15 Home Remedies To Lighten Bruises

Bruises are a common type of skin injury that can result in discoloration and tenderness. They are caused by the breakage of small blood vessels under the skin, which results in blood leaking into the surrounding tissues. While bruises typically heal on their own over time, they can be uncomfortable and unsightly in the meantime. Fortunately, there are many home remedies that can help to lighten bruises and speed up the healing process.

These natural remedies are often readily available and can be easily prepared at home. They work by reducing inflammation, improving blood flow, and promoting healing. Some popular home remedies for bruises include applying ice, using arnica cream, taking bromelain supplements, and applying aloe vera gel.

It is important to note that while home remedies can provide relief for bruises, they may not be effective for more severe cases or if there is an underlying medical condition. If your symptoms persist or worsen, it is important to consult a healthcare professional for proper diagnosis and treatment. Here are 15 home remedies to Lighten Bruises:

# Raise it Up

Rising the bruised area above your heart is a great way to lessen the darkness of the bruise because the limits the blood flow to the area and therefore the blood does not go through the bruised tissue.

# Ice Packs

Putting an ice pack on the bruised area for 15 minutes every hour as needed can lessen the inflammation and swelling. The coldness of the ice pack is amazing for constricting the burst capillaries so the color (the darkness and surface area) might shrink at least a little even if just for a while.

# Prevention

There are some rather easy steps you can take to stop the chances of bruising. If you are in a sport, go biking, or other take part in some other activity, then you should consider wearing pads if you are more accident prone than others. The pads help to protect the direct skin and the muscle under it.

# Compression

You can wrap the bruised area in an elastic bandage, or some stores even sell special compression sleeves. Compression can be useful when it comes to bruises because it constricts the surrounding the tissue which helps the blood vessels to not leak, it can lessen the swelling, pain, and the severeness of the bruise.

# Heat

Apply a hot water bottle or a heating pad to the bruised area can work for relieving the pain and swelling by improving the blood flow to push out the trapped blood so the bruise can start healing fast. If the bruise in the muscle, then the heat can relax the muscle a bit.

You can use melted chocolate to make a compress too. Melt the chocolate down, let it cool it is still warm without being burn, spread it to the bruise, and cover it. You want to leave everything in place overnight and wash it off the morning. The higher the iron content is the better.

# Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is amazing for limiting inflammation and thereby pain. You want to apply pure aloe vera directly the bruise. You can use this home remedy for lightening bruises up to four times a day.

# Arnica

Arnica is a kind of herb that lessens swelling and pain. You can get different ointments and lotions that contain the herb or you can also take it orally. Use these products as directed on the packaging.

# Pineapple

Pineapple has an enzyme mix called bromelain. This mix of amino acids helps to calm swelling as well. If you do not like pineapple, then it is entirely possible to get bromelain in pill supplements or in a cream or lotion.

# Vitamin K Cream

Vitamin K is incredible when it comes to blood clotting. The best thing to do is to get a lotion or cream that has vitamin K in it and apply it directly to the bruised area.

# Quercetin

Quercetin is a kind of flavonoid that comes fruits and is great for keeping inflammation down and this can lessen the pain. This is another sort of cream and or lotion you want to look into. You just follow the instructions on the tube when you buy it.

If the cream does not work or if you want to give the cream a boost, there are foods that you can add to your diet. You can add red onion, leafy greens, and darker fruits like cherries and berries.

# Rice

RICE stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. The rest helps the bruise simply because putting too much weight or pressure or using the area with the bruising can just make the pain worse than it was, to begin with.

# Vitamin C

Vitamin C is important because it quickens the healing time of the bruise and increases the body’s response to bruises in general. You can take vitamin C in supplement pills or you can some different foods to your diet. Foods to look into are papayas, kale, mangoes, broccoli, oranges, and spinach.

# Iron

Having an iron deficiency in iron called anemia can make it easier for you to bruise. Adding iron through supplement pills or adding foods to your diet are both good ways to get your iron levels up. If you want to add the foods to your diet, you can try leafy greens, just about any meat, and beans.

# Do Not Touch It

Poking and prodding at the bruise can make the bruise worse because the pressure can cause even more of the capillaries to burst so that more of the blood gets trapped under the skin and makes the bruise darker.

# Quit Smoking

The chemicals in tobacco are never good for your body and they certainly do not help you when bruising is involved. Smoking drastically slows the healing process by slowing tissue repairs and lowering your blood supply.