Book 1, Question 13
Why Do We Get Bruises? Purple, Green, Then Gone!
Have you ever found a bruise and wondered where it came from? A bump breaks tiny blood vessels under your skin, and blood leaks into the nearby tissue, which makes the mark. Then your body recycles that blood and the bruise fades, changing from purple to green to yellow until it is almost gone. The page reminds us that bruises come in stages, so it is not ouch forever, and that a cloth-wrapped ice pack for 10 to 15 minutes can help swelling feel better.
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 1
More fun facts
- Another name for a bruise is a contusion. Doctors also use the word ecchymosis.
- A bruise forms when tiny blood vessels called capillaries break and blood gets trapped under the skin.
- After a couple of days, a bruise may look blue or even blackish. That is where the phrase black and blue comes from.
- After about 5 to 10 days, a bruise may turn greenish or yellow.
- The color changes are a sign your body is breaking down the blood and soaking it back up.
- Most bruises fade away in about 2 weeks.
- Some people bruise more easily than others. Blood vessels also get more fragile as people get older, so older people often bruise more easily.
Sources: KidsHealth (Nemours), KidsHealth (Nemours), Cleveland Clinic
Questions kids ask
How long does a bruise last?
Most bruises fade in about 2 weeks, changing colors as your body cleans up the trapped blood.
Why do bruises turn green and yellow?
Your body is breaking down the blood under your skin, and the color changes as it does.