Bruises are caused when blood vessels at the surface of the skin are damaged either by an injury or a blow. The blood leaks out of the blood vessel which causes black-blue discoloration which gets reabsorbed by the body in a short course of time. This can take 1 to 2 days but there are also more severe bruises that can last up to a fortnight.
Lack of vitamins in the body could make your body prone to bruising. Supplementing your body with vitamins is essential as they help in accelerating the healing process and help in reducing the swelling.
Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin. It plays a major role in blood clotting, bone metabolism, and regulating blood calcium levels. The body needs vitamin K to produce prothrombin, a protein which is the reason for the clotting factor that is important in blood clotting and bone metabolism.
Vitamin K supplements are given when the body has its deficiency. Vitamin K is also used to treat weak bones (osteoporosis) and relieve itching that often accompanies a liver disease called biliary cirrhosis.
People intake vitamin K for bruises(1), spider veins, scars, stretch marks, and burns treatment. It is also one of the best remedies to treat rosacea, which is a skin condition that causes pimples and redness on the face. After surgery, vitamin K is used to speed up skin healing and reduce bruising and swelling.
[Also Read: Bruises Using Natural Remedies]
Green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale, turnip greens, swiss chard, collards, mustard greens, romaine parsley, and green leaf lettuce
Other Vegetables such as brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower are also rich in Vitamin K
Small amounts of Vitamin K is found in fish, liver, meat, eggs, and cereals
Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps in the production of collagen(2) which is very necessary for healing damaged blood vessels. Low levels of vitamin C can be attributed to easy bruising. Increased dietary intake of vitamin C and vitamin C supplements can help in treating this condition effectively.
On the other hand, citrus fruits that are rich sources of bioflavonoids help in faster healing of wounds and bruises.
Foods which are rich in Vitamin C are kakadu plums, acerola cherries, rose hips, chilli peppers, guavas, sweet yellow peppers, blackcurrants, thyme, parsley, mustard spinach, kale, kiwis, broccoli, brussels sprouts, lemons, lychees, american persimmons, papaya, strawberries, and oranges.
[Read: Health Benefits of Broccoli]
Vitamin C is required for the biosynthesis of collagen, L-carnitine, and certain neurotransmitters. It is also involved in protein metabolism. Collagen is an essential component of connective tissue, which plays a very important role in wound healing. Vitamin C is also an important physiological antioxidant that has shown to regenerate other antioxidants within the body, including alpha-tocopherol.
[Read: Hemoglobin Rich Foods]
Bruising can be decreased by including vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin D, bioflavonoids, and zinc. Bruising can also be decreased by decreasing the use of blood thinners such as ginkgo, aspirin, and coumadin