Dark Purple Bruises On Hands And Arms

Bruising of the hands and arms may result from a condition called actinic purpura, also known as Bateman purpura. It involves flat, purple blotches that darken before gradually fading. Actinic purpura occurs due to sun damage that weakens the blood vessels and appears most often in elderly and light-skinned individuals.

This is because they are the color of the blood that has pooled underneath the skin . As a bruise heals, the body breaks down blood and fluids that have accumulated under the skin. As this happens the bruise turns different colors. Within the first few days after getting a bruise, the area may become a black mark, blue mark, or purple mark.

Some of the causes of bruising for no reason include age, medication, or serious disease. Bruising for no reason may be a signal to consult a healthcare professional. As people age, capillary walls become less able to withstand the bumps and jostling of daily activities.

The most common cause of arm bruising is trauma. A broken bone or severe sprain may cause bruising to the arm. Children tend to incur more bruises than adults as a result of their higher activity levels. In some cases, a child with arm bruises may have been subjected to child abuse. An ice pack, which can help with an arm bruise.

A bruise is caused by the leakage of blood out of the blood vessels and is trapped under the skin. The different colors of bruises have to do with the change in the blood as it’s broken down and re-absorbed by the body. Intially, bruises appear as reddish. It will then turn blue or dark purple within a few hours, then yellow or green as it heals.

This color change of the bruise is due to low supply of oxygen to the affected area. This causes the hemoglobin, which is usually red in color to change to blue. It may take around three to four days for the color of the bruise to change from red to completely blue.

Bruises without injuries can be caused by thinning of the skin which could be caused by a number of factors. Some medication when taken for too long could lead to bruising without injuries. Aspirin is one such drug. It leads to coagulation changes which then lead to spontaneous hematoma.

Most bruises are caused by some form of blunt force trauma to blood vessels under the skin. When these blood vessels break open, blood begins to pour into the surrounding tissue. This blood pools under the skin and initially looks dark purple or deep red.

Easy Bruising On Arms Causes. Natural supplements like fish oil capsules, in excess, causes easy bruising. Garlic, ginger, and ginkgo biloba consumed in excess causes blood to thin, leading to bruising. Old age is an important cause for bruising. A low platelet count is another significant cause.

Blood Diseases. Multiple blood diseases can cause easy bruising, including hemophilia (inability of blood to clot), blood poisoning, liver disease, kidney disease, or cancer. There should be concerned if the legs (or another part of the body) bruise easily and there are other symptoms or multiple bruises.

Also, if you begin to feel a lot of pressure or pain in a bruised part of your body, you could be suffering from compartment syndrome. This happens when pressure increases on the soft tissue and structure underneath your skin and reduces the flow of blood and oxygen to tissues.

Thrombocytopenia: This is a clotting disorder, which leads to low platelet count. A low platelet count ups the chances of unexplained bruising on arm. Thrombocytopenia often occurs secondary to certain other condition such as an immune disorder, pregnancy or leukemia.

Easy bruising is common with age. Although most bruises are harmless and go away without treatment, easy bruising can sometimes be a sign of a more serious problem. Most bruises form when small blood vessels (capillaries) near the skin’s surface are broken by the impact of a blow or injury-often on the arms or legs.