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What causes purplish discoloration of the skin?

Sep 13, 2022 Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Liu Wan
Introduction
Skin bruising actually refers to bleeding on or beneath the skin. After bleeding occurs, localized discoloration appears, also known as petechiae, purpura, or ecchymosis. There are many causes of skin purpura, including: blood-related factors—reduced platelet count leads to impaired coagulation, allowing red blood cells to leak out of blood vessels and cause subcutaneous or intradermal hemorrhage, manifesting as bruising; some individuals lack certain clotting factors in their blood.

In real life, some people develop unexplained bruising on their skin. During summer, when more skin is exposed, this can significantly affect one's appearance. What causes skin bruising?

What Causes Skin Bruising?

Skin bruising actually refers to bleeding in or under the skin. After bleeding occurs, localized discoloration appears, also known as petechiae, ecchymosis, or purpura. There are many causes of skin bruising, including the following:

Blood-related factors: Reduced platelet count can lead to coagulation disorders, allowing red blood cells to leak out of blood vessels and cause subcutaneous or intradermal bleeding, resulting in bruising. Some individuals lack certain clotting factors in their blood, leading to impaired coagulation. This increases the risk of spontaneous subcutaneous bleeding or excessive bleeding after minor injuries, causing bruises.

Blood vessel factors: If blood vessels are fragile, capillaries may rupture easily, allowing red blood cells to leak out. Inflammatory reactions such as allergic purpura affecting the vessel walls can also cause vessel rupture and lead to skin bruising.

External vascular factors: Commonly seen in elderly individuals, due to skin atrophy and a lack of supportive connective tissue around local blood vessels, vessel fragility increases and they are more prone to rupture. Therefore, older adults may sometimes develop spontaneous bruising.

There are two main causes of skin bruising. When bruising results from external force, topical treatment with mucopolysaccharide polysulfate cream is usually sufficient and effective for quick relief. However, if there is no history of trauma and large areas of the body show bruising, a blood disorder should be considered. In such cases, medication should not be used blindly. We hope this answer has been helpful to you. Wishing you good health and happiness!

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