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Purple Discoloration Of The Skin On The Knee After An Injury. Will The Bruise Fade Off?

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Posted on Fri, 13 Jul 2012
Question: Five weeks ago I feel down stairs onto a cement floor. Cut my right knee, bruised and swollen. I treated with antibiotic cream. No infection but it's still a medium shade of purple about the diamert size of a nickel. It doesn't hurt and is no longer swollen. I bruise VERY easily, but when can I expect the purple discoloration to disappear? It's summer time and I am constantly covering that spot with makeup.
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Answered by Dr. Pavan Kumar Gupta (1 hour later)
Hello and thanks for the query.
We all experience bruising occasionally, usually as the result of a bump or fall.  A bruise occurs when impact causes blood vessels to break and blood leaks into the soft tissue under the skin. If the skin is not broken, the blood has nowhere else to go.
 During the healing process, which normally lasts from two to four weeks, bruises go through a sequence of color changes. This will cause a discoloration to form that begins reddish-purple in color, then as the body heals itself, will become bluish-purple, then yellowish-brown, before the skin returns to normal.
May be in another one to two weeks time,the discoloration should disappear.
I hope to have answered your query however you may revert to me for any further query.
Best of luck.
Thanks
Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Pavan Kumar Gupta

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :1978

Answered : 6704 Questions

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Purple Discoloration Of The Skin On The Knee After An Injury. Will The Bruise Fade Off?

Hello and thanks for the query.
We all experience bruising occasionally, usually as the result of a bump or fall.  A bruise occurs when impact causes blood vessels to break and blood leaks into the soft tissue under the skin. If the skin is not broken, the blood has nowhere else to go.
 During the healing process, which normally lasts from two to four weeks, bruises go through a sequence of color changes. This will cause a discoloration to form that begins reddish-purple in color, then as the body heals itself, will become bluish-purple, then yellowish-brown, before the skin returns to normal.
May be in another one to two weeks time,the discoloration should disappear.
I hope to have answered your query however you may revert to me for any further query.
Best of luck.
Thanks