Bruises

Fading Out the Black and Blue

Trip over a crumpled rug, and you've got one. Bump into the bedpost, and you've got one. Forget you left that bottom drawer open, run right into it as you hurry to answer the phone and--ouch!--you've got a really bad one. We've all had our share of bruises. It takes just one good, swift blow, and the blood vessels beneath your skin rupture, spilling blood into the surrounding tissues and creating the colorful palette of blacks, blues, purples, yellows and greens we know as a bruise. For the bruise to heal, the body must reabsorb all of that spilled blood, which, depending on the extent of the damage, could take days or even weeks.

Though bruising is no more than a minor, albeit uncomfortable, inconvenience for most of us, for others, particularly the elderly, it can be a Technicolor nightmare. As skin ages, it becomes thinner and more fragile, a condition that is exacerbated by years of sun exposure. As a result, the underlying blood vessels are more vulnerable to damage. For this reason, older people frequently develop what is known as purpura senilis--bruises on their hands, arms and sometimes legs that occur from the slightest contact and that take months to heal.

"Virtually everybody in their seventies and eighties develops this problem to some extent," says Melvin L. Elson, M.D., medical director of the Dermatology Center in Nashville, co-author of The Good Look Book and editor of Evaluation and Treatment of the Aging Face.

If you're prone to bruising, basic first-aid treatment can help you heal. Apply an ice pack, wrapped in a towel, on and off for the first 24 hours, followed by warm compresses the next day. If you really want to give bruises the old heave-ho and make yourself less "bruisable" in the future, however, the mineral zinc and a dollop of cream fortified with vitamin C or Vitamin K are the way to go, say many experts. For extra protection, they advise boosting your dietary intake of these nutrients as well.

Vitamin K to Chase the Blues Away

Vitamin K, named for the German word koagulation, has long been used to promote blood clotting and prevent bleeding, particularly in cases of aspirin poisoning or blood-thinner overdose. It's also a favorite among plastic surgeons, who use large doses on their patients to prevent post-surgery bruising.

Now these benefits are accessible to the general public as well. Research shows that applying Vitamin K topically can fade away bruises, even those occurring from purpura senilis.

In a study of 12 people with significant bruising, Dr. Elson, a longtime Vitamin K investigator, applied Vitamin K cream to one arm of each patient and an identical cream without Vitamin K to the other. After one month, the arms treated with Vitamin K had significantly fewer bruises than those treated with plain ointment.

"We also had people use Vitamin K cream on one side of a bruise but not on the other and found that the side treated with Vitamin K healed in 5 to 7 days, while the untreated side took 11 to 13 days to heal," says Dr. Elson.

Moreover, Vitamin K strengthens blood vessel walls, so it also makes you less prone to bruising, explains Dr. Elson, who has developed a 1 percent Vitamin K cream called Vitamin K Clarifying Cream. "I've had elderly patients tell me that for the first time since they're older, they can go outside with short sleeves on," he says. Vitamin K Clarifying Cream is available only through a physician, so if you'd like to try some "bruise guard," check with your doctor.

The logical question, of course, is: If Vitamin K works when you rub it on, can you also ward off bruises by eating more Vitamin K-rich foods such as green, leafy vegetables, fruits, seeds and dairy products? "There's no absolute proof, but studies seem to indicate that you can," says Dr. Elson.

Even though getting plenty of Vitamin K--the Daily Value is 80 micrograms--may be helpful, when you have a bruise or an area prone to bruising, you want large doses of Vitamin K right where you need them, and the best way to get them there is topically, says Dr. Elson.

Vitamin C Can Help

Vitamin C, the scurvy-fighting nutrient that's abundant in citrus fruits and broccoli, may also help strengthen the collagen (skin tissue) around your blood vessels and help battle bruises.

"Although studies still need to be done, there is some evidence that supplemental vitamin C at the level of 500 to 1,000 milligrams per day is quite useful against the bruising of old age," says Sheldon Pinnell, M.D., chief of dermatology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North
Carolina.

"The medical literature indicates that beginning at age 55 or 65, people can become vitamin C-depleted," says Dr. Pinnell. "It's not clear whether this depletion is caused by a lack of intake or a problem with absorption, but it appears that supplemental vitamin C can take care of it."

For even better results, try a topical form of vitamin C, says Dr. Pinnell, who, along with his colleagues, has developed a 10 percent vitamin C lotion called Cellex-C. During tests where they applied the lotion to one side of the faces of people with some discolored spots but not to the other, the preparation produced a "dramatic diminution" of bruising injury, says Dr. Pinnell. "By using the lotion, you get 20 to 40 times the level of vitamin C that you could achieve by ingesting the vitamin."

The lotion may be especially useful for the elderly, says Dr. Pinnell, as they are at particular risk for vitamin C deficiency and for the skin problems such as bruising that occur as a result. Cellex-C is available without a prescription from dermatologists, plastic surgeons and licensed aestheticians (full-service beauty salon operators) and by mail order from Caleel-Hayden, L.L.C., 518 17th Street, Suite 1700, Denver, CO 80202 (1-800-235-5392).

Zinc Lends a Helping Hand

Although its role in bruise healing is not as well-researched or well-
defined as those of vitamins C and K, the mineral zinc is known to lend a hand in wound healing and may help with bruises as well.

"Zinc is important in wound healing and skin repair, but it's probably more important for older people," says Lorraine Meisner, Ph.D., professor of preventive medicine at the University of Wisconsin Medical School in Madison.

You can get your Daily Value of zinc (15 milligrams) by filling your plate with shellfish and other seafood as well as with whole grains and lean meats. In fact, just one steamed oyster contains a whopping 12.7 milligrams of zinc.

Note: Frequent inexplicable bruising, although rare, may be a sign of a clotting disorder or an immune problem or a side effect of some medication. If you find yourself bruising easily and frequently, see your doctor.