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Bruises
These lectures are not meant to replace your physician and are simply provided as
a free educational service to all our visitors. If you feel that you have a
skin problem, please see your doctor.
Bruising is a very common skin disorder. It is important for your primary
doctor or dermatologist to rule out medical causes of bruising. Once it has
been established that "bruising" is not related to a medical or hematologic
disorder, then it can be treated as a benign cosmetic disorder. Once again,
this is a diagnosis of exclusion only after your physician has carefully ruled
out medical causes. However, "bruising" or what is felt to be bruising is most
often a benign cosmetic problem.
The medical description of "bruising" is also called ecchymoses or purpura.
Non-elevated purpura or non palpable purpura that is cosmetic in nature is
called "solar purpura", "Bateman's purpura", or "Senile purpura". As the name
suggests, both sun and age contribute to the appearance of bruised skin. Thus,
sun exposed areas, such as the arms and legs, often manifest these changes.
Other benign causes of purpura include "steroid purpura". In this case,
systemic steroid use over time results in thin, fragile and easily bruisable
skin. In all of the above examples, the result is cosmetically disfiguring
purpura or "bruising".
Treatments for these forms of bruising include cover ups with corrective
cosmetics such as Dermablend. Recently, topical vitamin K (a crucial vitamin
for the development of clotting factors II, VII, IX, and X- the factors needed
and used by the body to decrease bleeding times and bruising) has been used to
reduce unsightly bruising. K-Derm gel and K-Derm cream are recent examples that
make use of this science and physiology to hopefully reduce unnecessary
bruising.
For more on Common Skin Disorders,
click here.
For more topics, click here.
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