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Question:

Is there a way to reduce black-and-blue bruises caused by trauma?

Answer:

Apply ice packs to the injured body area immediately after the injury and apply pressure. The ice pack should be kept on for at least 20 minutes initially, and then for 20 minutes every hour while you are awake for the next 24 hours, to be most effective. After that, it should be replaced with a heat pack, following the same schedule as for the ice pack, for the next 48 hours. The bruise must still undergo the normal stages of healing, but applying heat may speed up the process. The bruise will change color from red to purple to yellow to brown before disappearing, but faint discoloration may persist for several weeks or months.

See: Bruising

Seek help from a health care provider if:

• The bruise is a result of a recent procedure or surgery
• The injury is due to severe trauma
• There are bruise marks that do not resolve with time
• There is severe pain, redness, swelling or warmth to touch accompanying the bruise
• Significant bruising occurs with minimal injury
• You also have a fever greater than 100.8 degrees Fahrenheit (38.2 degrees centigrade)

Ecchymosis treatment; Hematoma or contusion treatment

Updated by: Jacob L. Heller, MD, Emergency Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington, Clinic. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.