While you might appreciate the fun night out that led to a bruise (or not), bruises don’t always make the best accessory to that cute sundress you were planning to wear on a date. Don’t worry; we’ve got some tips for how you can heal bruises faster and still wear the outfit you intended to.
First, it’s helpful to know just precisely what a bruise is. When a bruise appears on your skin, that results from broken capillaries, which are tiny blood vessels. Red blood cells then collect under the skin’s surface and cause the discoloration we call a bruise. A bruise can last anywhere from a few days to 2 weeks, depending on the severity.
Before we get into tips for how to heal bruises, the best thing you can do to avoid a bruise is immediately treat the injury you think might lead to a bruise. You can press a cold compress onto the freshly bruised or soon-to-be-bruised area for about 12 minutes. This can help to reduce the appearance of the bruise once it develops.
If you’re already in the latter stages of a bruise but need to heal it ASAP, we’ve got some bruise-tending tips to help you out.
One secret remedy is arnica gel. Arnica is an herb that can help reduce pain and swelling. It’s often recommended to people who’ve just gotten a cosmetic procedure done, like lip fillers, to reduce the bruising. Just continue reapplying arnica gel as often as possible throughout the day to speed up the process to heal bruises.
Another essential way to heal bruises is by addressing why you might get them to begin with. The frequency and severity of bruising are partially linked to your diet, specifically to your consumption of iron and vitamin C. If you need healing a bruise quickly, try getting your diet to fight on your side.
A lack of iron is associated with bruising, meaning it’s time to finally pull out those picturesque, healthy Pinterest recipes you’ve been holding on to. In essence, green leafy vegetables are a great source of iron. Vitamin C is important for healthy skin renewal, and it doubles as a helper for iron absorption. Try adding some citrus fruit into your diet to help prevent bruising in the first place.
With these tips, you won’t have to reschedule an outfit just because of an unfortunately placed bruise as often.
