If you touch this place, it will turn black or it will shorten your life

"Black bruises" are something that everyone is familiar with. There are always a few times in a person's life when a bump or bruise leaves an ugly mark. However, for some people, their bruises come so "silently". Do you also have such troubles?

How does black cyanosis occur?

Blue bruises are caused by rupture of subcutaneous blood vessels, which causes blood cells to leak out of the blood vessels and accumulate in the subcutaneous tissue.

Schematic diagram of bruises caused by ruptured subcutaneous capillaries

The bruises that people have seen in life always come in various shapes and forms. In medicine, we divide the bruises into petechiae, purpura and ecchymosis according to their diameter from small to large.

The color of cyanosis is not as simple as "blue and purple". If you observe carefully, you will find that the bruises are usually dark red or purple in the early stage, gradually turning into yellowish brown or yellowish green, and then slowly fading away. This is because red blood cells contain hemoglobin. After leaking out of the blood vessels, the hemoglobin is continuously metabolized into other substances, which in turn causes such color changes.

Why does it turn black when touched ?

The normal human body has a very sophisticated and complex hemostasis system. When the body suffers external trauma, the "emergency defense system" will be activated. To understand why bruises occur, we must establish a basic understanding of this system.

Simply put, this system consists of three aspects: blood vessels, platelets and coagulation factors:

Blood vessels: The blood vessels in the human body are like river banks, and blood is like river water. In our subcutaneous tissue, there are many capillaries that are invisible to the naked eye. Their average diameter is only x208x20 microns, which is x2010x20 times thinner than a hair. Blood passes through these vessels to reach tissues, supplying nutrients;

Platelets: Platelets in blood vessels are like bricks in a dam; they shoulder the heavy burden of being the “rescue team.” When a blood vessel is ruptured, they will quickly gather at the rupture site to seal the weak part of the blood vessel and prevent bleeding;

Coagulation factors: Coagulation factors are like cement. They can stick platelets together tightly, just like cement sticks bricks together to form a solid dam and prevent bleeding.

When a collision occurs, the capillary walls are damaged. Under normal circumstances, the body responds quickly:

The blood vessels at the damaged part will quickly contract and close;

Platelets and clotting factors also flock to the area, working together to prevent bleeding from occurring or expanding.

If the injury is severe and our emergency defense system does not have time to fully stop the bleeding, part of the blood in the blood vessels will enter our subcutaneous tissue, and this part of the subcutaneous bleeding will become the bruises we see.

Therefore, for most normal people, bruises will only appear when the collision is strong enough to cause sufficient damage to the capillaries.

Under what circumstances will the body's hemostasis become abnormal?

For individuals with abnormalities in their defense systems, bruises may appear with a slight touch or even without a collision. If you understand the three main elements necessary for hemostasis, the reasons for abnormal phenomena will not be difficult to explain.

Increased vascular fragility:

They can break after even the slightest injury or have insufficient elasticity to close quickly. For example, vascular purpura, which is common in the elderly, is caused by the deterioration of vascular elasticity.

Abnormalities in platelet number or function:

Without such a "rescue team" in the body, the risk of spontaneous bleeding will increase accordingly. For example, thrombocytopenic purpura, which is more common in young women, is caused by thrombocytopenia.

Abnormal amount or function of clotting factors:

There are many types of coagulation factors in the human body, each with its own function. The lack of any one of them will lead to an increased risk of bleeding. The most well-known hemophilia is a hereditary coagulation factor deficiency. Patients usually suffer from continuous bleeding after minor injuries in their childhood.

It turns black when touched, what should I do?

Although many Korean dramas use bruises and nosebleeds as the introduction to the heroine's leukemia, in real life, the probability of such incidents happening is very low.

When you find bruises on your body, stay calm. You can use the following steps to initially determine whether you need to go to the hospital for treatment:

Recall: whether there are any bruises or black spots on the body caused by collision;

Recall again: Have you had frequent bruising recently? Whether taking any special medications;

Observation: size, location, distribution, shape and other characteristics of the bruises;

Observe again: whether there are other discomfort symptoms besides bruises.

Based on the above points of judgment, if you find that the bruise is only in a single part and you do not feel any other discomfort, it is recommended that you continue to observe.

Generally speaking, bruises will be completely absorbed in about two weeks. If you think two weeks is too long, you can speed up the absorption process by applying cold compresses in the early stage (within one day after injury) and hot compresses in the later stage. However, other folk remedies, such as puncture, bloodletting and cupping, are traumatic and should not be tried.

If you find any of the following situations during the judgment process, you must be vigilant and it is best to go to the hospital for treatment in time.

Short time, multiple sites, large range: multiple sites of bruises appear in a short period of time, or the bruises gradually expand in range, and absorption is delayed;

Accompanied by other discomfort symptoms: fever, joint pain, skin itching, abdominal pain, hematuria, black stool, nosebleed, dizziness, fatigue, yellow skin, etc.;

Occurrence at a young age and with a family history: If children and adolescents have large bruises or subcutaneous bleeding after minor injuries since childhood, and there are relatives with the same condition, beware of the possibility of hemophilia;

Long-term use of certain drugs to prevent blood clots: Many patients with cardiovascular diseases may take such drugs, such as aspirin, warfarin, clopidogrel, etc., and these drugs have a certain risk of bleeding, which will make you more likely to get bruises. If bruises are particularly prone to occur while taking medication, it is recommended that you see your doctor for a follow-up visit to evaluate whether the medication needs to be adjusted.

The human body is a very sophisticated instrument that always protects us in various ways.

The easy appearance of bruises is a "signal" that can make us more vigilant and seek medical treatment in time. Generally speaking, through medical history inquiry and laboratory tests, doctors can find the root cause of the bruises and provide symptomatic treatment to avoid more serious situations.