may include creams containing alpha hydroxy acid or Retin-A, a vitamin A derivative.

Sometimes, bruising is associated with domestic abuse, either in the home or a health care setting. Nursing-home residents can be the victims of such abuse, which may result in unusually large bruises on the face, arms, chest, or back. All suspected cases of abuse should receive careful medical evaluation.

Although bruises aren't the kind of beauty marks that anyone wants, they're usually just a harmless consequence of you banging into something or something banging into you. With proper home care — and medical treatment if necessary — you can minimize their pain, discomfort, and Technicolor hues.

10 Tension Tamers to Soothe Your Stress

You don't have to live with stress! Our lives these days are jam-packed with it — and that can take a toll on your health and your weight. Stress can lead to emotional eating when you're not hungry or skipping your exercise routine, and it can also contribute to a variety of health problems like high blood pressure, headaches, ulcers, and a weakened immune system. Say good-bye to stress with my top tension tamers — they’re simple ways to ease tension, calm your nerves, and take back control of your life.

• Lather up! When you're stressed out, a soothing shower or bath also can be just the mood booster you need. It will relax your muscles, which also sets you up for a good night's rest. And the time spent lathering up can act as an effective buffer between the whirl of your everyday life and your bed — a place where all that anxiety doesn't belong!
• Burn it off! On stressful days you may want to skip your workout altogether, but hitting the pavement will actually help reduce stress. Exercise causes the body to release endorphins — mood-boosting chemicals — which help reduce your stress level. Go for a brisk walk or take a bike ride to let off some steam.
• Take a trip down memory lane. While we can’t always escape our responsibilities and long to-do lists, just visiting the memory of happy times with the people you love can help boost your mood and ward off stress. Post photos of good times with family and friends where you can see them often — on your refrigerator, in frames on your desk, and on the visor in your car. Seeing the pictures will make rush hour traffic a little more bearable!
• Turn off the gadgets. I know it’s hard in a world where we are constantly turned “on.” But to keep stress under control, we need to unplug once in awhile. Turn off your phone, computer, and television, and take 15 minutes to connect with yourself. Take a bath, meditate, or read a book.
• Soak up some sunlight. Get outdoors! Sunlight stimulates brain chemicals that boost mood and will help melt away stress. Try eating your lunch outside or take a walk around the block to soak up some sun — and leave your stress in the dust!
• Plan a girl’s night out. When was the last time you had some fun? If you are constantly battling stress, chances are not recently. Plan a night out with the girls — dancing, bowling, a trip to the movies — whatever you and your girlfriends love to do together! Laughing and enjoying yourself is one of the best stress busters.
• Use scented lotion. When moisturizing your skin, opt for lotions scented with vanilla or lavender. These scents have a calming effect on our bodies when we smell them, which will help keep you relaxed — and less likely to hold onto stress.
• Volunteer. You may think adding one more responsibility to your plate will only increase stress levels, but helping others causes the release of feel-good hormones in our bodies, which boost mood and ward off stress. Pick a cause you feel passionate about and volunteer once a month.
• Buy yourself flowers. Having flowers around is an instant pick-me-up. Research has proved that they boost your mood — perhaps it’s their beautiful colors or lovely smell. Treat yourself to a bouquet of your favorite flowers and put them on your desk or around your home.
• Sleep. When you are tired and your body is run down, you are much more susceptible to stress. Make an extra effort to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep; it will leave you feeling energized and better able to handle stressors you encounter throughout the day.

Next time you’re feeling stressed, give one of these tension tamers a try. I guarantee you’ll ease your worry and feel calm, collected, and ready to face your day!